Suction side versus booster pump

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Lykly

Lykly

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Nov 6, 2015
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Pool Size
13000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
I'm little bit confused on pool cleaners. I keep hearing the term suction side for vacuums and then booster pumps for other cleaners. I'm guessing the booster pump runs cleaners such as the one I have on pressure, on the suction side does it require a separate pump as well? And where do these hook into, As far as I know the only suctions are the bottom drains? Am I wrong about this? I read on one post that even with a cleaner you're going to need a vacuum? How do I prepare for this?


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Skimmers are suction side. Anything taking water out of your pool is suction; anything putting water in is pressure.

If you have a pressure side cleaner, you don't need another cleaner, right? Most vacuums work off the skimmer.

Other than that, I am lost about your questions. Sorry.
 
Basically there are three types of cleaners - suction side cleaners, pressure side cleaners and electronic robots. The difference is where they are powered from.

A suction side cleaner uses the suction power of either the skimmer or a dedicated vacuum line to drive it. Water flowing into the suction cleaner causes it to move and debris is moved into the cleaner along with the water. One usually uses an inline leaf canister to trap the larger debris so it doesn't plug up the PVC line. Suction lines are connected to the suction side of the pump and usually require a shut off valve to throttle the flow.

Pressure side cleaners get their power from the pressure side (discharge side) of the pump. They require a dedicated PVC line to the pool which is usually a smaller diameter than standard return lines. Also, because the discharge side of the pump has to push water through filters, heaters, etc, only a fractional amount of the water is usually drawn off the discharge side of the pump (before or after the filter using a smaller diameter pipe) and run through a booster pump to increase pressure and flow at the pool side port. Pressure side cleaners get their power from this high velocity water flow created by the booster pump and you can think of them like miniature power washers driving all around the pool and forcing debris up through a leaf bag.

Finally, robots are totally separate from the pumping system and derive their power from an electrical outlet. You simply plug them in, throw them in the pool and they do the rest. They have onboard motors and pumps to do all the vacuuming and moving in the pool.

No matter what you get, you still have to manually vacuum your pool. For that, most people will hook a hose up to the skimmer and vacuum that way. If you are a suction side cleaner owner, then you can use your dedicated vacuum port instead of the skimmer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 
Thank you, I do have a pressure side cleaner, but I kept reading about suction side and was very curious about it. Sounds like I will still need a manual vacuum, I'm trying to figure out how you would look into that skimmer? Do you just remove the basket and is there some sort of fitting that would fit into the opening? I'm certain I do not have a dedicated suction line for a vacuum. Sorry for my novice questions. Just trying to figure out what my best option would be for a manual vacuum.


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Lykly said:
Thank you, I do have a pressure side cleaner, but I kept reading about suction side and was very curious about it. Sounds like I will still need a manual vacuum, I'm trying to figure out how you would look into that skimmer? Do you just remove the basket and is there some sort of fitting that would fit into the opening? I'm certain I do not have a dedicated suction line for a vacuum. Sorry for my novice questions. Just trying to figure out what my best option would be for a manual vacuum.


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Click to expand...

If you take the basket out of the skimmer (there may be a float diverter valve which you have to pull out as well), you'll notice two openings at the bottom of the skimmer. The one towards the back (away from the pool) is usually plumbed to the suction side of your pump. You need a vacuum hose and usually an adapter to plug into that hole (the adapter changes the diameter of the opening so you can mate the hose to the suction pipe). The other end of then hose attaches to your vacuum head and off you go.

The other opening in the bottom of the skimmer is either a dead-end (not attached to anything), plumbed to a wall equalizer port (a port about 18"-24" below the skimmer opening) or plumbed in series to the main drains (typically a bad idea but often done by PBs to save a little money). That opening will have no suction on it if you put your hand near it.
 
Thank you all for the detailed information, one more thing I now understand about the pool operation. Much appreciated.


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Many folks get along perfectly well without a vacuum attachment for their pool. Robots especially do such a good job cleaning your pool when used regularly folks with them don't use a vacuum at all. However, if you have algae problems or often get lots of leaves in your pool you need a vacuum. Otherwise you have to go out and clean the pool sweep every half hour when you have a lot of debris in the pool.
 
I have a lot of leaves in the fall. I have a 1 acre lot with lots of trees. I really would like to figure out someway to cover it to catch leaves in the fall, but my pool is it odd shape and one side it has a built up wall for water features. I am trying to check on a product called Katch a Leaf. Hard to find information on it no nearby dealers. Would certainly be interested if anybody had any other suggestions.


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Lykly said:
Would certainly be interested if anybody had any other suggestions.
Click to expand...

A chainsaw and a diesel-powered wood chipper???

Seriously, at the end of last season (which was a relatively wet year for Tucson) we had A LOT of overgrowth in our landscaping (mostly very messy mesquite trees). The only reasonable solution was to hire a professional tree service to come out with chainsaws, pole saws and a very loud wood-chipper and have them trim back every tree in the yard. It's helped a lot with my pool as last winter and summer was a nightmare trying to control the leaf debris.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 

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JoyfulNoise said:
A chainsaw and a diesel-powered wood chipper???

Seriously, at the end of last season (which was a relatively wet year for Tucson) we had A LOT of overgrowth in our landscaping (mostly very messy mesquite trees). The only reasonable solution was to hire a professional tree service to come out with chainsaws, pole saws and a very loud wood-chipper and have them trim back every tree in the yard. It's helped a lot with my pool as last winter and summer was a nightmare trying to control the leaf debris.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
Click to expand...

It's not a problem with trees over my pool, the problem is my lot and all the other lots are heavily wooded. Lots of leaves will always be a fact around here. I love the trees and the shade they provide, but there will always be a time during the fall when leaves will be a problem. I just need to figure the best way to handle them, have you ever heard of "Katch a Leaf"? I would be interested to hear other experiences with this product if anybody has any.


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We have tons of trees that drop lots of stuff spring and fall. We got a pressure cleaner because our PB said it would perform better than a suction cleaner and it has done fine. But, the bag on the cleaner cannot hold many leaves. It fills up with leaves, falls over and complains as much as I do! :) We run our VS pump at 1100 rpm 24x7 when the trees are busy. It only uses 150 watts and costs less than 12 bucks a month at 10.25c/kwh. This keeps most of the debris in the skimmer baskets and off the bottom. There are some days when the amount of leaves is just ridiculous and netting them out is the only option. But, most busy days we can empty the skimmer half a dozen times a day and be good.
 
I would say a pressure side cleaner (vs a suction side) is better for pools with a lot of leaves although any cleaner can get overloaded with leaves. Also, pressure side cleaners come in two flavors with and without booster pumps. A boosterless cleaner is going to be much more energy efficient that a cleaner with a booster so I would go that route.
 
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