Partial blockage in skimmer

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

bonro001

Member
Nov 19, 2019
10
Austin, TX
Hello all,

I think I have a partial blockage in one of my skimmers. Pretty sure it is organic, leaves. The traditional on off at the valve and water pressure from both ends has failed to help out, but I know it's there. When I pressurize from the pump small pieces come out.

So, my thinking is to just let the chlorine in the pool do it's thing, or maybe putting a tablet in the skimmer to up the chlorine amount in the pipe so the block can turn to mush faster. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks in advance!
 
bonro001 said:
Hello all,

I think I have a partial blockage in one of my skimmers. Pretty sure it is organic, leaves. The traditional on off at the valve and water pressure from both ends has failed to help out, but I know it's there. When I pressurize from the pump small pieces come out.

So, my thinking is to just let the chlorine in the pool do it's thing, or maybe putting a tablet in the skimmer to up the chlorine amount in the pipe so the block can turn to mush faster. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Have you checked the impeller? Have you used à drain jet?
 
oldprophet said:
Have you checked the impeller? Have you used à drain jet?
Click to expand...
If you mean the rubber thing that expands and forces water, yes. It moved a bit of water but it would run out of steam. I think from the pump to the skimmer did better, but our pool is above the pump so it can only force so much. And no, have not checked the impeller yet, it pulls great on the other skimmer which lead me to believe we were good there.
 
Do not put a tablet in the skimmer. The acid in the tablet can damage equipment.

Chlorine will not help dissolve leaves.

Post pics of your equipment pad so we can see what you are dealing with.

Drain king - plugged skimmer line?

Hi! I am using a drain king to try to unclog my skimmer line. The reason I think it's clogged is because the pump won't prime. (It wasn't working right, and we realized the basket at the pump was full of debris. Thinking some of the debris also got into the ine.). Tried the drain king from...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Both skimmer lines clogged with leaves. Drain king not working.

Can't get then unclogged. What's the next step?
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Do you have baskets in your skimmer to catch debris?

img_0948-jpg.558968
 
Are there any cracks in the skimmer basket?

I am wondering how the leaves got past the skimmer basket and down into the pipe.
 
bonro001 said:
Yes, took it out to show the holes below.
Click to expand...
Although, sometimes when I clean the basket some debris will escape around during the cleaning, suspect that is what happened.
ajw22 said:
Are there any cracks in the skimmer basket?

I am wondering how the leaves got past the skimmer basket and down into the pipe.
Click to expand...
No, sometimes when it is fullish and you pull it out they come over the top or a few float in. One thing I probably should not do is clean the basket when the pump is on as they go right down, betting the last time there were too many.

Working to get back on track, the skimmer pulls water, but only about 1/4 the other one does, so the clog is not complete and thus does not really respond to the water cannon approach. I have ordered a long drain type cleaner to try to get in there and remove the blockage assuming it is near the skimmer, that is a gamble.
 
Yes, I always turn off my pump before removing the skimmer baskets, clean out the skimmer of all debris, and replace the basket before turning the pump back on.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
bonro001 said:
Although, sometimes when I clean the basket some debris will escape around during the cleaning, suspect that is what happened.

No, sometimes when it is fullish and you pull it out they come over the top or a few float in. One thing I probably should not do is clean the basket when the pump is on as they go right down, betting the last time there were too many.

Working to get back on track, the skimmer pulls water, but only about 1/4 the other one does, so the clog is not complete and thus does not really respond to the water cannon approach. I have ordered a long drain type cleaner to try to get in there and remove the blockage assuming it is near the skimmer, that is a gamble.
Click to expand...
That is the joy of this time of year in TX. The new buds on the trees push off last year's leaves, and live oaks are especially bad this time of year. Mine looks like its raining leaves anytime a slight gust of wind goes by and its hard to keep up. I'm emptying my skimmers multiple times a day and many leaves get past the basket when I'm emptying it. I try and reach my hand in there and get them all out before I put the basket back, but some go down the hole and head towards the filter basket. If it is too bad, I'll turn off the pump before emptying the skimmers.

Good luck, we are almost through it all and to the time when we can actually enjoy your pools again.
 
JJ_Tex said:
That is the joy of this time of year in TX. The new buds on the trees push off last year's leaves, and live oaks are especially bad this time of year. Mine looks like its raining leaves anytime a slight gust of wind goes by and its hard to keep up. I'm emptying my skimmers multiple times a day and many leaves get past the basket when I'm emptying it. I try and reach my hand in there and get them all out before I put the basket back, but some go down the hole and head towards the filter basket. If it is too bad, I'll turn off the pump before emptying the skimmers.

Good luck, we are almost through it all and to the time when we can actually enjoy your pools again.
Click to expand...
Yeah, has been rough. Any advice on how to clear a partial clogged skimmer?
 
bonro001 said:
Yeah, has been rough. Any advice on how to clear a partial clogged skimmer?
Click to expand...
I've never had to do it, but a couple of ideas:

1. Turn off your pump, and get a shop vac hose into the skimmer hole to suck out the leaves in the line. I would also try this with the pump basket lid off so you are not pulling water out of the filter, etc.

2. Close off the skimmer that is working fine, open up the bad skimmer all the way, and turn the pump on high to see if you can suck the leaves into the basket on the pump.

3. If all else fails, try to snake the line.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Mdragger88
JJ_Tex said:
I've never had to do it, but a couple of ideas:

1. Turn off your pump, and get a shop vac hose into the skimmer hole to suck out the leaves in the line. I would also try this with the pump basket lid off so you are not pulling water out of the filter, etc.

2. Close off the skimmer that is working fine, open up the bad skimmer all the way, and turn the pump on high to see if you can suck the leaves into the basket on the pump.

3. If all else fails, try to snake the line.
Click to expand...
Some some more info:

On #2, did this and within about 15 seconds the pump starts to empty out.
On #3, tried this also, seems to be too many bends to get the snake down, only got in about 5 feet.

Also, question on the skipper. There appears to be 2 holes at the bottom. One open and the other with a plastic rotating cover, it is covered. Is this because the covered one is not hooked to plumbing?

Gonna try the 1st one today and if that does not work thinking about calling a pro with a air blaster.
 
bonro001 said:
Also, question on the skipper. There appears to be 2 holes at the bottom. One open and the other with a plastic rotating cover, it is covered. Is this because the covered one is not hooked to plumbing?
Click to expand...

The second hole in the skimmer is used when a main drain is connected through the skimmer.
 
How about one of these so you could use water pressure? You could use this at the pump side and if that wasn't successful you could combine it with a vacuum at the skimmer.

 
So making progress. Put the plug thing at the pump and only selected the skimmer in question. It flows and at the start 10 or so leaves came out, now 1 every 5 mins. So progress, gonna leave that going for the rest of the day, maybe I can chip away at the clog.
 
Odd, posted this AM but it didn't make it.

Yeah, what ended up working was using 2 of the pressure plugs. I would send pressure up from the pump for 30 seconds, then discontinue and remove the plug, then my wife would do the same down to the pump. We noticed that every time we did this we would get a few leaves out until the clog released. Super happy.

Lesson learned, don't change an overfilled basket while the pump is running!

Thanks again for all the help everyone!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ_Tex and cwswifty

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply