Drain Required?

[hopkiba]

My pool is being built - walls up and concrete around the base of the walls. They have installed 2 jets at 2' either side of the skimmer and I just realized that there is no drain at the bottom of the pool planned (just realized that it was not checked off on the contract). Are pools made without a drain? Its a 18 x 36' liner pool with plastic walls with 8' deep end.

 

[JohnT]

You can operate without a drain, and there are advantages to not having one. Personally I'd have a second skimmer if I didn't have a drain to make sure there is plenty of water for the pump and to make vacuuming easier.

You are going to have real circulation issues with the returns next to the skimmer. I've want a return at the steps, and at least two on the opposite side from the skimmer. You want to try to make the water run in a circle and go past the skimmer so it can pick up debris. Yours looks like it will blow everything away from the skimmer.

 

[Isaac-1]

Yes, mine does not have a drain, in fact it was very common to not have drains when mine was built around 30 years ago. I would second the suggestion for adding a second skimmer though.

Ike

 

[brownsburg]

If not needed for anything else, are drains not good to have when heating? Keeps the heat from just staying on the top?

 

[duraleigh]

If not needed for anything else, are drains not good to have when heating? Keeps the heat from just staying on the top?

Perhaps in a pool with a diving end but in a pool like the one pictured, I doubt they would have any significant effect.

hopkiba, sharp-eyed JohnT has, in my opinion, pointed out a big issue in your pool plumbing. That is certainly the worst place possible for those returns.

 

[hopkiba]

There is a deep end. Have a cozy cove with jets. Any recommendations as to where to ask for additional jets? Thanks for all the help!

 

[bk406]

Are you sure those are returns and not wall suction? A lot of vinyl builders use wall suctions near the skimmer for a second drain instead of drains in the floor. Most used to use single wall suctions but with the VGB act, there have to be 2 main drains in the floor or 2 wall suctions so many feet apart on new pools depending on the jusrisdiction. It looks to me like those are suctions and not returns and they just havent cut the holes yet for the returns. Ask him.

 

[JohnT]

There is a deep end. Have a cozy cove with jets. Any recommendations as to where to ask for additional jets? Thanks for all the help!

I'd want one in the stairs, as they are a debris trap without a return, and two on the side opposite the skimmer. I'd eliminate the two near the skimmer.

 

[waste]

Welcome to TFP!!

It looks to me like they are trying to 'jury rig' an Aquagenie

I'd put 2 more returns on their own line, plumbed parallel in the ends (1 in the shallow end ~ 1' off the corner near the rectangular steps and the other on the deep end wall ~1' off the corner on the cozy cove side)

The 2 existing returns would point ~45* down and 45* away from the skimmer. The other 2 would point up so that they made the surface ripple ~ 5' out and towards the side walls.

A second skimmer would certainly help too. I'd have that be ~ 3' off the cozy cove on the side wall.


BTW, it's a better idea to install the 2' radius coping BEFORE installing the straight wall coping :!:

If you, or your PB, have any questions about this - simply ask :-D

 

[bkh114]

according to instructions / specifications that came w/ my new skimmer I recently replaced, two were recommended for my 15x30' wide 4 1/2-6 1/2' deep concrete pool. i replaced only the one and seems to work ok. if no drain definitely have a second and or a dedicated suction for a vac. could also help when you'll eventually need to empty pool for maint.

 

[hopkiba]

Looks like I am stuck with the 2 returns and 1 skimmer. The builder backfilled before I could challenge him on quantity/location. There is a dedicated vacuum suction. If the returns don't circulate right, I am hoping that I can use the jets from the cozy cove to help. How do I evaluate the circulation once the pool is filled?

 

[JasonLion]

A good way to evaluate circulation is to squirt some food coloring into one of the return jets once the pump has been running for a little while. This requires a quite a bit of food coloring and colors the water for a few hours, until the chlorine breaks down the food coloring, but it does give you a fairly good visual picture of how the circulation works.