I'm building soon... what does a manual suction port look like? I was under the impression you could hook a vacuum to the skimmer. Is there a better way than this?
Best way to connect suction side cleaner
- Thread starter Brant
- Start date
Brant,
You never want to plug a suction side cleaner into the skimmer when there are other options..
You actually want the skimmer to work as a skimmer, which it can't if you have a suction hose stuck in it.
Most new pool come with a suction port in the side wall of the pool. This port is plumbed back to the equipment pad so you can have the ability of turning the port on or off.
The port has a small spring-loaded door that covers the port when not in use. The cost to add a suction side port is almost nothing when building a new pool. Most new pool come with one as part of the package, but something you need to ask about to make sure.
I am a big fan of Robot cleaners, but even I have a suction side port in my pool. It has never been used, but something I am glad to have, 'just in case.'
Thanks,
Jim R.
You never want to plug a suction side cleaner into the skimmer when there are other options..
You actually want the skimmer to work as a skimmer, which it can't if you have a suction hose stuck in it.
Most new pool come with a suction port in the side wall of the pool. This port is plumbed back to the equipment pad so you can have the ability of turning the port on or off.
The port has a small spring-loaded door that covers the port when not in use. The cost to add a suction side port is almost nothing when building a new pool. Most new pool come with one as part of the package, but something you need to ask about to make sure.
I am a big fan of Robot cleaners, but even I have a suction side port in my pool. It has never been used, but something I am glad to have, 'just in case.'
Thanks,
Jim R.
It is merely another pipe that has a 1.5" female pipe adapter flush with the pool wall. The other end at the equipment pad is plumbed to a valve in the pump's suction line near the pump so that one can adjust flow between the skimmer and cleaner line. You definitely want one.
A lot of plaster crews will use the same return eyelet on the vac suction port, so either pay attention during your plumbing period or make sure you have your builder identify it for you so you can find it later and put a vac-lock on it.
Generally its centered in the pool length and higher than returns. But this is not always the case, hence the aforementioned easy advice.
Generally its centered in the pool length and higher than returns. But this is not always the case, hence the aforementioned easy advice.
Someone else mentioned that the dedicated vacuum suction line is 2" pipe. Is it 2" pipe with 1.5" wall fitting or is the entire line 1.5" (fitting and pipe?) Want to make sure I install the correct size line.
2" reduced to 1.5" at the shotcrete. The only lines that aren't typically reduced near the shell are the main drains or wall drains.