diy fluid sand filter made from h20 softner?

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camrsz

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Jan 16, 2007
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I have this old water softner tank that i think i could make into a large sand filter. my questions are: can I use the beads/media thats in the softner tank already or should i replace with sand. The water softner already works very simular to a fluidized sand filter.
I will not be using any of the electronics just the water tank and media inside if possible. Im going to T off of the return pump, thats already in the sump through the DIY sand filter and return back into the sump. Any ideas?
 
Isnt that media salt?

And arent these tall and not wide? A sand filter needs area to collect dirt, with a small area your going to be backwashing ALOT to keep the flow moving with a small surface area. A sand filter for a pool is not filled to the top so it has a big surface area to filter with.
 
No inside this one there are small beads and slightly larger pebbles below that. Yes pool sand filters are shorter and wider but many other FBF are skinnier cylinders.
I think im going to replace the beads with sand. I read the beads are covered with sodium ions, to attract the calcium ions in the water. then when the beads are covered with calcium ions the salt is used to swap them back to coated in sodium ions. but the basic principal of the presureized tank part of the water softener is the same as a FBF
 
Why do you say that? Pool filters have to be back flushed. but they do not work exactly like a fluidized bed filter. Besides, this will be getting water from the sump that has already been through many stages of mechanical filtration.
 
johnptc;1544746; said:
are you trying to build a fluidized sand filter for bio ???

in this case its self flushing
Click to expand...

Yea thought i would try it. One reason being i have this water softener that im just going to throw away otherwise. Another being I like to DIY.
 
Yes. it was designed to fluidize the the small beads that come in it. Im hoping it will do the same when I replace them with sand. Probably going to have to tweak the presure and GPH.
 
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