Filter spitting out sand?

[JohnnyK]

Hey guys, just found this site out of necessity. Just installed a new filter yesterday as the old one stopped filtering completely (dirt would just come in and go out the jets). Anyways, this one is a hayward, can't remember the model number, but I remember it took 300 lbs of sand. So I start backwashing after installing it, and go outside, and there is some sand in the grass.. maybe 5 pounds or so.. Stick my hand in front of it and I feel the odd particle of sand coming out. Thought maybe I got some in the tube, but couldn't have as I put a rag in it and put their cardboard template over it while filling it with sand. Tried to filter my pool and let it run for 5 minutes, but there was a light sprinkling of sand over the bottom, and I can feel some particles coming out of the jets. Not enough to see, but I can feel it. I filled the filter with water as per their instructions so as to not crack the things on the bottom of the filter. The bag doesn't say what size the sand it, but feels pretty coarse. The guy seemed to know what he was talking about to (sold the sand and filter together). Could it be defective? The glass viewing thing on the filter always has sand on the bottom of it too. SOme water leaking out around the fitting (pump/return/backwash) but I don't see how that would have anything to do with it. ANwyays, thanks in advance guys, appreciate it.

[Poconos]

First, welcome to the forum.
The 300# model may be an S-244T same as mine. It is normal to get sand out the waste line when backwashing as there is nothing in the filter to prevent this. In time the amount you get dumped will decrease. The procedure should be to backwash until the sight glass is clear, then rinse for only 15 seconds or so. Rinse mode is the same as Filter except the output is directed to waste. Any stuff stirred up during backwash is dumped to waste instead of back to the pool. The things on the bottom are called laterals and are simply pipes with slits that let water flow but prevent most of the sand from dumping. The sand should be labelled Filter Sand or something like that.
Hope this helps.
Al

[JohnnyK]

Well there is quite a bit of sand below the jets, but it seems to have stopped for hte most part of coming out.. I think.. I should go check again. But is it normal when changing sand (or whole filters for that matter) that there is a bunch of sand that is too small and gets blown through, or something to that effect?

[nicole12]

I also changed my sand for this season. The first backwash I too got about 5 lbs of sand on my lawn. From what others have said this is normal. Also I have some find sand/dust at the bottom of the pool that came from the return that some also say is normal. Most members recommend vacuuming that to waste or putting about a cup of DE in the filter vacuuming and then immediately backwashing.