New Owner of OLD Pool: Deep end intake clog/nonuse question

[Lana537]

Hello All~

First of all thank you to everyone here at TFP. I have been lurking/learning for several months; so far, 1000 questions have been answered with Pool School and the boards. This is my first post!

We bought our old 1952 house (Chapel Hill, NC) in August of 08. Back then I was able to consult with the pool person of previous owners regarding the deep end "drain"/intake. It has no screen or leaf catcher, I am told because no one could find one that fits, so all sorts of stuff can and did get down into the ~6" dia. x 6" deep white PVC-looking cup/drain w/side pipe leading off up to skimmer area.

Up in the skimmer well, there are two holes deep down there, one of which goes off to the filter and pump. The other hole is the top end of the deep end intake, and it has been semi-permanently blocked off, as best as I can remember back to last year's consultation, because that pipeline is clogged or compromised somehow, I can't remember.

My husband (out of town on business) tells me on phone today to undo that seal in the skimmer area and use the deep end intake. He didn't remember or know about the former pool man's story about how it is supposedly unusable or useless. He doesn't like the former pool man, and has burned that bridge for further inquiry/clarification/history.

Now my questions:

1) If I open that seal, which is below the skimmer basket itself, don't I risk sucking up some horrible junk and clogging the line out to my filter with whatever allegedly is clogging the line between the deep intake and the skimmer well?

2) How would one ever unclog such a pipeline?

Thank you for your help/advice

Lana

 

[JohnT]

Hello Lana, Welcome to TFP!

I wouldn't undo it. An uncovered drain is a serious safety issue, as well as a clog waiting to happen. It's not that critical of a deal to have the drain operating to maintain the pool.

 

[Lana537]

As my water clears with opening and shocking the pool, I look down there with awe and annoyance (that there is no cover/screen). My best guess is that it was stepped on and broken 10 or more years ago with the last paint job I heard about. A pool draining and new paint job is on the docket for next year, $$ permitting.

What kind of cover would fit/attach to this drain/intake? Would it have been a snap-into-drain thing? There do not appear to be any former screw holes or threads in the seemingly perfect, clean, white drain cup, the top of which is perfectly flush/even with the surface of the pool bottom. I have no one, myself included, capable of diving down there to investigate.

Lana

 

[JasonLion]

You need to figure out the make/model of the drain fitting. Then you will be able to find a cover that will fit it. Of course that is somewhat difficult since it is at the bottom of the pool. Perhaps if you post a picture, someone here might recognize it, though not that many people are used to seeing the fixture without the cover.

 

[spishex]

Lana,

Not too many pools around here that old. Congratulations on having one that still works. I only know of one that old, and I know the crotchety old pool guy that used to take care of it.

Like Jason said, it's hard to judge the drain by just the sump, especially one that old. You'd need measurements and any part numbers that are visible.

As long as it's uncovered I wouldn't recommend unplugging it.

Tim

 

[Lana537]

Just to follow up on this, my husband did indeed unseal and unclog this drain. He took the seal out, shoved the garden hose down the line quite a long way, pushed out all of the accumulated leaves and junk, and it is now a working intake.

As a temporary measure, he took a skimmer basket that we bought on a guess, but doesn't fit our skimmer correctly, and he inverted this down in the deep end and put a brick on it. This is keeping the newly falling leaves out. We have no one besides the two of us who use this pool. The intake suction is enough to circulate water, but by no means "vacuuming strength".

Also thanks to some wise person here, we included our "space ship" regulator into the skimmer area underneath the skimmer basket, and this seems to make the sharing even between the deep end intake and the skimmer intake.

Thank you all for your posts. We will always be on the lookout for a proper drain cover. I looked at old notes I took last year, and I found an entry "this is not a standard sized (Hayward) drain.

I am hoping that our finances will allow us to resurface/repaint the pool next year, and also at that time we'll be able to once again attack this subject of getting a proper cover.

Lana