I have noticed sand in my pool, and I was told by my repair guy that I probably had a broken lateral in my sand filter and that I needed to replace the sand filter. When I told him the multi-port valve doesn't open and close completely without a bit of "jiggling" to make sure I close off the backwash so it doesn't leak, he said that could be the problem instead of a broken lateral. I could replace the multiport valve a lot less expensively than replacing the entire sand filter, but I don't want to do that if I'm going to end up replacing the whole thing anyway.
Could the valve itself be allowing sand into the pool, or is it more likely a broken lateral or even upright inside the filter?
Hollie