Pool newbie can't figure out a vacuum....

[NewCarMark71]

Thank you for the add! First year with a pool and so far we're loving it, in spite of my lack of knowledge! I am still patting myself on the back for replacing an impeller over the weekend, so I got that going for me! Lol
I have watched the videos and even emailed Hayward (they were quick to respond too! Very nice.) but I still can't figure it out. I can't get enough suction to pick up anything or to get the Baracuda we were given to do its thing either. Hayward told me to turn my filter to "waste" for vacuuming and all I got was a big mess from a lot water from the backwash hose that I wasn't expecting.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[needsajet]

Welcome to TFP! Good to have you here.

You should definitely be able to get enough flow to vacuum, and without doing it to waste!

To start zeroing in on the problem, where are you connecting the vacuum? Skimmer or a dedicated in-wall connection? Can you post a picture of how it's connected?

 

[NewCarMark71]

Connecting to the skimmer. I was able to get it working today. Found a new pool store that carries Hayward equipment. He told me the filter should be on recirculate. Been cleaning like crazy for a couple hours now.
Hopefully the guy knows what he's talking about! Lol

 

[camueller]

Connecting to the skimmer. I was able to get it working today. Found a new pool store that carries Hayward equipment. He told me the filter should be on recirculate. Been cleaning like crazy for a couple hours now.
Hopefully the guy knows what he's talking about! Lol

Your filter should be on filter unless for some reason you wanted to vacuum to waste...but most of the time you want to vacuum on filter. If you vacuum to recirculate, you're just sending dirt back into your pool. You might as well be brushing.

Attach the vacuum head to your pole, your vacuum hose to the head, and throw them in the water, keeping the pole nearby and putting the hose in the water. Grab the free end of the hose, stick it on a return jet and let it fill the hose. You can tell it is full of water when air bubbles quit coming out of the other end. Keep the hose below the water line as you move it into the skimmer and insert it into the skimmer plate. Begin vacuuming.

 

[needsajet]

Whoever told you to put it on recirculate is a numbskull.

Scratch him off the list of advisors.

 

[not2high2fly]

You vacuum to waste only when the pool is filthy and you would clog the filter right away(like when you first open the pool). When you vacuum to waste you bypass the filter and pump/vacuum the water straight out of the pool(you will need to replace the water that you pumped out). Otherwise you vacuum to filter. The water goes from the pool thru the filter and back into the pool. Never vacuum to recirculate, it's the same as vacuuming to waste(bypassing the filter)except now your pumping the dirty water right back into the pool. If you have more than one skimmer try closing/partially closing the second intake(take out the basket and at the bottom of the skimmer there should be a disc that you can rotate to restrict the flow by covering the intake) that's what works for me. Do you have any pics of the really cool slide and does your pool have a deep end? Thanks and good luck

 

[Major_in_MS]

I vacuumed today for the first time. At first I could not get enough suction either. Then I closed my main drain. That did the trick for me, it really started to suck. In fact, when I finished vacuuming and removed the hose and vacuum plate from the skimmer a little whirlpool formed in there and it started sucking air from the surface. I quickly replaced the skimmer basket to break the whirlpool and turned my main drain back on.

 

[NewCarMark71]

I did get it figured out. Just wasn't adjusting the drain/skimmer valve properly. All is well for the time being.
Deep end is only 5 feet and the slide probably isn't that cool to most, since it's only about 4' tall, but i really like the water flow from it! Lol.