Backswashing to drain....

[Luis]

Hello, I am new to pool maintenance and I have this situation:

When I received my first trainning from the guy that built my pool, I was told to open the drain valve while backwashing the sand filter. It was fine at the moment, but then I noticed that some sand was coming out the pipe into the drain. So I asked another person, that has been keeping her own pool for several years, if this was right. She told me I must keep my drain valve closed unless I wanted all the sand wasted to drain. According to her, drain valve should be opened only when pool water was extremely dirty. This sounds really odd to me, because to my understanding water should flow from the pool through the pump into the filter, and then either back to pool or the drain. If I keep drain valve closed water will be pumped to nowhere (I see no return into the pool while backwashing), which I think may cause damage to either pump or filter, am I right?

My questions are: if I backwash/rinse and open the drain valve, will the sand in my filter eventually be wasted? will it cause any damage to run the pump/filter with drain valve closed while backwashing?

Thanks in advance for tips,

Luis

[twain220]

ALWAYS backwash to 'waste' on the multiport valve (the thing you turn)...you shouldn't see sand unless the lateral is broken or if construction sand was in the pipes after construction.

If your equip is new and this is already happening, try flushing the line to waste (backwash) for spell and look for sand under the return in the pool. LAterals are easily broken without care when installing a filter...hope this helps.

[Guest]

ALWAYS backwash to 'waste' on the multiport valve (the thing you turn.

I have a backwash setting AND a waste setting on the multiport valve. ???

[sprkwatercleaner]

twain means you should set the multipor valve to 'backwash' and leave one of the other valves you have(main drain, skimmer: and the valve where water dicharges if you have that one)so as water can flow to the sewage being sucked from the pool.