Pentair Triton Ii - Laterals

Pool Equipment
1

I just watched your YouTube video on how to replace the sand in a Pentair Triton II TR-60 sand filter. Also, the video on replacing the laterals.

Question:

If the sand wears down during the 5-7 year period, do the filtering slots in the laterals wear down as well? If yes, how often should all the laterals be replaced due to wear?

Also, what gradation size number of sand media (i.e. 20, 30, 40, etc.) can ‘pass right through’ these filtering slots right back into the pool? There is ‘zero’ specification information available at Pentair.com or at Google for these laterals.

Quickrete makes a Pool Filter Sand (Model 115350) available in 50 lb. bags rated at #20/#40 gradation available at the Home Depot for $9.98/bag.

Quickrete also makes (3) other types of sand mainly for concrete construction - coarse, medium and fine, in 50 and 100 lb. bags. Also sold at the Home Depot.

Coarse #1963 -   #12 to #30

Medium #1962 - #20 to #50

Fine #1961 -         #30 to #70

Can either the coarse or medium sands be used as well for my Pentair sand filter? Or a combination of both?

Thanks for your time!

Jerry

2

Hi Jerry, I’ll try to answer your questions.

The slots in the laterals don’t tend to wear, though the laterals themselves can get ground down a bit from the sand being against them over the years.  That is when they may break, so it’s a good idea to preventatively replace them when the sand gets replaced.  Most manufacturers recommend replacing the sand every 3 years or sooner if you think your filter efficiency has gotten worse; you can probably go longer in the north where you have a shorter pool season but you may want to replace it more frequently down south.

Pool filter sand is higher quality than regular sand; it has a more uniform particle size and is cleaner than the sand meant for other uses like construction.  The particle size specification is .85mm to .425mm.  We (and the filter manufacturers) would not recommend using anything other than pool filter sand (or a specified alternative like Zeosand)in your filter.  I have not measured, but my guess is that the slots in the laterals are about .4 mm.