How to turn on my skimmer

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Jun 10, 2018
25
Cooper City, FL
Hey TFP, I'm in the middle of SLAM and I'd like to turn on my skimmer to get the debris. It's been off since I bought my home (1yr) since we thought there might be a leak.

I'm willing to investigate the leak later but for now I don't really mind, I feel like not having the skimmer has been holding me back (12 days in, still super cloudy).

Attached is a picture of my pump, I color coated it so that it's easier to speak about.

There's also the skimmer itself that has 2 plugs, one closer to the skimmer/pool, the other is further). I was able to remove the plug on the outside (the side further from the pool) and nothing happened.

I also tried my luck and twisted the red valve 90° so that it would be facing 12 o'clock according to the picture. BIG MISTAKE! started pumping gree into my pool. I've since turned it back.

That was my sign that I needed to come here for help. Can anyone help me understand how to use my skimmer?
 

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Your skimmer should be on all the time. Sounds like you have anti-freeze in the lines and you starting pumping it out. It is potable so not to worry many people (including me) just let it mix in with the pool water when they un-winterize the pool.

First thing post pics of your skimmers and the plugs in them. Sounds like winterizing plugs that need to come out.

For the valve, whatever position the short end is on is closed. So in your pic above, both of those valves are closing the port to the left. Based on your plumbing, to enable all your intakes, you would need to move that valve to the 6 o'clock position (meaning the closed part is at 6 and the handle is straight up). I assume the upper pipe is your floor drain and the pipe to the left (closed in the pic) is your skimmer(s). Not sure what your top valve (blue one) is but it is also closed. Could be that you have 2 skimmers? Just don't make a condition where your pump is not getting any flow to it.
 
Both red and blue circles are suction lines. I am guessing but I suspect the blue one is a dedicated vacuum suction line and the red is to skimmer and main drain. Try closing off each and see what happens.

More details on your pool would help.
 
PoolGate said:
Your skimmer should be on all the time. Sounds like you have anti-freeze in the lines and you starting pumping it out. It is potable so not to worry many people (including me) just let it mix in with the pool water when they un-winterize the pool.

First thing post pics of your skimmers and the plugs in them. Sounds like winterizing plugs that need to come out.

For the valve, whatever position the short end is on is closed. So in your pic above, both of those valves are closing the port to the left. Based on your plumbing, to enable all your intakes, you would need to move that valve to the 6 o'clock position (meaning the closed part is at 6 and the handle is straight up). I assume the upper pipe is your floor drain and the pipe to the left (closed in the pic) is your skimmer(s). Not sure what your top valve (blue one) is but it is also closed. Could be that you have 2 skimmers? Just don't make a condition where your pump is not getting any flow to it.
Click to expand...


I'm in South Florida so the pool is open year round. No anti-freeze anywhere.

- - - Updated - - -

Pool_Medic said:
Both red and blue circles are suction lines. I am guessing but I suspect the blue one is a dedicated vacuum suction line and the red is to skimmer and main drain. Try closing off each and see what happens.

More details on your pool would help.
Click to expand...

What else do you need to know? I'm not sure I know much more to be honest
 
_,

You have three pipes coming out of the ground and going into your pump... They would normally be the following... Skimmer or skimmers, the Main Drain, and a Vacuum Port. It could be any combination of the three.

Sounds like you have one skimmer... and that skimmer had one of the holes plugged.. Put the plug back in... The fact that the hole was plugged, tells me the main drain is plumbed back to your equipment pad..

I suspect that the blue valve controls a vacuum port in the side wall of your pool. This port should be covered by a little flap or door... Do you have this port???

The Red valve most likely allows you to select either your Main Drain and/or the Skimmer. There is no way for me to tell which pipe is which.

I suggest you experiment and find out. Turn the Red valve so that the handle points to the 4 O'clock position in your pic. Fire up the pump and see if you have any water flowing from the skimmer into the pump... Assuming you do then turn the handle to the 6 o'clock position and see what happens... If the skimmer flow increases, that means the pipe at the bottom left of your red valve is going to the skimmer... if the skimmer flow stops that means the valve that is to the upper left of the red valve is the one going to the skimmer...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
_,

You have three pipes coming out of the ground and going into your pump... They would normally be the following... Skimmer or skimmers, the Main Drain, and a Vacuum Port. It could be any combination of the three.

Sounds like you have one skimmer... and that skimmer had one of the holes plugged.. Put the plug back in... The fact that the hole was plugged, tells me the main drain is plumbed back to your equipment pad..

I suspect that the blue valve controls a vacuum port in the side wall of your pool. This port should be covered by a little flap or door... Do you have this port???

The Red valve most likely allows you to select either your Main Drain and/or the Skimmer. There is no way for me to tell which pipe is which.

I suggest you experiment and find out. Turn the Red valve so that the handle points to the 4 O'clock position in your pic. Fire up the pump and see if you have any water flowing from the skimmer into the pump... Assuming you do then turn the handle to the 6 o'clock position and see what happens... If the skimmer flow increases, that means the pipe at the bottom left of your red valve is going to the skimmer... if the skimmer flow stops that means the valve that is to the upper left of the red valve is the one going to the skimmer...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

To be clear, Both plugs in the skimmer were plugged in. I just unplugged one myself, I figured one of those would need to be unplugged to get something moving in there.

I do have a vacuum port on the side wall of my pool. Not covered by anything though.
 
_,

The hole that is furthest away from the skimmer mouth is the suction line leading back to your pump..

The hole that is closest to the skimmer mouth is for an Equalizer port (an eyeball right below the skimmer, if you have one) or the Main Drain, when the main drain is not plumbed back to the equipment pad like I suspect yours is... or it goes nowhere and is plugged..

You need to make sure the line from the skimmer to the equipment pad is open...

Thanks,


Jim R.
 
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