Why Is There Sand in My Pool?
Walking out to enjoy your pool only to find a pile of gritty sand sitting on the bottom or near the return jets is a frustrating surprise. While sand filters are known for being durable, low-maintenance, and reliable, seeing sand inside your pool is a clear signal that something inside your filtration system needs attention.
Here is a look at why sand ends up in your pool, what causes your sand filter to fail
Common Causes of Sand in the Pool
When sand bypasses your filtration tank and shoots back into the pool through the return lines, it usually comes down to a few specific hardware or operational issues:
- Broken or Cracked Laterals: Inside the bottom of your filter tank sits a starburst arrangement of perforated plastic pipes called laterals. They allow water to pass through while keeping sand inside the tank. If a lateral cracks or breaks off, sand will pour straight through the return pipes into your pool.
- Cracked Standpipe: The standpipe is the central rigid pipe that connects the top valve to the bottom laterals. A crack anywhere along this pipe allows sand to escape directly into the plumbing system.
- Overfilled Sand Bed: Adding too much sand during a media change leaves insufficient freeboard space at the top of the tank. When the filter runs, excess sand gets pushed up and washed out into the pool.
- Wrong Sand Type or Size: Sand filters require specific #20 silica sand (0.45 to 0.55 mm). Using playground sand, masonry sand, or the wrong grit size will result in sand slipping through the lateral slots.
- Stripped Multiport Valve Gasket: If the spider gasket inside your multiport valve is worn out or damaged, water can bypass the normal filtration route and carry sand back into the pool.
- contact your team to help you out-Contact FTG Pool | Pool Cleaning Company
