- Aug 14, 2011
- 61
Aloha friends!
I just started helping a new customer with a nightmare pool...he bought the property two weeks ago, and is now learning why he should have DEMANDED a good inspection of the pool before finalizing the deal! I'm hoping to get some perspective on how to cure one of the problems: a suction-side leak at the skimmer.
After trying all the "obvious" possibilities for air leaks, I took my inspection all the way back to the skimmer, and found that there are actually some small air bubbles (approx. 2mm diameter) rising out of the flex pipe that connects to the bottom of the skimmer! As I see it, that means that the air leak is so close to the skimmer bottom that a small bit of the air is escaping the strong suction in the pipe and rising up the skimmer!
Here are the specs:
Inground 18,000 gal. vinyl pool
2 HP pump mounted 12" above water level--500 lb. Hayward sand filter at 12 psi baseline
NO bottom drain...only 1 skimmer with 2" flex all the way to pump input port (Hypersuction!)
Skimmer bottom port looks like it has 1.5" flex pipe pushed all the way inside the skimmer port
Skimmer is an "Aqua Genie" (never seen one before--made with a trichlor dispensing vestibule and container)
1/4" tube (for supplying water to trichlor tablet canister?) is broken...
Does anyone know how the trichlor gets added? (into the suction going to pump, or into the pressure chamber for return into pool?)
This skimmer doubles as a RETURN (slit jets direct water downward just underneath the weir entry port)
There are 3 eyeball returns on the long wall opposite the skimmer/return (all ejecting air bubbles).
Any ideas on the suction air leak?
Maybe a bad junction between 1.5" flex pipe and the 2" flex pipe that I presume begins just inches from the skimmer port?
Since air is freely entering the skimmer pipe, can I assume it is sucking air from the concrete vestibule around the skimmer?
I'm not a pool construction guy...just a service technician currently trying to solve a bunch of problems with this guy's pool.
Showed up yesterday and he's got 150 ppm CYA, 0.2 ppm FC and 2.4 ppm CC!! And no water source for replacement water!!
Complete idiots had been taking care of it for years ("it needs brushing every day, it's completely normal"--What's cyanuric acid?)
Used Cal Hypo to bring it up to 40.5 ppm FC and 5 ppm CC...now just keeping it headed in the right direction and getting ready to vac to waste
What a challenge!
Any ideas on the suction leak, or experience/perspective on the Aqua Genie will be appreciated!
Aloha!
I just started helping a new customer with a nightmare pool...he bought the property two weeks ago, and is now learning why he should have DEMANDED a good inspection of the pool before finalizing the deal! I'm hoping to get some perspective on how to cure one of the problems: a suction-side leak at the skimmer.
After trying all the "obvious" possibilities for air leaks, I took my inspection all the way back to the skimmer, and found that there are actually some small air bubbles (approx. 2mm diameter) rising out of the flex pipe that connects to the bottom of the skimmer! As I see it, that means that the air leak is so close to the skimmer bottom that a small bit of the air is escaping the strong suction in the pipe and rising up the skimmer!
Here are the specs:
Inground 18,000 gal. vinyl pool
2 HP pump mounted 12" above water level--500 lb. Hayward sand filter at 12 psi baseline
NO bottom drain...only 1 skimmer with 2" flex all the way to pump input port (Hypersuction!)
Skimmer bottom port looks like it has 1.5" flex pipe pushed all the way inside the skimmer port
Skimmer is an "Aqua Genie" (never seen one before--made with a trichlor dispensing vestibule and container)
1/4" tube (for supplying water to trichlor tablet canister?) is broken...
Does anyone know how the trichlor gets added? (into the suction going to pump, or into the pressure chamber for return into pool?)
This skimmer doubles as a RETURN (slit jets direct water downward just underneath the weir entry port)
There are 3 eyeball returns on the long wall opposite the skimmer/return (all ejecting air bubbles).
Any ideas on the suction air leak?
Maybe a bad junction between 1.5" flex pipe and the 2" flex pipe that I presume begins just inches from the skimmer port?
Since air is freely entering the skimmer pipe, can I assume it is sucking air from the concrete vestibule around the skimmer?
I'm not a pool construction guy...just a service technician currently trying to solve a bunch of problems with this guy's pool.
Showed up yesterday and he's got 150 ppm CYA, 0.2 ppm FC and 2.4 ppm CC!! And no water source for replacement water!!
Complete idiots had been taking care of it for years ("it needs brushing every day, it's completely normal"--What's cyanuric acid?)
Used Cal Hypo to bring it up to 40.5 ppm FC and 5 ppm CC...now just keeping it headed in the right direction and getting ready to vac to waste
What a challenge!
Any ideas on the suction leak, or experience/perspective on the Aqua Genie will be appreciated!
Aloha!