Some of the best beaches in the world are in Western Australia. As much as Ozzies love the feeling of the sand as they walk along a beach – they’d rather not find it at the bottom of their swimming pool!
Sand at the bottom of your swimming pool is not a good sign. We’ve yet to find anyone that wants to build an underwater sandcastle! Before you think you’ve brought it in from your local beach, it’s more likely it’s your sand filter that’s broken.
Yellow algae can also look like sand because of its colour and texture, but this is rare, so a broken sand filter is usually the culprit.
What Is A Sand Filter?
In its simplest form, a sand filter is a tank full of sand connected to your swimming pool as part of the filtration process. When pool water passes through the sand tank, this sand catches debris and particles to prevent them from returning to the pool and so keeping the water clean.
There are three types of filters used in swimming pools:
- Sand filters,
- Cartridge filters and
- Diatomaceous earth filters (also known as DE filters for short).
Why Are Sand Filters So Popular?
Sand filters are the cheapest to buy and most popular in Australian swimming pools because a simple backwash will clear away any captured dirt. The sand needs replacing every seven years.
Why Does It Break?
A broken lateral or a corroded standpipe could be the culprits behind your broken sand filter. The standpipe is a plastic part that runs down the middle of the sand. It connects to the laterals that are small pieces of tubing to keep that sand contained.
This part of your filter looks like a wheel with spokes. If either cracks – then the result is that sand will seep through and disperse into your swimming pool.
What Should you Do When It Breaks?
When they break, replace the worn parts or if you’ve had it a while and it has seen better days, replace the whole filter. You won’t need to replace the filter sand.
Taking The Sand Out Of The Pool
Panic not – when you need to remove the sand, you won’t have to pick up every individual grain of sand – that would be a real challenge! The sand itself tends to gather in one area. A pool brush is the quickest way to deal with it, so brush it all together to one area of the pool. Then use a pool vacuum moving quickly and steadily. You will need to sweep and vacuum a few times to eliminate the whole problem.
Barrier Reef Pools Perth offers a comprehensive pool buying service. Come and choose a design and then let us install it and undertake your landscaping requirements. We’ve received close to one hundred prestigious SPASA (Swimming Pool & Spa Association) Awards to make us one of the best pool companies in WA. Want to learn more? Now’s the time to visit our display centres in O’Connor, Joondalup and Mandurah and order a perfect pool today.
