Replacing Sand in a Swimming Pool Sand Filter

Replacing Sand in a Hayward inground pool Sand Filter: PAGE 2

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Another view of the vertical pipe. It is important to keep sand from getting into this pipe, so it will be necessary to plug it. Do not attempt to move this pipe while there is sand in the tank, as it is attached to a lateral assembly at the bottom that is very fragile and will break if an attempt is made to move this pipe before removing the sand.

At a store that sells plumbing supplies, you can buy a small 1 1/2" plug that fits inside the vertical pipe. By tightening the thumbscrew on the plug, it expands a rubber washer, securely sealing the pipe, as seen below.

The plug being secured by tightening the thumbscrew. Do not overtighten the plug, since the vertical pipe is made of a thin walled plastic, and could break or crack if too much pressure were applied.

The easiest way to remove the sand from the tank is with a wet/dry shop vaccum. Be sure to only use a vacuum rated for wet use, that will vacuum water without risk of electrocution or damage to the vacuum. The vacuum should also have a clean, well maintained filter. Scooping sand out by hand is a very time consuming task, since the vertical pipe makes it difficult to get anything except a small cup into the tank to scoop the sand out with. Vacuuming is much faster. In this case I am using a Rigid brand shop vac.

Vacuuming the sand out of the Hayward sand filter with a wet/dry shop vac.

As you vacuum out the wet sand, the vacuum hose will occasionally fill with sand and clog, and I have found that lifting the hose up vertically at those times helps the sand to drop out of the hose and into the vacuum. It also helps to give the hose a shake as you hold it up.

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