As our pool often gets leaves blown into it from the yard of a self-described "tree hugger" next door, we need to have efficient skimming to keep our pool from turning into a large cup of tea. Our MX8 does a reasonable job, but things can get out of hand. I have noticed two issues that seem to really affect skimming efficiency. The first is the level of water in the pool. Our skimmer doesn't seem to function well when the water is over 1/2 the height of the skimmer inlet. To address this, I turned off the autoleveler and backwashed a large volume of water. This helps the skimmer create rapid surface flow and it's definitely working better.
The second issue is more difficult to remedy. The pool returns are built into the sides of our gunite pool, but they lack adjustable eyeball ports. So, the water is directed straight out into the pool. This unfortunately does not lead to any purposeful movement of debris toward the single skimmer. The returns appear to simply be 1" PVC pipes that end about 1/4" inside the plaster surface. Is there a way to control the return flow to affect a clockwise flow toward the skimmer? Obviously, eyeball returns would be best, but I'm not sure how I would plumb them.
The second issue is more difficult to remedy. The pool returns are built into the sides of our gunite pool, but they lack adjustable eyeball ports. So, the water is directed straight out into the pool. This unfortunately does not lead to any purposeful movement of debris toward the single skimmer. The returns appear to simply be 1" PVC pipes that end about 1/4" inside the plaster surface. Is there a way to control the return flow to affect a clockwise flow toward the skimmer? Obviously, eyeball returns would be best, but I'm not sure how I would plumb them.
