Vacuuming your pool with a sand filter involves a few straightforward steps to ensure you effectively clean your pool and maintain the health of your filter. Here's how to do it:
Steps to Vacuum Your Pool with a Sand Filter
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Backwash the Filter (for Maximum Suction): Before you begin, backwash your sand filter. This cleans the filter media and optimizes suction for vacuuming.
- Turn off the pool pump.
- Set the multiport valve to the "Backwash" setting.
- Turn the pump on and let it run for 2-3 minutes, or until the water in the sight glass runs clear.
- Turn off the pump and set the multiport valve to "Rinse" for about 30 seconds to resettle the sand bed.
- Turn off the pump again and return the multiport valve to the "Filter" setting.
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Fit the Vacuum Head, Hose, and Handle: Assemble your vacuuming equipment.
- Attach the vacuum head to the telescoping pole.
- Connect one end of the vacuum hose to the vacuum head.
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Fill the Vacuum Hose with Water: This step is crucial to priming the pump and ensuring proper suction.
- Submerge the vacuum head and hose completely in the pool.
- Hold the open end of the hose against a return jet to force water through the hose, expelling any air. You'll see bubbles coming from the vacuum head. Alternatively, you can submerge the hose and vacuum head and allow the hose to fill with water.
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Fit the Hose to the Skimmer: Now, connect the hose to the pool's skimmer.
- If your skimmer has a dedicated vacuum port, connect the hose directly to it.
- If not, you'll need to use a skimmer plate (also called a "vacuum plate"). Remove the skimmer basket. Place the skimmer plate inside the skimmer and connect the hose to the hole in the plate. The skimmer plate creates a seal, allowing the vacuum to draw suction through the hose.
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Vacuum the Pool: With everything connected, begin vacuuming.
- Move the vacuum head slowly and methodically across the pool floor, overlapping each pass slightly to ensure complete coverage.
- Avoid excessive speed, as this can stir up debris and reduce the vacuum's effectiveness.
- If the filter starts to lose suction (indicated by reduced flow), backwash the filter again.
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Disconnect and Rinse Everything After Vacuuming: Once you've finished vacuuming, disconnect the equipment.
- Turn off the pool pump.
- Remove the vacuum hose from the skimmer and the vacuum head from the pole.
- Rinse the vacuum head, hose, and pole with clean water to remove any debris.
- Reinstall the skimmer basket if you removed it.
- Store the vacuuming equipment in a clean, dry place.
Important Considerations:
- Sand Filter Pressure: Monitor your sand filter's pressure gauge while vacuuming. If the pressure increases significantly (typically 8-10 PSI above normal operating pressure), backwash the filter.
- Debris Load: If your pool has a significant amount of debris, you may need to backwash the filter several times during the vacuuming process.
- Alternative Vacuuming Methods: For heavy debris loads, consider using a pool cleaner (robotic or suction-side) to reduce the strain on your sand filter.
- Regular Maintenance: Regularly backwashing your sand filter and maintaining proper water chemistry will help to ensure its optimal performance.
