How to Get Sand Out of Your Pool (And Keep It Out)

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Being able to enjoy having a nice pool in your backyard will be a true joy. You can go out and swim on a hot summer day to stay cool and have fun.

Keeping the pool clean so that you can enjoy it will take a lot of effort, though. If you have a sandy area near your pool, then you might wind up tracking quite a bit of sand into the pool.

When you have sand in your pool, what are you supposed to do to remove the sand? Is there a reliable method for getting this done?

Continue reading to learn how to get sand out of your pool. Once you’ve read all of the information, you’ll feel confident that you can get the job done without it being a huge deal.

How Is Sand Getting in the Pool?

You might be wondering how exactly sand is getting into the pool. If you don’t have sand near the pool, then why would there be sand present?

Sometimes sand will get carried quite far by the wind. You’d be surprised how common it is for sand to fly into your pool when it’s carried by the wind.

Of course, if there is a ton of sand in the pool, then there’s likely another reason why the sand is there. It’s possible that your sand filter might not be working properly.

Sand filters use swirling sand to help keep the pool water as clean as possible. If the filter gets cracked, then it could wind up releasing sand into the pool.

This means that the sand will build up in the pool over time. Since the sand filter isn’t working as it’s supposed to, you might need to repair it to get things back to normal.

Sometimes sand filters can get damaged and you might need to replace them. If you’re having issues with too much sand in the pool, then this will be worth looking into for sure.

You might not know how to fix the sand filter yourself, though. In this case, it’ll be wise to contact a business that can send someone out to your home to fix the filter.

Make Sure You’re Not Mistaking Yellow Pool Algae with Sand

It’s also worth considering whether the sand in the pool is actually sand at all. Sometimes people mistake yellow pool algae for normal sand.

If you don’t have a sand filter in your pool, then it’s even more likely that you’re dealing with yellow pool algae. These filters do a good job of keeping the water clean.

Also, damaged sand filters can sometimes be the cause of sand getting into the pool. If there isn’t a clear reason why sand would be in your pool, then you might want to consider whether yellow pool algae is the real problem.

You might not have any sand in your pool whatsoever. This type of algae can become a problem in your pool if you’re not keeping things clean enough.

To tell whether you’re dealing with yellow pool algae or not, it’ll be best to brush some of the substance up. If the substance forms a thick cloud, then that shows you that you’re not dealing with sand.

Yellow pool algae will form a thick cloud when brushed up. Take the time to clean your pool thoroughly to get rid of this algae.

It’ll also be wise to clean any pool toys that you might have as well as pieces of equipment. You might also want to ensure that your chemical levels are appropriate.

Use a Pool Vacuum to Get Rid of Sand

The most practical way to get rid of sand in your pool is to use a pool vacuum. Pool vacuums are great for cleaning the bottom of the pool, and you should be using one regularly.

It will take a bit of time to clean the pool using the vacuum. Your efforts will be rewarded with a pool that is nice and clean, though.

When getting ready to vacuum the sand out of the pool, it’ll be wise to switch the multiport valve to the waste setting so that you can get the job done. Vacuuming using the filter setting simply won’t work properly for this job.

In fact, you can wind up getting sand stuck in the pool filter, and this can wind up damaging the pool filter. Luckily, you know to switch the setting so you can avoid encountering this issue.

Why does this happen when using the filter setting? It’s because the sand would get kicked up and wind up going into the pool filter.

If this happened, then it’d be very likely that the pool filter would get clogged. You don’t want this to happen so just vacuum using the waste setting so that everything will go as intended.

You’ll also wind up sucking up a lot of water while you’re doing this. This is normal and it’s something that you can’t help when you’re trying to vacuum the sand out.

Some people make the decision to “overfill” their pools before vacuuming the sand. This will ensure that the water level in the pool remains adequate.

To make things even easier on yourself, you could use a brush to try to move the sand into one spot before you get started. Simply try to brush the sand into the middle of the pool as much as possible.

It might be necessary to try to scrub the sides of the pool a bit to dislodge sand that has become stuck. Also, be sure to get the corners to try to force as much sand as possible into the center of the pool.

Don’t try to rush the brushing process. It might be a bit time-consuming, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

If you did a good job brushing the sand into one spot, then the vacuuming part will be relatively easy. Just turn the vacuum on and try to get the sand vacuumed up as fast as you’re able to.

Don’t try to rush the vacuuming job, though. Be thorough and also try to get things done safely so that you can avoid hurting yourself.

After all, you wouldn’t want to trip while you’re trying to vacuum the pool. Don’t worry too much if you vacuum up too much water either.

If you vacuum up a lot of water, then you’ll always be able to refill the pool. Just focus on getting the sand out for now.

What If You Don’t Have a Pool Vacuum?

So what are you supposed to do about sand in the pool if you don’t have a pool vacuum? Are you just out of luck?

There is a method that you can use to try to get rid of the sand without a pool vacuum. However, it isn’t going to be nearly as easy.

Also, it’s really a good idea to buy a pool vacuum for your pool. It makes it a lot easier to keep the pool clean so that you can enjoy it whenever you want to.

That being said, you can get the sand out of the pool using just a brush and some type of dustpan. The basic idea works the same as using a pool vacuum.

To start, you’re going to want to brush the sand into a big pile in the center of the pool. You’ll want to meticulously move around the pool trying to brush all of the sand in the right direction.

It’ll be necessary to scrape the sides of the pool with the brush. You’ll also need to do your best to get any sand that might be stuck in the corners of the pool.

Once you have all of the sand in a convenient pile, you can start trying to scoop it up using a dustpan. Of course, you’ll need to go underwater to get this done.

It might not feel like the most convenient way to get the job done. This method is a lot more involved and time-consuming than just vacuuming the sand up.

Even so, you can get the sand out of the pool if you’re willing to put in the effort. Just take your time and try not to be too concerned with how long the job is going to take.

You could also enlist the help of someone else in your household. Taking turns scooping the sand out might be a useful way to break up the monotony.

How to Keep Sand From Coming Back

To keep sand from coming back, you’ll need to address the reasons why the sand wound up in the pool in the first place. It could be that the sand filter caused sand to leak into the pool.

In this situation, you might need to get the filter repaired. It’s likely that the filter is cracked or otherwise damaged.

You should be able to call professionals who will come out to fix the problem expediently. If you have the knowledge to take care of the repairs yourself, then you’ll be free to do so assuming that you have the right tools.

Check the filter for damaged parts so that you can see what is wrong. If the sand filter is really messed up, then you might want to just buy a new one.

Cover the Pool

If sand is getting into the pool because the wind is blowing it in, then covering the pool can help with that. It’s usually going to be best to have some sort of pool cover no matter what.

Pool covers keep debris from falling into the pool. Falling leaves, various insects, and other things won’t be as much of a problem if you use a pool cover.

This will also keep sand from blowing into the pool. Just remember to put the pool cover on the pool whenever you’re not using it.

Pool covers are generally not going to be that expensive. You’ll also be able to find them wherever pool accessories are being sold.

Try to Keep People From Tracking Sand Into the Pool

You might have sand near your home. Many people keep sandboxes in their yards because their kids like to play in them.

Before letting the kids wade in the shallow section of the pool, it’s going to be wise to ensure that they aren’t tracking in a bunch of sand. Get into the habit of having them wipe their feet off before getting into the pool.

This can keep issues with sand to a minimum. Of course, all of the adults will want to do the same thing.

It’s easy to track sand into the pool if you aren’t wiping your feet off. If you have sand in your yard, then you’ll just need to try to avoid tracking it in as much as you can.

Final Thoughts

You’ve learned a lot about why sand can get into your pool. It could be that you’re tracking the sand in from a nearby source.

This happens pretty often, but you can solve this issue by just being more careful. Try to get people to wipe their feet off before entering the pool.

Sometimes the wind will blow sand in from long distances. This usually won’t be the cause of a massive amount of sand, but you can keep sand from getting blown into the pool by using a pool cover.

Broken sand filters can cause sand to enter the pool as well. Solving this issue will involve repairing or replacing the sand filter.

If you have a lot of sand in your pool, then the most practical way to remove it is to vacuum it out. Use your pool vacuum to suck the sand out of the water.

You’ll also wind up sucking up a lot of water. It might be necessary to refill the pool a little bit once you’re done.

If you don’t have a pool vacuum to use, then you could try brushing the sand into a pile. You can then try to use a dustpan to remove the sand little by little.

The manual method is time-consuming and frustrating, but you can get the job done. Buying a pool vacuum is likely going to be the most logical thing to do, though.

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