Filter Media: Your sand is HOW old??
Hello everyone, thanks for popping by!
The staff at Mirage are hearing stories every day of how you are all enjoying your pools during this heat. When we are all stuck at home because of the coronavirus, it sure is great to get some relief from the blazing sun by going for a swim. The only downside to the hot weather is a cloudy pool – it can be hard to keep your free chlorine level in range when the sun barely quits for a moment! But there might be another culprit…
If your pool has turned cloudy and you are struggling to get it clear again, you’ve probably tried shocking it, adding clarifier, flock, even algaecide. You may be at your wits’ end with chemicals, but have you thought about the filter itself?
Let’s take a moment to talk about the specs: A brand new sand filter is filled with about 300 lbs of fine grain silica sand or nepheline syenite. This sand can filter out particles as small as 30-40 microns in diameter. That’s just barely visible to the human eye. Regular backwashing and rinsing of the filter can extend the life of your filter sand, but over time it becomes less effective.
The average life of your filter media is 5 years. Over time, water erodes the sand, rounding the particle-catching corners and allowing more and more debris to slip through. This might be the cause of your cloudiness – the sand just isn’t catching the same number of particles it used to.
There are a ton of products to help your sand filter trap debris. Our most popular is the quick and easy “Clarita” in tablet form. This concentrated clarifier comes in a small box of 5 mini pucks. Just drop those pucks directly into the skimmer basket and run your pump as normal for 24 hours. The pucks dissolve and coat the filter sand, allowing it to pick up finer debris than usual.
If you’ve tried a filter aid like Clarita and you’re just not seeing results, try to remember the last time you had the filter sand changed. If your pool was built in 2014 and you’ve never had a sand change, it’s time. If you changed the sand four years ago but your kids are bringing grass, dirt, sunscreen and dogs in it every day, it’s time. If you bought the house in 2016 and you aren’t sure if the previous homeowner did it, they didn’t. It’s time.
If you’ve been fighting hazy water all summer and you even think your sand is 5 years old, you will be amazed at the difference in water clarity once it is replaced. Mirage offers a full Sand Replacement Service for $499.00. This service includes labour and 300 lbs of filter sand, as well as removal and disposal of the old sand. Watch your water sparkle and your chemical use drop when you switch to new filter media!
As always, you can book this service over the phone at (905) 319-7665, or pop by our store at 1800 Appleby Line to talk to one of our staff about your filter. We look forward to helping you!