In a related question - the 25+ year old pool I inherited when I bought my house has only a single valve that controls the left and right skimmers. I'm assuming my main intake at the bottom of the pool is somehow connected to these, but I feel virtually no pressure at the main intake in the pool so I'm concerned it's either clogged or I don't have something set right. Should the main intake be pulling hard when the pump is running?
Wahoo - bottom drain
- Thread starter Wahoo
- Start date
You need to post some pics of the skimmer housings and to look at the bottom of the skimmer housing below the baskets to see if there is two pipes coming in.
On ours, there is a low water level float valve that sits in the very bottom of the skimmer housing below the basket that has to be lifted out to allow you to see the piping. The piping in the bottom has 1 opening that runs to the pump and 1 that goes to the bottom drain in the pool. The float valve has a movable plate that allows you to adjust how much water from the skimmer vs. bottom drain is pulled by the pump. If the skimmer goes dry, the float drops and seals the basket so all water comes from main drain and pump doesnt run dry. Yours may be different but,generally if 2 pipes are in the skimmer housing bottom, 1 is likely the main drain.
BTW you dont want to have any noticable suction at the main drain due to entrapment risks. Your pool is likely old enough that a safety drain wasnt required so be careful!
On ours, there is a low water level float valve that sits in the very bottom of the skimmer housing below the basket that has to be lifted out to allow you to see the piping. The piping in the bottom has 1 opening that runs to the pump and 1 that goes to the bottom drain in the pool. The float valve has a movable plate that allows you to adjust how much water from the skimmer vs. bottom drain is pulled by the pump. If the skimmer goes dry, the float drops and seals the basket so all water comes from main drain and pump doesnt run dry. Yours may be different but,generally if 2 pipes are in the skimmer housing bottom, 1 is likely the main drain.
BTW you dont want to have any noticable suction at the main drain due to entrapment risks. Your pool is likely old enough that a safety drain wasnt required so be careful!
Thanks for the advice. Here are some pics of my skimmer - it looks exactly like you described except I have no movable plate between the basket and the two pipes you see in the pic. Is that why I'm feeling no pressure from the main intake? Because the pump is pulling everything from the skimmers? If so, it might just be a question of getting one of those plates (which I assume is unique to the skimmer model (?)). Any thoughts appreciated. 
Ya let me see your skimmer lid so I can tell you which regulator to get for your skimmer.
Also how many skimmers do you have?
And with a 1.5 hp pump you're not going to feel anything at your main drain even if you divert all the power to it unless your main drain is only 2".
Also how many skimmers do you have?
And with a 1.5 hp pump you're not going to feel anything at your main drain even if you divert all the power to it unless your main drain is only 2".
here you go, although I replaced the old one with this one when I bought the house 3 years ago so i'm not 100% sure it's indicative of the skimmer brand/model. Also, my bottom intake is 2" in diameter - so why wouldn't you ever feel pressure down there? isn't it supposed to aid the filtration as well?
Just an FYI but you really do not need to have a main drain. Your skimmers will clean the top of the water and your pressure side cleaner will get the bottom. Some people including myself are able to adjust how much skimmer vs main drain suction there is. I am about 95% skimmer 5% bottom drain. I do the bottom drain just to circulate some of the cold water off the bottom so I do not have cold and warm spots in the pool.
85015200 is the part number for your skimmer equalizer. You have an american products skimmer.
Now to answer your main drain question. Main drains are very important at it allows your to take water from the bottom off the pool and return it to the top allowing you to turn your water over more efficiently. You basically want to turn your water over 2 times in one day.
The reason why you won't feel the suction on most main drains with 1.5" pipe with max 1.5hp pump is cause your max gallons per minute that pump can do in that situation is 43. Most main drains are 8" opening with allowing 75 GPM thru it.
So now imagine if you have a vacuum cleaner with a wide 8" attachment. You wouldn't feel any type of suction unless you reduce that attachment to a much smaller size. It's the same concept. That vacuum will suck just as much air as it can with that 8 " attachment as with a 2".
Just like your pool with the water. But It allows for a safer environment.
Now if you had a intellaflowXF with 2.5" plumbing then that would be a different story
Now to answer your main drain question. Main drains are very important at it allows your to take water from the bottom off the pool and return it to the top allowing you to turn your water over more efficiently. You basically want to turn your water over 2 times in one day.
The reason why you won't feel the suction on most main drains with 1.5" pipe with max 1.5hp pump is cause your max gallons per minute that pump can do in that situation is 43. Most main drains are 8" opening with allowing 75 GPM thru it.
So now imagine if you have a vacuum cleaner with a wide 8" attachment. You wouldn't feel any type of suction unless you reduce that attachment to a much smaller size. It's the same concept. That vacuum will suck just as much air as it can with that 8 " attachment as with a 2".
Just like your pool with the water. But It allows for a safer environment.
Now if you had a intellaflowXF with 2.5" plumbing then that would be a different story
I split mine 50/50 as pulling from the bottom drain helps keep the pools circulated better and I can brush any dirt to the drain and it will be picked up.
as to your replacement part, Make sure to get the version with the float so as to prevent damaging the pump if water level goes below skimmer. Looks like they are all about the same price.
as to your replacement part, Make sure to get the version with the float so as to prevent damaging the pump if water level goes below skimmer. Looks like they are all about the same price.
Thanks for all the great advice. So is there a rule of thumb for how long I should be running my new Pentair Superflo VS at high speed (and what should that be) vs low speed (and what should that be)? Pool is 21.4K gallons. Thanks!
Hey i see your filter will only allow 63 gpm of water thru it so i wouldn't put your pump past 3000 rpms or you'll damage your pump and filter. I would 7am to 9pm 1750 rpm set it at schedule on speed 5, Then 7am - 11am 2400 rpms on schedule on speed 6.
So that way you have a high speed in the morning and enough power to run your cleaner. This is set up to save you money on your electric bill so if you want you can boost the rpms more.
You have any questions just ask.
So that way you have a high speed in the morning and enough power to run your cleaner. This is set up to save you money on your electric bill so if you want you can boost the rpms more.
You have any questions just ask.
Fantastic - thanks everyone for all the helpful insights and responses. Much appreciated
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RedBluePool - I responded above too quickly and realized I have a follow-up question. What are speeds 5 and 6 that you're referring to? My Pentair Superflo VS has three buttons, "1", "2", and "3". It appears I can tweak the speed and duration for each. I'm confused by both the "speed 5" and "speed 6" comment as well as the overlapping time periods in your response. Can you clarify (pun intended)? thanks
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RedBluePool - I responded above too quickly and realized I have a follow-up question. What are speeds 5 and 6 that you're referring to? My Pentair Superflo VS has three buttons, "1", "2", and "3". It appears I can tweak the speed and duration for each. I'm confused by both the "speed 5" and "speed 6" comment as well as the overlapping time periods in your response. Can you clarify (pun intended)? thanks
He is talking about an Intelliflo, which has a completely different program than the superflo VS. Replace 5 and 6 with 1 and 2 and it will make sense to you.
Every pool is different as far as what it needs as far as speeds go and everyone has an opinion on how to set speeds. I set the low speed to the slowest it will go to cause the skimmer door to fall, then bump it up a couple hundred RPM to compensate for the filter getting dirty. I set the high speed to whatever the cleaner/fountain/etc. needs to run.
Every pool is different as far as what it needs as far as speeds go and everyone has an opinion on how to set speeds. I set the low speed to the slowest it will go to cause the skimmer door to fall, then bump it up a couple hundred RPM to compensate for the filter getting dirty. I set the high speed to whatever the cleaner/fountain/etc. needs to run.
thanks poolman - makes sense. how do I determine how long to run on high vs low and what times of day?
Again, everyone has there opinions.
I usually run high speed 2-3hrs a day/as needed for cleaner or water feature operation.
I usually run low speed 8-10 hrs a day/as needed for filtration and chlorine production.
In my personal pool, I am able to run low speed for 12hrs. a day and I manually turn the cleaner on when needed.
I usually run high speed 2-3hrs a day/as needed for cleaner or water feature operation.
I usually run low speed 8-10 hrs a day/as needed for filtration and chlorine production.
In my personal pool, I am able to run low speed for 12hrs. a day and I manually turn the cleaner on when needed.
thanks poolman. i'm actually struggling with frequent algae blooms with the new pump. my hypothesis is that when running on low (currently 18 hours/day) there's not enough pressure/velocity to fill my in-line chlorinator and as a result I'm not getting enough chlorine in the pool. my frequent testing confirms that my chlorine is generally low.
Very possible. Unscrew the lid while the pump is in low speed and see what is going on in there.
Use your noodle when doing this. Stand back and look into it from an angle.
Use your noodle when doing this. Stand back and look into it from an angle.