How Swimming Pool Sand Filters Work

If you have a pool, you need pool filters, and you can either implement a cartridge filter or a sand filter. While both filter systems have their pros and cons, this article will cover pool sand filters and how they work.

Some advantages of using pool sand filters are that they are usually cheaper than cartridge filters, they require less maintenance, they’re simple to use and they can be cleaned more easily than cartridge filters.

If you’re going to use sand-style pool filters, it would behoove you to understand how they work. Let’s take a look at some FAQs.

What is a pool sand filter?

A pool sand filter, as the name implies, uses sand to filter your pool’s water. The sand is stored in a tank, and your pool’s water passes through the tank on its way through your pool’s filtration system. In a similar way to how rocks and sand filter groundwater, the sand in the tank catches any debris caught in the water and sends the cleansed water back through the tank and into the pool. Filtered water is clearer and cleaner after it runs through the filtration process.

How does a sand filter clean the water?

Through a pressurized pump system, the water is moved from the top of the tank to the bottom. As it is sent to the bottom of the tank, it passes through sand (which is actually millions of tiny rocks), and impurities and debris are filtered out of the water as it passes through.

The sand in your pool filter is specially designed for this process and has rougher edges to better catch dirt and debris and enhance filtration. The filtration process is a cycle, so your pool’s water will be cleaned repeatedly and constantly, with the water being cleaned with each pass.

What type of material will the sand filter catch?

Unwanted materials that find their way into your pool will be caught and filtered out by a sand pool filter. These include leaves, pebbles and bugs. Plus, as more materials are caught up in the filter, it will actually work better, because smaller and smaller amounts of water will be allowed to pass through and smaller particles will be caught by the filter.

This means that, over time, particles as small as 20 to 100 microns in size will eventually be caught in your pool filter and anything that gets through will be cycled through again, giving it a chance to be filtered out.

What sort of maintenance do sand filters require?

As you can imagine, water continuously being cycled through a pool sand filter will cause dirt, debris and other materials to build up within the filter. You should be checking the pressure gauge of your pool filter every week to see if you need to clean it. If the pressure is 8 to 10 pounds above normal, you might need to clean it.

You’ll also need to run a backwash cleaning every week or so; the instructions included with your filter should describe this process. In addition to that, you’ll eventually need to have the sand changed, but that can be done by yourself and only once every five to seven years.

Call for your pool sand filter today

If you decide that a sand filter is right for your pool, give us a call at Macken Services, Inc. We’d love to help you put in a sand filter for your pool or help you with any other septic tank services that you may require.

Categorised in: Sand Filter Installation

This post was written by Writer