How do you prevent sand from leaking into pool?

Answer 1

It sounds like the lateral pipes in your sand filter are broken or you have too much sand in the filter. When we first got our pool I vacuumed with the filter on backwash. I found sand settled in the steps when I turned it back on to filter. I was later told by my pool store that you vacuum on waste and then use rinse before turning back on to filter. That stopped my problem except for dirty feet getting into the pool! both previous answers are correct to a point. the laterals or stand pipe could be cracked or broken' vacume on filter and then when finised backwash well and then rinse for aprox. 30 to 40 seconds and then go back to filer. make sure you rinse before going back to filter. Don't forget to turn off the pump before rotating the back wash valve! K

Answer 2

You get your filter fixed. There is a broken part in the filter, allowing sand to enter the pool.

I had the same problem. my filter was not damaged in any way. what happened was, a paint chip from the wall got stuck in the valve when i shut the pump off after backwashing, and set it on filter. the paint chip prevented the valve from closing completely. remove the valve and check for debris inside. you should lubricate the o-rings with a special lubricant (pool supply store will have it) before you reassemble.

I had the same problem. There were 2 cracked laterals (out of 8) in the bottom of my sand filter. To check for this, drain the sand out of the filter and unscrew each lateral (they are plastic and designed similar to the spokes on a wheel) and check for cracks or holes. They are not expensive; it's just time consuming to drain sand and replace w/ new sand. I had this problem for 3 years before discovering the laterals were the problem. Haven't had a speck of sand in the pool since. Good luck!

Answer 3

If you are talking about sand getting into the pool via the pool returns then you are probably in need of new laterals in your sand filter. These wear out every so now and then and need replacing.

Answer 4

Your filter should have a valve with various options - filter, backwash, etc. Turn it to waste, and then turn your pump on. This will shoot the water out of your backwash hose instead of into your pool. Be careful, since your water level will slowly decrease - make sure the pump doesn't start sucking air.

Put the settings on the sand filter to waste and turn the valve to the on position. You may have your settings on recycle or something similar, which means that everything you're vacuuming gets put back in the pool instead of bypassing the filter. Make sure to switch the settings to rinse for about 15 seconds, then back to regular. Make sure to check the pump basket frequently, to ensure proper suction.

Everything you vacuum is going through the sand filter, which isn't good for your sand, unless it's been changed in the past year. Make sure you keep water running into the pool by your garden hose to ensure the water doesn't get too low. With in-ground pools, the water level should never get one inch to the bottom of the skimmer box in the wall.

Another answer: If you do not want water running out of your pool (because this wastes precious chemicals and is bad for the environment) you can use your filter to clean the water before it returns to the pool. That is what a filter is designed to do. If your valve is set to filter and dirt is still getting back into the pool, then that means that your spider gasket inside the valve is bad and needs to be replaced. It is simple to replace the gasket. Buy one at your pool supply store and buy some silicon grease. Remove all of the screws from the top of the valve. Remove the old swollen and ripped gasket and clean the groves. Smear plenty of silicon grease all over the new gasket and place it in the grove. Reinstall the valve cap and lever and you are ready to go. Hatawa

Answer 5

The laterals inside are broken.