New Pool -- Adjusting Skimmer/Main Drain Valves

[mhosborn]

As a new pool owner (ours was just finished a couple of months ago) I'm curious about whether there's any need to ever adjust the skimmer or main drain valves. We have a valve for each of our two skimmers and one for the main drain. Are these always just left wide open, or is there a procedure I should follow to properly adjust each one?

(I ask because it seems to take forever for the really fine stuff that floats on the water to make it to either skimmer and, subsequently, to the filter for removal. These "floaters" are too small to catch with our leaf rake).

 

[Bama Rambler]

They should be balanced so that the skimmers are working well at clearing the surface and the MD (main drain) is pulling a little from the bottom.

You can shut the MD off completely if it's required to get the skimmers to work correctly. You should see a good bit of surface movement into the skimmers when they're working correctly.

 

[mhosborn]

So it sounds as if I need to partially close our main drain valve in order to clear the surface faster with the skimmers? (Or maybe close it completely?).

What I've been seeing is great circulation in the pool....but maybe too good? The stuff seems to move around the middle of the pool, and only slowly makes it to one of the skimmers.

I will try adjusting the MD valve and see if that helps.

Thanks!

 

[Bama Rambler]

And you may even need to adjust the eyeballs to get the circulation right so that the stuff will migrate toward the outside.