Time to stop staring at the top of your sand filter with confusion (sand filter; the big plastic bowl thing in your pump shed).

What do the Different Filter Handle Positions Do?

FILTER – this is the normal operating position for running your pool. This allows the dirty water to be sucked from your pool and forced through the sand inside your filter. The sand catches the dirt etc from the water and then sends ‘clean’ of ‘filtered’ water back to your pool.

BACKWASH – this allows a process whereby the water is sucked from your pool and forced backwards through your sand filter, grabbing all of the dirt etc from the sand and then flushing that dirty water down the drain. This process will drain water from your pool, and needs to be done at least once a week during the summer months, and then monthly during the winter months.

RINSE – this is to be used directly after a backwash, and before the pool is returned to filtering mode. The rinse function will rinse out all of the remaining dirty water in your pool pipe work.

CLOSE – this will close the filter head, and not allow water to flow through it.

WASTE – this allows water to be sucked from the pool and then straight down the drain without passing through the sand in your filter. This function is normally used to empty a pool, or when you need to vacuum something out that you do not want to pass through the sand (fine particles).

RECIRCULATE – this allows water to be sucked from the pool and then directly return to the pool without passing through the sand. This function would be used when you wanted to add a special chemical that should not pass through the sand, or to problem solve flow issues in your pool.