skimmer issues
- Thread starter johnny G
- Start date
I have an issue with my skimmers. i have one in the shallow end and one in deep end. It seems when I shut off the filter (manual / timer) water gushes out of the skimmer and lifts the basket out of position on both. The water comes out of the shallow skimmer. When the pump is put back on the water is not running in the pump. I hope this makes sense.
Welcome to TFP.
There a couple of common causes of this. Are the pump and filter much higher than the water level? If so, you get water flowing out of the plumbing causing the situation you see. It can be resolved by adding a check valve before the pump.
Most likely, even if you have your pump and filter much higher than the water level, you have an air leak someplace that is allowing air to accumulate in the filter, where it is compressed by the pump. When the pump shuts off, the air expands and forces water out of the plumbing. Do you see any bubbles in the return streams to the pool?
Some water flowing through the skimmer is unavoidable on some pools, and that is sometimes resolved by placing a rock in the skimmer basket. Just make sure it's too large to fit in the pipe at the bottom of the skimmer to avoid a mess if you drop it in.
It would help if you could provide a little more information about your pool. You can either post it or add it to your signature (5 lines or less including blanks please).
There a couple of common causes of this. Are the pump and filter much higher than the water level? If so, you get water flowing out of the plumbing causing the situation you see. It can be resolved by adding a check valve before the pump.
Most likely, even if you have your pump and filter much higher than the water level, you have an air leak someplace that is allowing air to accumulate in the filter, where it is compressed by the pump. When the pump shuts off, the air expands and forces water out of the plumbing. Do you see any bubbles in the return streams to the pool?
Some water flowing through the skimmer is unavoidable on some pools, and that is sometimes resolved by placing a rock in the skimmer basket. Just make sure it's too large to fit in the pipe at the bottom of the skimmer to avoid a mess if you drop it in.
It would help if you could provide a little more information about your pool. You can either post it or add it to your signature (5 lines or less including blanks please).
Pool Clown
In The Industry
Simple test. Before you turn the pump off, bleed all the air out of the filter tank, then turn pump off and see if you still get the back flow. The filter should be bleeding off the air internally. The next time you take the filter apart, check to make sure your air bleed(straw like tube inside) is there and the screen at the tip is clean.
Note: this is different from filter to filter and some don't have a tube but rather something inside the multi-port valve (certain filters).
Note: this is different from filter to filter and some don't have a tube but rather something inside the multi-port valve (certain filters).
Welcome to TFP!
You may just need some weight for your skimmer basket to keep it in place. I had the same problem. The way I fixed it was to create a weight for my skimmer baskets by taking a 3 inch piece of 1/2" PVC pipe, capping and sealing one end, filling the pipe with BB's, and then cap and seal the other end. I then secured the weight to the inside sidewall of the basket with a couple of zip ties. Now when the pump shuts off, the basket (and everything in it) remains in place.
You may just need some weight for your skimmer basket to keep it in place. I had the same problem. The way I fixed it was to create a weight for my skimmer baskets by taking a 3 inch piece of 1/2" PVC pipe, capping and sealing one end, filling the pipe with BB's, and then cap and seal the other end. I then secured the weight to the inside sidewall of the basket with a couple of zip ties. Now when the pump shuts off, the basket (and everything in it) remains in place.
257WbyMag said:
What a great idea. " Now, why didn't I think of that? :lol: I'm always needing weights. I have some weights that I salvaged from a couple of old pool vac heads and of course rocks sometimes put in a goody bag (small mesh bag used for collecting things while scuba diving) or one larger rock in the skimmer; always needed with a skimmer sock. I have some strap on, ankle exercise weights but when I forget and leave one lying around the dogs tear them up and the innards look like shards of metal and are a mess. Not sure if those won't rust either.
I put some BB's inside the base of my gazing balls and some for friends, too, to keep them from "flying" around in our high winds. (Whether the ball has a rubber cap for bottom or not close/secure bottom with Gorilla tape.) Glad to find more uses for BBs. BTW... the ones you get at Wally World are copper and not lead. Which reminds me... for uses where the little balls are in contact with pool water how about small ball stainless steel ball bearings. I haven't priced them lately so they may be expensive but worth it in certain situations.
gg=alice
geekgranny said:
The metal, whatever type you decide to use, shouldn't be an issue as long as the capped ends are sealed. I capped the ends of the little PVC pipe by first painting PVC primer over the ends and then using PVC cement to secure the caps. The cement seals everything so that no water enters the inside of the pipe and contacts the metal.
