How to remove media.
The simplest method possible to remove media from a vessel is to have a vacuum truck come in and suck it out. This way the trucker is also responsible for disposing of the used material. Almost any kind of media can be removed quickly and easily this way. For gravel and sand this may require a special truck which is designed to handle the large size pieces.
Do not use a vacuum truck if you intend to save the old media. Most vacuum trucks are filthy and could contaminate the media (especially resin), rendering it unsalvageable.
DO-IT-YOURSELF PROCEDURE
If the exchange vessel has a media removal connection which is properly located low on the vessel, this is the easiest way to remove media:
1. Make sure all valves are closed around the unit.
2. Open the vent and the drain and allow all the water to drain out. All the water must be drained out before proceeding.
3. Remove the flange on the media removal connection (if the vessel is drained the media won’t come out).
4. Attach a hose with a manual shutoff valve to the flange. A two-inch vacuum hose is ideal for most jobs. A garden hose takes too long and a larger hose may not be worth the extra hassle.
5. Close the drain but leave the vent open. Refill the vessel with water through the underdrain (usually the backwash inlet valve can be used to do this).
6. Connect the other end of the hose to a burlap gunnysack, super-sack, or other suitable container which will hold the media but let the water drain out.
7. Open the manual valve and the media will start to flow out into the sack. Keep the water level high in the vessel by adding water slowly through the underdrain. This also keeps the media level and prevents it from “funneling” down into the removal port.
8. Depending on the location of the media removal connection, it may not be possible to get out the last several inches of media using this technique. If complete removal is necessary, this can be accomplished by syphoning out the last of the media.