waterway skimmer question

[Suley]

Hello again everyone,

I have a waterway skimmer and am missing some parts in it... dont have a weir gate and you can see two holes at the bottom when you remove the basket.... what does each of them do and is there supposed to be some valves fitting into those holes?

I am running the pump at a very low flow rate for 11 hours a day and would like to improve skimmer efficiency at a low flow rate.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Are there any numbers on the skimmer lid etc.?

The two holes in the bottom are used for connecting the skimmer to the pump and in some cases to the Main Drain. In a lot of cases one hole is just plugged off and the other goes to the pad. In a few cases the second hole is plumbed to a wall suction. We need to know more to figure out how yours is plumbed.

 

[Suley]

Thanks for the reply!

I dont think there are any numbers on it which look like model number but ill check again.... how do i find out more information to give you guys?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Some pictures would help.
Do you have a separate valve or a 3-way valve at the pad for the Main Drain & Skimmer?
Is there a disk or twinkie looking thing in the bottom of the skimmer?
Is there an unexplained hole under the skimmer face plate in the pool wall?

 

[Suley]

There are only two holes at the bottom of the skimmer and nothing in them. You can see these holes after you lift the basket out of the skimmer.

There is no hole in the pool wall under the skimmer. I have one 3 way valve in the suction side labeled POOL and SPA and one 3 way valve on return labeled POOL and SPA.

Will try to take some pics today and post them... The pool guy i hired to replace the filter and pump said one of the holes is connected to the main drain in case the water level in the pool is low and the skimmer runs dry...that way the pump will start pulling water from the main drain... this does not make sense to me as how can the suction be diverted to the second hole (main drain hole) if the skimmer body is dry and also the fact that the main drain is located at a lower level than the skimmer...

 

[Bama Rambler]

It sounds like you're missing the diverter in the skimmer. If the skimmer level gets low it seals off the flow from the skimmer and pulls directly from the MD.

 

[Suley]

ooooo.... so i need to find that model number to find the replacement parts, right? any standard place on the skimmer where the model will be found?

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's usually on the lid or the face of the skimmer. If not you can search for WaterWay skimmers and match up the pictures.

 

[Richard320]

A generic diverter will work just fine in a Waterway - it does in mine, anyway! I think it was about ten bucks at Leslies, in stock, in the store. The weir, not so sure about where to get one of those.