Is there a way to accurately guage suction pressure at skimmer? Less suction at far side skimmer

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IMV8N

IMV8N

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Jun 5, 2020
77
Las Vegas
I just had my pool remodeled. My pool has not worked the same since. In the first few days of running the pool after the remodel I got so much old plaster pieces and debris in my pump basket. I am worried there may be more debris lodged in the pool plumbing still. In one skimmer I am getting what seems like excellent suction. In the 2nd skimmer you can barely notice the water moving. I have tried isolating both skimmers at the pump and the gauge on the filter needle doesn’t show too much of a difference when changing from skimmer A to skimmer B and back. You can definitely see a noticeable difference in water movement between the two skimmers. Is there some kind of gauge that I can buy to better understand how much less suction I am getting at my problem side skimmer? Also, in a perfect world should both skimmers see the same amount of suction? Even though one skimmer is closer to the pump and the other is on the opposite side? Does distance play a part? Lastly, if I find that the far side skimmer does indeed have noticeably less suction. What are my options to fix this? I have already had someone come out and blow the CO2 in the lines.
 
IMV8N,

The near skimmer will have much more suction than the far skimmer.

If plumbed correctly, you should have a valve that controls the amount of flow coming from each skimmer. This allows you to adjust the flow so that both skimmers have about the same amount of suction.

Show us a pic of your equipment pad showing the input lines to your main pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
IMV8N,

The near skimmer will have much more suction than the far skimmer.

If plumbed correctly, you should have a valve that controls the amount of flow coming from each skimmer. This allows you to adjust the flow so that both skimmers have about the same amount of suction.

Show us a pic of your equipment pad showing the input lines to your main pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Pool Equip2.jpgPoolEquip.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
IMV8N,

You are between a rock a hard place because they used 3-way valves. A common and cheaper way to plumb things, but the best option would have been a 2-way valve on each input.

It appears that you can't really adjust 'just' your skimmer inputs.. :(

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I had a similar experience after having the pavers redone around my pool. There was a fair bit of concrete bits in the pool and skimmers. It made cleaning the pool a challenge as bits would be sucked up and clog the vac head or hose. Also have to dig out the bottom of the skimmers to make sure there wasn't anything hiding in the bottom that could cause a clog.

Sound like you can see a difference in how the skimmer are working compared to before. There is a good chance something is restricting one the skimmers. I assume all the plumbing hasn't changed.

Try back flowing the line to flush out the debris. An endoscopic camera might also give you a view into you pipes. I would guess the elbow on the bottom of the skimmer is most likely area for catching debris.

If you disconnect your pump you could back wash each line with a hose. or you could try using a shop vac sucking from the skimmer. I would empty the vac and clean it a bit so you can see if you sucked something free. Could also try running a snake through to dislodge the debris.
 
Bill1974 said:
I had a similar experience after having the pavers redone around my pool. There was a fair bit of concrete bits in the pool and skimmers. It made cleaning the pool a challenge as bits would be sucked up and clog the vac head or hose. Also have to dig out the bottom of the skimmers to make sure there wasn't anything hiding in the bottom that could cause a clog.

Sound like you can see a difference in how the skimmer are working compared to before. There is a good chance something is restricting one the skimmers. I assume all the plumbing hasn't changed.

Try back flowing the line to flush out the debris. An endoscopic camera might also give you a view into you pipes. I would guess the elbow on the bottom of the skimmer is most likely area for catching debris.

If you disconnect your pump you could back wash each line with a hose. or you could try using a shop vac sucking from the skimmer. I would empty the vac and clean it a bit so you can see if you sucked something free. Could also try running a snake through to dislodge the debris.
Click to expand...
I am really interested in that endoscopic camera idea. I have been trying to find someone locally (Las Vegas) that uses them. I have found a few plumbers that use them, but they say they are only used on sewer pipes and never on pool plumbing. This makes sense to me. So, any ideas on how I can find someone who uses endoscopic cameras on pools?
 
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