Why Vacuum?

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ateam

ateam

0
Jul 8, 2015
43
San Antonio, TX
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Is vacuuming important?

I got a vacuum with my pool, but I've never used it. I've seen lots of posts about how to vacuum, but I haven't seen anything about why I should.

My current routine is to brush off the steps/seats and let the pentair racer cleaner keep the bottom clean. I have a dark blue plaster/pebble finish so if there is any debris on the bottom, I can't see it.

My water looks clear, my bottom looks clean, but I see so many people talking about vacuuming that it makes me wonder if I'm missing out on something important.
 
Unless you have a pool full of mud, then all the cleaner does it stir it back up into the water. The vaccum was a godsend for heavy silt clean up. Shut off the pump, let the silt settle over night, then very slowly vacuum.
 
I vacuum because it's easier than diving down to the bottom with a pair of tweezers. :snorkle:

And because a manual vacuum works just fine for me so I see no reason to buy anything fancier. Twenty minutes a week isn't so bad. I imagine if I had more leaf load I might want an automatic cleaner.
 

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I so envy you. I have to vacuum at least twice a week, even more if it is windy or rains a lot. There is nothing more frustrating than spending two hours cleaning the pool and then waking up the next morning and seeing a bunch of leaves (worms and small branches when it storms) in the pool that have already sunk to the bottom.

I have a bunch of birch trees in the yard that produce a huge amount of tree debris year round, I hate them with a passion.
 
I vacuumed once or twice till my Robot came in, put the vac hose up, and haven't even seen it in over a year now. If things go as I want them too, I'll never vac again if I can help it at all. Pool cleaners RULE! :)
 
I got this answer from Chem Geek on a similar questions in the introduce yourself section:

"Vacuuming is not a regular maintenance step unless you are accumulating debris that your pool sweep isn't picking up. What IS a normal maintenance step is brushing the pool. This helps dislodge any algae in the nooks and crannies of plaster and prevents biofilm formation. Circulation flow goes to zero at pool walls and floors and in particular the rougher surface of plaster has plenty of spaces where algae can hide out from chlorine in the water. Brushing forces chlorine into those surfaces and also physically disrupts anything stuck to that plaster."

Seems like that would be good advice for anyone looking through this thread.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information!
 
On the cleaner question in regards to mud....yes the cleaner just sends the fine particulate right back into the pool...also my particular dolphin has a large scrubber before the vacuum so that also contributes to dispersion of mud before the dolphins vacuum can grab it. Slow manual vacuum to waste has been the only way to clear my pool. I've had three mudslides in three weeks so I'm unfortunately an expert on this now.
 

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