No Valves for Skimmer and Main Drain

[mcguckinm]

Hello,
I am brand new pool owner. I was trying to vacuum my pool out for the first time and realized there was no suction from the skimmer. The men at pinch a penny said it looked like there was no valve to open the skimmer suction. Can someone please advise by the pictures below if I am just missing something? I have worked on my mom's pool since I was a kid and have never not seen a pool without the black valve. Is it somewhere else? Thanks!

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello and welcome to TFP! It looks like you have a very simple set-up ... one suction line, one return line, and the backwash/waste line. It looks like whomever designed/plumbed your pool fully expected it to draw 100% uninterrupted water from the skimmer/drain (no separate line/valve). However .... check your skimmer. Is there a diverter in there? A saucer-looking object? That's how you would adjust flow between the skimmer and main drain if you have two holes in the bottom of the skimmer.

 

[RobbieH]

I do not have any valves on mine either. My main drain and skimmer are run together with one return back to the pump. I can close the skimmer by blocking the port at the bottom, but I cannot turn off my main drain. But, I get good draw from both the main drain and the skimmer, so I am not sure what your issue is.

One thing, you MAY have a port to the main drain in the bottom of your skimmer. Take out the basket and see if you have one open port or two.