The next piece of equipment would be the sand filter. This large tank is the filter system for your water. Your sand filter will contain a filter sand within that trap small particles in the water to keep the water clean and clear. On you filter head you will find a few items:

1. Pressure gauge: on the side of the sand filter head, should read between 10-20 PSI.

2. Backwash hose: on the filter head, a long usually blue hose that extends out of the filter to carry wastewater out of the filter.

3. Sight Glass: This can be found around the backwash hose and is a clear glass/plastic tube. This shows you the condition of the sand in the filter.

4. Drain Cap: At the bottom of the sand filter to drain the filter in certain circumstances.

 

             On your sand filter there is a dial on top, this dial has many settings. The main setting you will use is filter, this cycles the water through the system to filter water. You will also use the settings backwash and rinse frequently. The “backwash” setting will take all the dirt and material gathered from the water and remove it through a backwash hose. Backwashing stirs up all the sand within the filter to clean so, to settle the sand all back to the bottom of the filter we use the setting “rinse”. The steps to backwash will be as follows:

1. Turn off pump

2. Turn dial on sand filter clockwise to backwash setting

3. Turn pump on

4. Run until sight glass starts to become clear

5. Turn pump off

6. Turn dial to rinse (clockwise)

7. Turn pump on

8. Run for 30 seconds to 1 minute

9. Turn pump off

10. Turn dial to filter (clockwise)

11. Turn pump on and continue operations.

 

            You will also find a setting on your sand filter that reads “waste” or “drain”. This setting can be used when vacuuming larges amounts of debris and algae from the swimming pool. This will bypass the filter and send the heavy debris directly out of the sand filter and pool.  Other setting such as “winterize” would be used during the winter. “Whirlpool/re-criculate” would be to cycle water through without filtering. The sand in your sand filter is good for four years, after which it must be replaced. Sand overtime in the sand filter will become mud-like instead of having a sand like texture, making it harder to collect materials in the water. Every four years you should reach out to Island Hot Tubs and Pools to change the sand in the filter or for directions on how.