Main Drain not working?

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ckoch, is this what yours looks like? I was going to blow air through it and see if bubbles came through the MD. But maybe I'll just try to plug it and see if that gets it working. I'll have to get a bigger plug though. It seems to be closer to 2" than the 1.5" plug that I have.

Titanium.

I don't think its a diverter that I need. I have a dedicated line from the MD to the pump. I have a pic on up in this thread of the pump area. So I'm pretty sure that its not hooked up to one of the skimmers. This pipe goes down a couple feet then makes heads straight toward the MD. When I was snaking it, after it made the angled turn toward the MD, the snake easily dropped through.
 

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Mine runs horizontally on the MD line to the pump. I plug it in the spring in order to catch a prime. Based on where its located, I'm guessing that your pipe serves the same function. Mine gets plugged at the "skimmer" cover. A threaded plug goes into the pipe. Now my plug is only 1/2" situated in the top of a 1 1/2" pipe. I am no expert, but I believe that I unplug the pipe at closing to allow air in to facilitate getting water out of the pipes.
 
I tried plugging it with a water bottle and just holding it firm, but couldn't get it to work. I also tried blowing air through the pipe to see if any bubbles came out, but none. I'm thinking it's already clogged, so plugging it won't do any good anyway.

If it goes to that second hole in the MD, then that would be the difference between yours and mine, as it wouldn't be on the same line going back to the pump. Maybe it really needs to let air in for it to work and needs to be unclogged?
 
Okay, so now I'm wondering if this is some type of sump line that just goes down below the pool and doesn't connect anywhere. We do live in a wet area and they may have put this in when building the pool. After reading up more, I'm thinking that the hole filled with gravel in the MD is a hydrostatic valve. Anybody have any guesses? I think I'm just confusing myself more.
 
Re: Main Drain not working?....SOLVED

Well, after about a year of trying, I now have a Fully Working Main Drain!!!! Had nothing to do with that thing that I posted above. There was another valve near the pump area that actually closes the MD line. Not the shutoff valve at the pump, but another one about 6 feet before it gets there. It's a couple feet below the surface of the ground inside a large PVC pipe that goes straight down and is capped off at ground level. Inside that pipe is a loose piece of PVC pipe that has grooves cut into the end and you have to reach down with it to turn the valve. I have turned this valve many times. I didn't think this was the problem because I could get water to go from the MD to the pump with a Drain King. I thought it may have something to do with a hot tub that was removed a few years ago.

However, yesterday I found out that after turning the valve On, or at least what I thought was On, it needed a little budging to FULLY open. :goodjob: I really just lucked onto this. Thanks for all the help guys!
 
buddywiser,

Congratulations on solving the mystery. I only got my main drain working a couple of months ago myself (and I didn't even know that it wasn't working :hammer: )

Can you post pictures of your below-grade valve? It sounds like an interesting place to put a valve. :roll:

Your other "skimmer cover" mystery pipe is interesting, though. I also wonder what its purpose it. Can you check with the previous homeowner or the original pool builder?

Titanium
 
Titanium, here's the pic. That piece of pipe is the tool to turn the valve. Basically, I have 2 valves on my MD line. Like I said, I knew this valve was here, just wasn't sure what it went to because when I opened it up, it felt like it was open all the way, but it really wasn't.

Duraleigh, not sure if you remember talking to me last year, but you were right on the money. With the symptoms I gave you, you said it had to be something clogged in the drain. There's no way that you could have figured out that the clog was a barely open valve :lol:
 

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buddywiser,

Thanks for the picture.

What a crazy place to locate a valve. And it looks like a gate valve. This can not be fun to turn on and off. I wonder what the original thought process was when they installed this valve? :hammer:

Titanium
 
i have read your thread- and it sounds exactly like what i am experiencing - haven't found another valve yet but i am thinking there must be one somewhere -
 
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