What Do I Need to Hook Up a Manual Vacuum?

[drobbva]

About to wind down a SLAM (fingers crossed to pass my OCLT 2 days in a row) and realizing a manual vac would have been nice to have and may have ended my SLAM earlier than just relying on sweeping and my Polaris 280. Searching the threads here I think I have some good ideas on what might suit my needs. I have plenty of poles already so seems like I will need a hose, but my questions are centered around what I need to attach the vacuum.

1. I have a great leaf rake and run my Polaris a couple hours each day so typically I would only be vacuuming off dirt and small things that collect on the bottom of the pool and don't get picked up. I could do this prior to a need to backwash or during a backwash so as to not worry about loading up the filter basket. Or am I better off using a vacuum adapter plate to attach to the skimmer in the event I ever need a bigger job? Or do I get both?

2. If I don't use a vacuum adapter plate, does the hose just plug into the hole at the bottom of my skimmer? I seem to recall there used to be a piece the old owners had that stuck out of the hole to adjust the suction, but haven't been able to find it since my pool was opened this season.

3. If I do use a vacuum adapter plate, does the plate attach to the skimmer basket or the floating weir in the skimmer basket? Does brand of vacuum plate matter or just as long as I have the right size for my skimmer? My skimmer parts are not labeled as to who the manufacturer is other than a patent number for which I can't make out the manufacturer. A google search (Patent US4212740 - Floating weir and strainer basket construction - Google Patents) shows "Kdi American Products, Inc." but I can't seem to find anything on this company.

 

[DustMagnet]

I remove the skimmer basket and put the hose directly in the inlet port but I use a inline leaf cannister on the hose.

If my skimmer wasn't missing its guts I would use a vacuum plate. If my skimmer wasn't cracked I would try and source new guts for an old Jacuzzi PMT-1. I need the skimmer replaced but I'll do that when the pool is resurfaced either at end of season or start of next.

Maybe Kdi American Products is "American Products"? http://www.poolpartsonline.com/p-203-american-products-admiral-skimmer-parts.aspx

 

[drobbva]

Maybe Kdi American Products is "American Products"? http://www.poolpartsonline.com/p-203-american-products-admiral-skimmer-parts.aspx

Thanks for the reply. I saw that and thought it as well, but nothing seems to look like what I have. I took over the pool when I bought the house in 2013 and the prior owners took it over in 1993. The prior owners kept pretty good records and passed things along to the extent they had them, but to the extent they lost it or it was before their time I don't have record of it. It very well could be the original skimmer parts. There are a few things associated with the pool that appear to be pre-1993 original parts.

So how exactly does the vacuum plate attach? Any idea?

 

[DustMagnet]

Thanks for the reply. I saw that and thought it as well, but nothing seems to look like what I have. I took over the pool when I bought the house in 2013 and the prior owners took it over in 1993. The prior owners kept pretty good records and passed things along to the extent they had them, but to the extent they lost it or it was before their time I don't have record of it. It very well could be the original skimmer parts. There are a few things associated with the pool that appear to be pre-1993 original parts.

So how exactly does the vacuum plate attach? Any idea?

On mine the plate would just sit on top of the basket, so that water is pulled from the hose instead of the skimmer mouth. In my case since the valve plate is missing it just pulls from the bottom drain instead (my MD is plumbed to the skimmer) so I can't do that.

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