Python and sand ?

[Tango374]

After a very long time of keeping aquariums, I've finally decided on not using buckets anymore and bought a python. I have no idea why I waited so long.
My question to everyone out there because I've never used one of these before is that I have sand substrait and when ever I did water changes before no matter how careful I was I had sand in the buckets...Could this be an issue with the python? Could sand get clogged up in the valve while doing maintenence?

 

[philhawk]

are you running the python to a bucket? one thing you could do is to reduce the flow rate out of the tank this way it will pick up the smaller lighter particles and hopefully leave the sand. i know this works for me when i clean my sand bed. if its running to the sink you can turn down the faucett and if you are draining to a bucket just make the bucket higher.