skimmer flow / suction questions

wet_labrador

0
Bronze Supporter
May 12, 2016
37
new jersey
hopefully, after my third venture into this arena, i use the right terminology:

problem:
  1. too much debris is falling to the bottom of my pool

signs i'm ignoring the problem:

  1. i've tried running several skiming schedules (30 minutes at before normal schedule, 30 minutes after normal schedule, and 30 minutes midnight and noon).
  2. i've considered buying a skimdoctor

facts that have held true since i've had the pool:
  1. i run my vs pump @ 1100 rpm 14 hours per day (my swg is undersized, so it's a must). filter pressure is 0-2 psi. no visible skimmer action.
  2. i run my vs pump @1900 rpm for 1 hour per day. filter pressure is 4 psi. minor visible skimmer action.
  3. dolphin cleans the pool with filter pressure 10psi at 2500rpm. visible skimmer action, but nothing seems to be sucked below surface (bugs linger there, leaves eventually make their way down but not at first)
  4. i've never cleaned my filter before, not sure if the pool company ever has (don't think so because they're scam artists), but the pressure is so low that it seems too soon?
  5. skimmer and md is 100% open. nothing really changes if i favor the skimmer, except less water in the basket.

observations:

  1. at 1900-2100 rpm, i find that the the weir door swings down as the pump draws skimmer water below pool waterline, which in turn causes pool water to flood into the skimmer, and as equilibrium is reached the flow seems to stop, and any visible action/turbulence stops for a second. then the whole things repeats.
  2. the only time i have a continuous draw into the skimmer is >2400rpm.
  3. i don't believe i have a suction side leak. the pool is new. and whenever i bleed the filter, water comes out without any spurts of air.

question:
  1. is the type of suction i'm seeing at 1900 rpm normal? is this always norm
    1. i know a lot of vs guys tend to clean/skim their pool at a speed similar to this for one hour mid day.
    2. the difference in electricity between 1900rpm and 2400rpm is nearly 2x as much.
  2. what should normal skimmer suction/action look like at various rpms?
 
This comment is of concern to me ...
i've never cleaned my filter before, not sure if the pool company ever has (don't think so because they're scam artists), but the pressure is so low that it seems too soon?
While you see the pressure at only about 2 psi or so, perhaps the gauge is faulty. You might want to start with a new gauge since they are fairly cheap and easy to replace. You can get a good one as the one seen HERE.
 
WL,

Almost everything you said sounds about right to me... I don't see any mechanical problems..

Weir doors act like you describe.. the lower the RPM the less skimmer action that you will visually see.

About the only thing I would recommend is to make sure your eyeball returns (where water returns to your pool) are all pointed in one direction. This makes the water swirl like a tidy bowl commercial but at a much slower rate.. :p

The idea being it pushes the debris toward the skimmers.

Oh.. A dolphin is a brand of robot cleaner that does not use pool pump power.. (I love mine...) If your signature is correct, you have a Polaris which is a water powered cleaner.

Let's see what our other members have to say...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

- - - Updated - - -

This comment is of concern to me ... While you see the pressure at only about 2 psi or so, perhaps the gauge is faulty. You might want to start with a new gauge since they are fairly cheap and easy to replace. You can get a good one as the one seen HERE.

Maybe... but I only get about 2 PSI when running at 1,200 RPM... Sounds pretty normal to me.

Jim R.
 
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