Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Hi We have been informed by our pool company that both sand filters need emptying and replacing with new sand £748.I live on the site and have not noticed any change in water colour.I have been told by another company that the filters may just need topping up.Are we being stitched up again as this company have reputation for making money from sites for work not needed.Any advice.Thanks.

It depends how old the system is but its well known some companies or people say it needs new sand when sometimes all it needs is the sand being aggitated by hand in the filter and topping up if its not above the top horizontal pipe by a couple of inches. I have checked several filters over the years and rarely does the sand need replacing unless its very old or binded together. Get the top off and check it yourself.

My neighbour just had a complete replacement. All the old removed, the filter washed out, some special stuff (I forget the name) on the bottom and fine sand on the top. It cost £160. I use the same pool man and twice he has recommended that my fine sand be topped up - £25 the first time and £30 the second. Apparently every time there is a back wash a little of the fine sand on top washes away.

Chrissy1 wrote:Hi We have been informed by our pool company that both sand filters need emptying and replacing with new sand £748.I live on the site and have not noticed any change in water colour.I have been told by another company that the filters may just need topping up.Are we being stitched up again as this company have reputation for making money from sites for work not needed.Any advice.Thanks.

How old is the sand in the filters?

About 6 years

Blimey, is this an Aqua park? New sand is around 20 euro and typically 3 bags of coarse/fine are required. I wouldn't reccomend topping up as the old sand can break down and end in the pool. Ideally done with two people, One emptying the filter in to a bucket and the other hoisting it up. Takes about 4 hours so usually the job is around £150 including sand. On
the backwash front, I would vacuum to waste as much as possible if not always. I know some people that don't and backwash straight after. Here is a guide which should be useful.



The Secret to Backwashing Your Filter: Backwash Longer, but Less Often!

Many pool owners backwash weekly as part of their maintenance routine. However, it’s not necessary to backwash that frequently! The ideal time to backwash is when the pressure shown on your filter gauge reaches 8-10 psi (pounds per square inch) higher than your normal running pressure.

This may sound odd, but allowing some dirt to sit in the filter sand actually helps to create rough edges so the sand can catch small debris. Backwashing too often can stir up the sand and allow small particles to pass through the filter and back into the pool.


A sand filter should always be backwashed for a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes depending on the size of the filter. Backwash for at least 3 minutes, even if the water leaving the backwash line or the water in the site glass is clear. Sometimes the filter sand will have a clear patch in it where no or very little debris has been trapped. Since the water pushes the debris from the bottom of the filter to the top of the filter, if backwashing is stopped at a clear patch, the debris underneath it forms a barrier in the sand and the filtration can no longer perform at its full potential.

I was in the electrical/mechanical trade for over 35 years, I have seen pumps replaced for the wrong reasons and several faulty filter gauges. I just replaced 3 missing skimmer flaps that have been broken for years. They are there for a reason and not for show.

By the way these postings are from the members dad and not Chris. I think it's a good idea to always post these questions. Any mechanical/electrical questions please ask.

This is another important tip if not carried out already.

When you backwash, sand and debris goes out through the plumbing. When you stop the backwash, there's a small amount of sand and debris left in the pipes.

If you put the Multiport valve back to FILTER, all of the left over sand in the piping gets put back into the pool through the returns.

If sand going back into the pool is not an ongoing problem and only happens right after you backwash, I would encourage you to use the RINSE cycle on the Multiport valve right after you backwash.

This will clear the lines of any leftover sand and debris with clean water.

You'll only need to run this for maybe 15 - 20 seconds.

Put the valve back to FILTER and you're done. Remember to turn the filter off before changing any positions on any of the valves.

This is really useful information - Thank You.

Sunlight is so effective in reducing chlorine that a bright sunny day can reduce the chlorination level of a pool by 90 percent in just two hours. Add chlorine in the evening to optimise it's effect.At least it would have done it's job by morning.

The Effects of Temperature
Temperature has an effect on chlorine breakdown, but the effect is indirect. Many bacteria species grow better in warmer water, and when bacteria proliferate, free chlorine is used up more quickly as it kills them. A general rule of thumb is that you need to add twice as much chlorine to the pool to maintain an adequate free chlorine level for every 6 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) rise in temperature above 26 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). This is less important for pools than it is for spas, which are regularly operated at higher temperatures.


For what it worth I check mine every two days at the most now.

I'm in a rental property where the Landlady is responsible for pool maintenance and she has been told that the sand filter needed changing.The pool has never been cloudy or discoloured certainly for the last year.Five guys turned up and three stood around the pool room door presumably directing.The pool I'm glad to say is now full of grit on the bottom and cloudy so a good job was done by all.The pool is now so dirty it can't be used but hopefully they will rectify this this week.

The landlady was told by the company that the filter should be routinely changed every 3-5 years although my thought is if it's not broken don't try and fix it.

Where is the best place to buy the fine sand from please?

chrissy1,

It sounds like you live on a site with a communal pool. We live on a site with 3 large pools and our sand filters lasted 6 years before the sand needed replacing. The cost was the same as you have been quoted for each pool. As communal pools are much larger than your average private pool they obviously take a lot more sand and longer to do.



The butlers wife

The sand is a lot cheaper in the Super Home megastore in the South!

Ah but does it need replacing? It's a simple matter to check it yourself.... Switch all systems off - Power off - and make sure all valves are in closed position - Switch Multi-way valve to 'closed'. Then with a socket wrench/spanner loosen the bolts holding the top cover on the filter. Remove it carefully and check that the sand is loose and free from a build-up of scale and is not 'channelled' i.e. showing signs of water unevenly being forced down through trenches in the sand...due to scale build-up causing compacting of the filter medium. Often your hand is the best way to check - you will be able to tell if the sand feels loose and not a hard compacted mass....

Most of the time - for reasons stated in earlier posts - the sand level will simply be low and need topping up - maybe all you need is 50tl's worth of fine sand to get it performing properly. Put a cover over the central pipe coming up the middle of the filter when adding sand to stop any from going into it... I use a tea mug. How much sand is needed depends on the level now and how much is needed to bring it back up to the level marker to be seen on the outside of the filter... have a look for it - it will be there... Remove the mug!

When replacing the cover - make sure it's clean, free from any grit and grease it with a fine film of Vaseline to ensure a waterproof seal... Hand tighten the bolts then tighten with the socket wrench/spanner. Remember to open up all the valves you closed and set the multi-way back from closed to 'Backwash' and run it the remove any of the dust that will be in the sand you've added and you've disturbed trapped detritus .... Otherwise the first thing you'll get is a lovely plume of dirt into the pool (see earlier posts).