WHY IS FILTRATION SAND SO IMPORTANT?
- To the naked eye, the sand you put in a pool filter may appear fairly uniform. However, each grain of sand has a rough texture that allows it to retain fine particles that wander into your pool water. This is how the sand purifies the water and prevents any contaminants from getting through. Over the years, the back and forth movement of water over the sand makes it smoother and smoother, and therefore less and less effective at trapping all those little unwanted particles.
- In short, if you never change the sand in your pool filter and it can no longer do its job properly, water quality will be greatly reduced (growth of algae, presence of bacteria, etc.).
LIME SCALE: A COMMON PROBLEM IN SAND FILTERS
- With time, a small amount of limestone clings to the sand grains and accumulates. This causes the sand grains to clump together and become hard and compact.
- These sand “clusters” affect filtration quality. In the worst-case scenario, all of the sand in the filter can become one big petrified block and not be effective at all. Regular backwashing and maintenance of the filter and sand with specially designed products are usually sufficient to avoid these problems.
WHEN SHOULD YOU CHANGE THE FILTRATION SAND?
- No matter what type of sand you use, it must be changed to keep the filter working properly to remove contaminants from pool water.
A few signs can help you know that it’s time to make the change:
- The sand has reached its maximum life span. The life span of pool sand is estimated to 3 to 5 years.
- Compact (sometimes viscous) sand clusters form in the filter.
- Pool water does not stay clear and clean.
- Sand accumulates at the bottom of the pool.
- You must run the pump longer or use more product to maintain water clarity.
- You have more problems with algae than before.
CAN THE SERVICE LIFE OF FILTRATION SAND BE IMPROVED?
- Although filtration sand will eventually need to be replaced, proper maintenance of the filter and sand can extend its life, sometimes up to 6 or 7 years. How? With regular backwashing and one or two sand cleanings per summer with specially designed products! Note that you will still need to adjust the amount of sand about every two years.
- It is also recommended to use Scaletec Plus (to fight limescale), once at the beginning or end of the season and again in midsummer. Then use Beautec to prevent the limescale from forming.
