Pool maintenance:

[806pool]

Kreepy krauly question...

So first time pool owner, pool equipment all came with the house. We have a kreepy krauly that is running the whole time the pump is running every day (5 hours or so).

The question is, why do we have to run it from the back port on the skimmer? Ive tried putting it on the suction port on the wall of the pool but it doesnt seem to work like it should. Reaaallllyyyy slow. I was trying to run it from there so that the skimmer could have the basket in it to catch the bigger leaves, etc. now there is no basket so everythi g gets sucked through the skimmer pipe and gets caught in the pump basket. I would assume that its just asking for a clog in the pipes...

Maybe this is a normal set up, not sure. Just doesnt seem right.

What would i use the suction port for?

Do most people leave the basket in the skimmer and plug their vaccum into the suction port ?

Also need to get hose extensions for the krauler as it doesnt reach the end/corner at the far end of the pool. Are they generic/off-brand or do i need to get ones that are manufactured by kreepy krauly.

I tried to post a pic from my iphone of the plumbing set up, but i cant get it to upload.

 

[806pool]

Ive been reading posts trying to learn the proper way to care for the pool on our own. What is considered proper/normal pool maintenance and what equipment do you use?

Brushing: do you scrub on a weekly schedule? Monthly?

Vaccum: ive seen this a few times. What type of vacuum are u using and how often?

Netting debris: im sure this is as u seee necessary, but again just trying to get the over all picture of what type of schedule is required to keep things in order.

Filter maintenance: backwash vs pulling the filters and replacing D.E.

Kreepy Krauly: runs out of the rear most skimmer port every day, which means no skimmer basket. The whole time the pump is on. This correct?

Leaves in pump basket: so obviously with no skimmer basket everything on the surface and whatever the kreepy krauly picks up, goes into the the piping and gets caught by the pump basket. Is this normal? Or should there be a catch before entering the pump. Just worried about all of the leaves etc getting caught up in the plumbing on the way to the pump.

How do you know you have enough suction from the skimmer to the pump? And everything is pumping/circulating as it should?

Anything else u want to add for first time pool family, feel free to throw it out there.
Thanks!!

 

[tim5055]

Brushing: do you scrub on a weekly schedule? Monthly? I have a Maytronics M5 robot that hits the entire pool including walls. I admit I don't brush a lot, maybe two or three times a season. He is in the pool almost all the time and I run it daily.

Vaccum: ive seen this a few times. What type of vacuum are u using and how often? I don't think I've taken the vacuum out after getting robot.

Netting debris: im sure this is as u seee necessary, but again just trying to get the over all picture of what type of schedule is required to keep things in order. Every day I walk the pool and net out anything I see. it only takes a few minutes.

Filter maintenance: backwash vs pulling the filters and replacing D.E. I have a sand filter and backwash when the pressure goes up 25% . Check This Out

Kreepy Krauly: runs out of the rear most skimmer port every day, which means no skimmer basket. The whole time the pump is on. This correct? N/A for me

Leaves in pump basket: Daily - I have two sets of baskets (w/socks) and just swap them out. This time of year lots of pollen coating up the socks. Again, only a few minutes. Anything you leave in the water is going ot consume chlorine.

 

[bobodaclown]

Hello.
Welcome. Pool school covers a lot of this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/131-basic-pool-care-schedule

Quick and dirty.
1. You can never brush too often.
2. Some use a suction cleaner, some use a pressure cleaner, other use a robotic cleaner, and there's the manual type. Vacuum when it's dirty.
3. Net daily or more often. When there's debris that needs to be removed. Sometimes the skimmer catches it. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't it sinks to the bottom. Hence the vacuum cleaner.
4. All filters have their pro/cons. It's kinda like talking about motor oil. No clear cut answer. Except clean when filter pressure rises 10-15% over the clean value. (I wait longer, but I'm lazy.)
5. A Kreepy Krauly is a type of vacuum. See # 2. You should never run the pump with out the filter basket in place. You have the skimmer basket, pump filter basket (they catch the big debris, the kind that can damage the impeller.)
6. They Kreepy Krauly should have a filter of some type. Some people add a leaf catcher to the line. Yes the basket is the final defense to avoid damage to the pump.
7. Check your pump filter pressure gauge, also check the flows at the returns. Compare clean filter pressure with dirty filter pressure. As the pressure goes up, the flow will go down.


Again, Check out pool school. Lots of great detailed information there.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[jblizzle]

Here is an article from Pool School: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/131-basic-pool-care-schedule

Although things vary as you learn your pool.

Brushing weekly is a good idea ... do I do it as often as I should? No. Also if you have a robot with brushes, that can lower the negatives of not brushing often enough.

Vacuuming is only needed if your cleaner is not keeping it clean enough for you

Netting debris should be done as often as you can ... same with emptying in the pump basket and skimmer

Filter: Backwash when the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure. Pull the filters for a good clean yearly.

KK: If you do not have a suction port, then using it through the skimmer is the best you can do. There are some attachments that allow some skimmer action while the cleaner is being used.

*** If you are using the suction cleaner through the skimmer without a skimmer plate, you MUST use a leaf canister in-line of the hose and not trust the pump basket to catch everything.

If the vac is moving, you have enough suction. General performance can be know by looking at the filter pressure.

 

[806pool]

KK: If you do not have a suction port, then using it through the skimmer is the best you can do. There are some attachments that allow some skimmer action while the cleaner is being used.

*** If you are using the suction cleaner through the skimmer without a skimmer plate, you MUST use a leaf canister in-line of the hose and not trust the pump basket to catch everything.

If the vac is moving, you have enough suction. General performance can be know by looking at the filter pressure.

Thank you all for the great info! I somehow missed the pool school article, but will revisit it.

So for the KK....
What is a skimmer plate?
I have the hose from the KK going i to the skimmer opening (there is no door on it, i assume that it shouldnt). There are to suction ports inside the skimmer. I have the hose for the KK going into the back port. Not sure why, thats just where it has been. Is there a difference from the front and rear port? I assume the front one is "skimming" while the KK is working off the rear one?

We do have another suction port on the same side of the pool as the skimmer. Down under the water line a few feet with a hinged door/cap on it. I tried using it once and ther suction was MUCH greater through the skimmer (KK moved around much better). Havent tried it since.

The only catch for debris currently is the pump basket. There is no inline "filter" or catch on the KK.
Can u recommend something? The set up is: KK-hose-skimmer (no basket due to KK) then pump (with basket).
And unfortunately we have alot of leaves from the neighbor that like to make there wY in when the cover is open.

As far as vacuum...is it one that i would pull off the KK and plug in the vacuum? Ive seen the ones that are flat, rectangular with 8 or so wheels on it. A pole like the one from the net attaches to it.


Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

A skimmer plate is what you would attach your cleaner hose to and it would sit on the top of the skimmer basket.

The front hole is likely attached to your floor drains (if it is not capped) ... it is not doing anything the way you have it setup.

Sounds like your valves were not setup correctly when you tried to use the dedicated suction cleaner port ... I would try that again.

Do a google search for leaf canister and take your pick. Hayward makes a nice big one. I just got the Zoniac Cyclonic one.

Yes a vacuum would attach to the end of the hose and a pole ... not sure why you would need one though since you are always running the suction cleaner which does the same thing.

 

[806pool]

A skimmer plate is what you would attach your cleaner hose to and it would sit on the top of the skimmer basket.

The front hole is likely attached to your floor drains (if it is not capped) ... it is not doing anything the way you have it setup.

Sounds like your valves were not setup correctly when you tried to use the dedicated suction cleaner port ... I would try that again.

Do a google search for leaf canister and take your pick. Hayward makes a nice big one. I just got the Zoniac Cyclonic one.

Yes a vacuum would attach to the end of the hose and a pole ... not sure why you would need one though since you are always running the suction cleaner which does the same thing.

I dont have a skimmer plate. Is it something that originally came with the skimmer? How do i knkw what brand/model skimmer i have? Sounds like i should get a skimmer plate.

What do the floor drains do (drain the pool?). And how do i know if it or they (multiple?) are capped?

Ill look into getting a leaf canister for the KK also.

As far as the "valves" not being set up correctly....i only have one over by the pump/filter equipment...and it looks like nothing more than a ball valve from home depot. Wish i could post a pic. Should there be an adjustment for the skimmer and the side suction port? Do u half and half it or how much suction from each?

 

[806pool]

So its been a few days but i took some pictures of the way this pool is set up. I took a pic of the skimmer. I did not realize that with the KK plugged in to it that there is no other suction or the skimmer is not working i assummed that the fron port was suction also, but when i checked this morning, there is nothing. So if i understand the way it it set up, we are just pulling debris off the bottom (via KK) and not skimming the top whatsoever. Im guessing ideally you want to have both working in tandem. You will also notice there is no skimmer plate as i think it was called.

This is the suction port on the side of the pool:

Here is the pump/filter set up and you will notice the valve isnt like the normal valves ive seen on alot of other pool set up pictures....it looks like a normal ball valve. How should this be adjusted to be able to use both the skimmer and the side suction to run both? Or is it even possible?

Oh if someone could answer the few questions in the previous response also. Greatly appreciated!

 

[jblizzle]

That ball valve is closed. Have you tried to open it? I would guess you would start to get suction from the cleaner port. That I the route i would pursue. That setup is not ideal as you do not really have good control of whether the suction is from the skimmer or the cleaner.

Your floor is likely plumbed in the the front hole in the skimmer and you would need a float diverter to force suction from the floor if so desired.

 

[806pool]

What would it take to make the set up ideal and everything work like it is supposed to?

So is it possible that the floor drain hasnt been functioning in years? Why would you not want it functioning? How do i know if its "capped" as you mentioned above? If it is...why would someone do that?

From what ive gathered.... We should have/need to get:
*a skimmer plate
* a float diverter for skimmer to allow both the skimmer and floor drain to function
*a leaf canister for the KK
* possibly new valve set up for proper adjustment of the skimmer/cleaner ports
*skimmer weir (sp?)

This is so frustrating. I want to get everything working as it should.

Ill go mess with that ball valve and see what i come up with.

 

[jblizzle]

Forget the capped comment, I was not clear.

You don't need a skimmer plate if you use the wall suction port.

 

[Mr Bruce]

This is so frustrating. I want to get everything working as it should.

I'll just chime in on my (short, 1yr) experience. I have lots of tall trees around my pool. Lots. I quickly realized I would not be able to keep up. So bit the bullet and and got a solar robot that skims around the pool all day and picks up whatever is on the top ($400) and a robot that cleans the floor ($600) I let the solar robot run around all day. On days I want to use the pool, or at least every couple of days, I throw the crawling robot in and let it clean up everything on the floor. It usually only takes 1-2 hours to get everything.

I brush once a week or so, usually on a quiet weekend morning. That's it. The pump runs on a timer.

If you can only afford 1 robot I would get the one that crawls around the bottom, and use the old fashioned net on a stick method once a day to get the floaters.

Like someone said earlier, it's motor oil. Different pools in different environments, different budgets. I have a skimmer plate and a hose/vacuum that I haven't gotten out for a long time.

 

[806pool]

Ok just went out and took the KK out of the skimmer and plugged it into the cleaner port on the side of the pool. Opened up the ball valve all the way. The KK hardly moves. The skimmer is actually working well pulling in the debris off the top. So how do i get the cleaner port to work better? Could it be partially plugged?

And how about the floor drain? How do i get that functioning?

I assume for some of these parts i need to know skimmer brand, model, etc. where would i find that info?

And thank you for the info on the robots. Definately something i will look into. I would like to get all of the functions of the pool working properly regardlesss. I hate when things are just done to "get by" and not properly done or fixed, lol. At some point the previous owner stopped using the cleaner port for some reason...now i know why..and never fixed it, just got by without it.

 

[jblizzle]

You need to be able to partially close the skimmer line to force more suction from the cleaner line. That is not possible with the valve setup you have. Cheaply, you could add another ball valve on the skimmer line. Better would be to install a pool 3-way valve between the skimmer and vac line.

There is no reason to be so concerned about the floor working ... your vac is pulling from the floor afterall. If you want it to work, then put a float diverter under the skimmer basket.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Re: Kreepy krauly question...

I would order the brand name for the model you have. Are you sure that's a suction port and not a pressure side port? You may be pushing the vacuum along not the reverse. Does the port feel like it's sucking if you put your hand to it? Sorry if that seems like a stupid question but they usually only put those ports in for pressure side vacs.

So you only have one skimmer? I guess I would establish a routine of not leaving the vac in every day, maybe every 3 days or so and allow the skimmer to grab the big stuff in the basket. Try a different routine and see what you results you get... if not consider a different vacuum....

 

[jblizzle]

Re: Kreepy krauly question...

I swear I just answered these exact same questions in the last few days.

Post up pictures of your equipment pad, you might just need to force more suction from the wall port.

To post more/larger pictures, you either need to raise your storage allotment by Becoming a TFP Supporter or follow the How To Post Pictures tutorial.

 

[806pool]

How can I find out my skimmer brand/model?

I looked all around and the only numbers I see are on the basket itself "SP-37". Here is a pic of it:

 

[jblizzle]

Re: How can I find out my skimmer brand/model?

Why do you need to identify it?

 

[806pool]

Re: How can I find out my skimmer brand/model?

Why do you need to identify it?

Well, in my other post we talked about a skimmer plate, the door and I was figuring I'd need to know what skimmer it was to get the right one.

Until I can get the 3-way valve and install it to be able to use the cleaner port and the skimmer.

**actually after searching for one and reading about them a little more, maybe I'm under the wrong impression. I was thinking that with a vacuum plate, it would allow me to vacuum and clean simultaneously but now I'm thinking not.

I'm looking at getting a leaf catcher for the hose on the KK which I would be able to use also once I get the dedicated cleaner port going once I install the 3-way valve.

If I'm understanding the way the vacuum plate works....the leaf catcher would basically do the same thing (allow me to catch debris before entering the plumbing wether it's the leaf canister or the vacuum plate allowing the skimmer basket to catch) You either skim, or vacuum, not both.