Help to Decide to Add New Dedicated Suction Line

[lovemy3azboys]

I was unsure if this was the appropriate forum to post this... Please let me know if this should be in another forum...

We're having our 1970's 9 foot deep pool replastered very soon. Both bids we received suggested we add an additional skimmer in which case they'll need to "trench, core drill behind our pool and install a new dedicated suction line with 3 way Jandy valve". Our pools only skimmer is at the far deep end and they say adding this additional skimmer towards the middle of the length of the pool will both allow us to keep the cleaner attached while still skimming the top water on the second skimmer and most importantly will aid in better cleaning of the shallow end of the pool as the cleaner will have less hose and be closer to the shallow end. Were concerned about the additional cost of $650 added to the bill but most importantly that it could open us up to other problems occurring like leaks, cracks etc.

Any input and/or suggestions is greatly appreciated!

 

[Texas Splash]

Just thinking out loud, if it were me, I'd ask myself the following questions:
- How is my current water circulation? Is surface debris being pull-into my current skimmer adequately?
- Am I firm on a suction line cleaner, or would I consider a pressure-assisted cleaner? / Maybe even a stand-alone electric-powered cleaner?
- Given the typical wind direction across my pool, will a 2nd skimmer (in the proposed location) be ideal?

As for adding to potential air leaks .... that's always a possibility with ANY plumbing or item added. But if done properly and pressure tested, I wouldn't let that be a determining factor really. To help others who may reply, what are the dimensions of your pool and shape please?

 

[lovemy3azboys]

Just thinking out loud, if it were me, I'd ask myself the following questions:
- How is my current water circulation? Is surface debris being pull-into my current skimmer adequately?
- Am I firm on a suction line cleaner, or would I consider a pressure-assisted cleaner? / Maybe even a stand-alone electric-powered cleaner?
- Given the typical wind direction across my pool, will a 2nd skimmer (in the proposed location) be ideal?

As for adding to potential air leaks .... that's always a possibility with ANY plumbing or item added. But if done properly and pressure tested, I wouldn't let that be a determining factor really. To help others who may reply, what are the dimensions of your pool and shape please?

To answer your questions...

- We currently only have the one skimmer so when the Barracuda is attached there is no skimming of the top of the water, once we remove the Barracuda it skims well I guess, being our first pool I don't have anything to compare it to.
- This is our first pool, the Barracuda seems to do a pretty good job except in the shallow end. We will likely continue to use the Barracuda as its not caused us trouble and seems to do the job for not too much expense.
- I can't say I've noticed a typical wind direction. We don't get too much wind except during the monsoon season and then it's unpredictable. The length of the pool runs basically north/south, the pool sits much closer to the east of our yard so that on the north/south/east there isn't as much open space but on the west there is an entire big yard. The proposed second skimmer would be in the middle of the length of the pool on the east side(if that makes sense?)

Pool is a kidney shape I believe. Its approximately 33 feet long by 18 feet wide(average width at any given point) I've been trying to add a photo but have had trouble but I'll keep trying.

 

[jblizzle]

Are you taking about adding a second skimmer or just a dedicated suction line for the cleaner? I have a suction line and really like that I can keep skimming with my single skimmer.

 

[Patrick_B]

As I often do, I will suggest considering a Robot cleaner, especially if you do ok with the one current skimmer. No holes to be made, no worries with additional leaks or problems in the future that's a troubling concern.

 

[kimkats]

I second what Patrick says. It is the best of both worlds-a good cleaner and the skimmer open to skim AND no added holes in your pool.

Kim

 

[lovemy3azboys]

Are you taking about adding a second skimmer or just a dedicated suction line for the cleaner? I have a suction line and really like that I can keep skimming with my single skimmer.

I guess I misspoke, it is a dedicated suction line, not a skimmer.
Thanks for your response.

- - - Updated - - -

Patrick & Kim. I'll need to look at the cost and ease of use. Can you recommend some brands for me to look into?
Thanks for your replies.

 

[Texas Splash]

No problem. That is a difference though. Still, I like Patrick's robot suggestion from post #5. I have a fiberglass pool, so if I ever felt the need, that's what I would probably do. No muss, no fuss. Just a little bit of $$.

 

[jblizzle]

I happened to have unearthed a capped pipe that went to a port under a waterfall. Turns out the previous owner must have originally had a dedicated pump for the waterfall which is right in the middle of the side of the pool. Well, I re-plumbed it in to be a 2nd suction line to improve my flow rates and now use it for a suction cleaner.

I had 2 fairly early model robots, both died quicker than I thought reasonable. So instead of buying another robot, I opted to try the PoolCleaner suction cleaner which was less than 1/2 the price of a robot. So far I have no complaints other than having to clean the filter more often. Although I think the robots did in fact keep the pool a little cleaner if you ran it often.

Robot have come a long ways in the last 2-3 years and I hope they are better built to last longer.
There are pluses and minuses:

Suction cleaner:
+: Leave it in all the time, less expensive to buy and maintain
-: Hose can get tangled and in the way of swimming, filter needs cleaning more often, need to have to pump running to clean

Robot:
+: Better / faster cleaning, pool filter does not get as dirty as fast
-: Cost to buy and maintain/repair, Having to drag it in and out of the pool every few days for cleaning

 

[thepoolman]

Robot have come a long ways in the last 2-3 years and I hope they are better built to last longer.
There are pluses and minuses:

Suction cleaner:
+: Leave it in all the time, less expensive to buy and maintain
-: Hose can get tangled and in the way of swimming, filter needs cleaning more often, need to have to pump running to clean

Robot:
+: Better / faster cleaning, pool filter does not get as dirty as fast
-: Cost to buy and maintain/repair, Having to drag it in and out of the pool every few days for cleaning

My thoughts exactly.

Before you buy a robot, see if you have any local service centers for the brand you're looking to buy. You do not want to be paying to ship one of those those things.

If you're on the fence about it, have them do all but plumb it into your system. Just a stub of pipe with a cap by your equipment. Any service guy should be able to hook it into suction or pressure side in the future. Don't worry about the penetration in your pool. They should be chipping out and resealing around your other returns anyways.