my bottom drain and one of the skimmers are closed off (I was told by previous owner that the pool moved at some point and damaged the returns) so I am down to one skimmer as the only suction line. I feel the circulation is not very efficient without the bottom drain (pool is 9' at the deep end) and there are dead zones. Is there a device that plugs into skimmer and splits into a (freestanding) bottom drain and a surface skimmer?
return line problem
- Thread starter archer636
- Start date
Floor drains really don't do that much, I would be much more concerned about you having only the one return.
By far, the best answer is to repair the existing. Do you think that's possible? Does the pool have visible cracks in the decking? Do you detect any leaks?
no cracks, no leaks. I imagine it would be an expensive repair- I'd rather postpone until I have enough money to resurface the pool also
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why not? wouldn't it circulate bottom water that would otherwise sit stale?
just to get you on the same page, a skimmer is a suction line. "Returns" return water to the pool.
Can you still contact the previous owner? The fix may be as simple as unscrewing a plug.....it depends on what was wrong.
no response from previous owner. I imagine they would not have sealed it if it was an easy fix. How about this solution:
connect Skim a Round (see link below) to the skimmer. Connect a bottom drain to the "cleaner" port of the Skim a Round and drop it to the deep end. this should allow sucking water from the bottom as well as surface of the pool. Do you think it will work?
skim a round:
Skim-A-Round (The Floating Skimmer) - YouTube
bottom drain:
Hayward Pool Main Drain Bottom Drain VGB Above Ground Vinyl or Fiberglass Pools | eBay
connect Skim a Round (see link below) to the skimmer. Connect a bottom drain to the "cleaner" port of the Skim a Round and drop it to the deep end. this should allow sucking water from the bottom as well as surface of the pool. Do you think it will work?
skim a round:
Skim-A-Round (The Floating Skimmer) - YouTube
bottom drain:
Hayward Pool Main Drain Bottom Drain VGB Above Ground Vinyl or Fiberglass Pools | eBay
The topic of bottom drains is one of those cases of common sense and real world not lining up with each other, I read a good write up on bottom drains for pools a while back see https://www.apsp.org/portals/0/PDFs/Case%20Study%20-%20The%20Option%20of%20Pools%20without%20Main%20Drains.pdf
the push vs pull discussion makes sense. so maybe what I need is to push up the water from the bottom? maybe connect the pressure line to a hose, hose to a basket of some sort, and drop it to the bottom?
Gallon wise you will always be bottlenecked by the pump discharge pipe sizing.
(Floor drains move a tremendous amount of water btw, but that's not here nor there)
Until public pool code catches up with the science, - probably 2 to 3 years , they are getting very close. Floor drains will be required in public pools.
For a small backyard pool like yours- I wouldn't go through the expense, just based on " pool moved" to restore floor drain..
To avoid coring your shell- perhaps a return side waterfall? (Easy to spend others money!)
Or just let it ride until rehab time & toss a nice robot in the pool to supplement.
(The author of that article is a very sharp individual with an engineering background & a boatload of industry experience)
(Floor drains move a tremendous amount of water btw, but that's not here nor there)
Until public pool code catches up with the science, - probably 2 to 3 years , they are getting very close. Floor drains will be required in public pools.
For a small backyard pool like yours- I wouldn't go through the expense, just based on " pool moved" to restore floor drain..
To avoid coring your shell- perhaps a return side waterfall? (Easy to spend others money!)
Or just let it ride until rehab time & toss a nice robot in the pool to supplement.
(The author of that article is a very sharp individual with an engineering background & a boatload of industry experience)
It really depends on how much water you are trying to pull through the floor. I think in a typical setup, I would only want about 10% coming from the floor and the rest improving my skimming ability.
I am confused- are you saying floor drains are a good thing or not? the author (with an engineering background) suggests they don't do much- so why would public pools require it when they catch up with science?