Is there something wrong with my skimmer?

[Kiss4aFrog]

Or try to warranty it since it's not even six months old yet.

 

[ewkearns]

If the gauge does not go to zero when you turn off the pump, then there is something wrong with it. I would highly recommend the liquid filled gauges like tftestkits.net sells.

If his gauge is below the level of the pool, it won't return to zero. 10 psi at the gauge suggests that the gauge is about 23 feet below the fill line of the pool. The OP suggests that it is 10-15 feet below the pool......

 

[jblizzle]

Ah that is a good point ... missed the equipment being well below the pool.

 

[prs]

neutral0, you didn't answer the question if your skimmer has a weir? The weir should be at the entrance to the skimmer and with the pump off should float up such that the top of the weir is level with the water surface. When the pump is running the water flow lowers the weir a little and water flows over the weir. This produces a high water surface velocity and helps drag surface debris into the skimmer. If it's working properly you should see a swirling action in the water surface over the skimmer basket that helps drag surface debris down into the basket. If your weir is not working properly you will have very low surface water velocity at the skimmer and debris will just float past the skimmer.

If your weir is working OK you may need to adjust your return jets such that you generate a slow clockwise or anticlockwise (whichever works best) movement of surface water around the pool. The idea is to get the surface debris moving around the pool and as it passes the skimmer gets sucked in. You need a very slow movement of water past the skimmer so the debris doesn't get swept past the skimmer.

Of course the skimmer will only get rid of surface debris, if your problem is stuff on the floor of the pool or dirty water, that's a whole different issue.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

The weir door is an essential part to your pool, but its importance is usually overlooked. In this video they show you why it is essential to the proper water circulation of your pool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5kDVqFANEk