Beez said:The first thing I would do is check to make sure the vacuum plate is making a good seal. Put the vacuum plate by itself—no hose attached—into the skimmer and turn the pump on. Now put your hand over the port. Does it have good suction? If not there's a problem with the adaptor.
If you get good suction at the vacuum plate with no hose attached, then there is really only one other possibility. The hose has air in it.
BTW, did you see Stan's post above about the hose?
Yes, the hose I have has "Attach vacuum head here" stamped on it, so I'm pretty sure it's the right end. The plate does seem to have good suction when put over the skimmer basket; it clamps it on pretty tight. It's just that that suction doesn't seem to STAY, and inevitably "bubbles up" in a minute or so.
Would plugging that second hole down there do anything?