Manual vacuuming question

[grrltraveler]

I have decided that I have a problem with my pressure side washer and I need to clear up the pile of stuff on my pool floor. I have the attachment below (left by the previous owners), which back in the old days used to work to vacuum the floor of our pool when I was a teenager (ages ago). I bought a hose this morning because the one left here by the previous owners is old and probably has leaks.

I don't really want to spend money on another vacuum but I can't wait to get this stuff out of the pool.

I have no suction outlets on the sides of the pool, only a skimmer and the main drain. i have 3 returns to the pool - 2 for the pump and one that is for the side pressure washer.

It's been a thousand years since I had to vacuum and even then my dad set it up for me. I did a little reading on this site and someone mentioned some sort of cover for the skimmer so if I suction up big items, they will not get stuck. Can someone enlighten me as to what this item is referred to?

Also, will my ancient vacuum guy in the photo below do the trick? It's not going to be an every day thing just a now-and-then thing.

Thanks
Anne

 

[JasonLion]

It sounds like you are talking about a vacuum plate. A vacuum plate fits over the skimmer basket and allows you to plug in a vacuum so that large debris gets caught in the skimmer basket, instead of continuing through to the pump.

You can vacuum without a vacuum plate by removing the skimmer basket and plugging the hose into the pipe at the bottom of the skimmer, but then any leaves etc go straight to the pump.

 

[woodyp]

The vacuum you have should work just fine. I'd still do my best to get most of the leaves/debris out with a dip net first though.

 

[grrltraveler]

Ah, I understand how the vacuum plate works now... I wonder if I have one. I'll have to go and look.

The leaves (there's 4 or 5) are small but I'll see if i can get them moving and up off the bottom and out before I try to vacuum!

Thanks for the help.
Anne

 

[danivdp]

4 or 5 leaves isn't a problem. More than 40 or 50 is ask me how I know :grrrr:

I have vac'd hundreds of leaves out of my pool with a vac just like that one. I don't have a vac plate, I plug right into the skimmer hole. No huge problems so far that weren't solved by cleaning the pump basket b/c it was full, or plunging the skimmer line because I plugged it with leaves.