Sand Pool Filter Basic Maintenance Guide

Owning a sand pool filter is great when everything is working 100% correctly. But when your filter breaks down and needs repair not only will you need to spend time repairing the problem but you also will be spending money.

Once way to get the most out of your pool sand filter and to also avoid costly repairs is to properly maintain the filter throughout the pool season. You also want to make sure you back wash the filter when needed, change the sand every few years to also keep your sand filter in perfect working order. By preforming this basic pool sand filter maintenance you will certainly extend the life of your filter and have many trouble free years of pool filter operation.

Back Washing Your Sand Filter

When your sand pool filters gauge is reading 5 – 1o LBS over the normal operating pressure it means that you need to do something called “back washing”. One of the most important things to do throughout the pool season is to back wash your sand filter. Back washing removes all the dirt and debris that have been removed from the pool and stored inside the filter tank with the sand. You will want to back wash your pools sand filter once a week to keep the pool water and filter in top shape.

The way to back wash your pool filter is to first shut down the pool filter system. Next you will want to turn your multiport valve handle to the back wash position. If you have a flexible back wash line you will now want to unroll it. Now you will want to turn the filter back on and look at the little clear sight glass that in on the side of the multiport body. When you see the water in the sight glass is clear you can then turn the pool filter system off. The sight glass shows you what the water looks like as its coming out of the filter and going into the back wash line.

Now that the filter is off you will want to move the multiport handle into the rinse position and then turn the filter back on again. Let the filter rinse for about 2 minutes, shut down the filter and then turn the handle back into the filter position. You are now done back washing, you can now turn the filter system back on and then you should check the pools water level because you just back washed and removed some water.

Repairing Broken Laterals & Internal Parts Right Away

If you are getting sand back into your swimming pool then chances are you have a broken lateral inside the pool filter. When things like this happen you will always want to repair and replace the pool filters broken right away to prevent further damage.

Replacing The Worn Multiport Spider Gasket

When the filters multiport valve starts to get old parts will start to show signs of wear. One of the most common things that will go wrong with your filters multiport valve is the spider gasket. If your starting to notice water coming out of the back washing line while the filter multiport is in the “filter” position, well this means that the spider gasket inside of your multiport is properly worn and needs to be replaced. Sometimes the whole entire multiport will need to be replaced if the model is outdated and parts are no longer available.

If you were to remove the top assembly of the multiport valve you would be able to see the spider gasket that sits on the bottom of the valve body. When this gasket starts to wear out it will allow water to pass by causing the filter not to work properly. You can buy and replace the spider gasket by picking up a new gasket at a local pool store or from an online retailer that sells replacement parts for pool equipment.

Winterizing Your Swimming Pool Sand Filter

When the winter or off season starts to come around you will need to close your swimming pool. Part of the swimming pool closing process is to winterize the filter tank and multiport valve. The first thing you of course will want to do is to blow the swimming pool plumbing lines free of water with an air compressor or blower. Then you will want to remove the drain plug from the bottom of your sand filter tank. Now that the drain plug is removed from the bottom of the sand filter you will want to turn the multiport handle to the “off” position. Once you do that the filter will drain itself free of all the water inside.(with the drain plug removed as mentioned)

Now that the drain plug is removed and the filters multiport handle are in the off position you will want to remove the back wash hose from the fitting if you have one. You will also then want to remove the sight glass and the gauge from the multiport as well. Now your pools swimming pool sand filter is winterized. Also remember that you also have to winterize the swimming pool pump as well by removing the drain plugs, emptying the water out and then placing the pump indoors in a dry place if possible.

Change The Pool Sand Every Years

Another thing you will want to keep track of is how long the sand has been inside of your pool filter. Pool filter sand should be changed every five years or so. You can remove the sand from inside the filter by either taking it apart or using a venturi sand vacuum. You can also replace the sand inside your pool filter with a filter media called Zeobrite which is a pool filter media alternative.

If you have an questions or need any additional help please feel free to leave your questions or comments below.