Hi! We have just had water in the pool for a month. My wonderful children were playing Hide and Seek with a pair of swim shorts when I wasn't looking. One placed the shorts inside the skimmer without the basket inside, and we haven't seen the shorts since. I'm assuming they got sucked in...is this possible? If so, how do I go about getting them out? Would really love ideas on what I should do. Thanks so much!
Swim shorts in skimmer
- Thread starter Txblueeyes
- Start date
I am assuming you do not see much sign of flow in that skimmer? A drain king placed in the pipe at the pad and advanced as far as possible towards the skimmer might do the trick.
Open up the pump strainer basket and see if they are in there. If not, they are probably stuck in a pipe between the skimmer and the pump.
If they're kid sized shorts, I'd say, yes, they'd go.
Check the pump strainer first.
Then I'd try running a plumber's snake down the skimmer and see if I couldn't snag them and haul them back. I'd buy a new one, rather than use the one that's been down the household sewers. They're cheap.
I have one like this, works better than the one with just the snake and the S-curved piece of pipe.
Check the pump strainer first.
Then I'd try running a plumber's snake down the skimmer and see if I couldn't snag them and haul them back. I'd buy a new one, rather than use the one that's been down the household sewers. They're cheap.
I have one like this, works better than the one with just the snake and the S-curved piece of pipe.
Thanks for the suggestions! Yes, they were kid's size (age 10), and the water flow has been decreased. Wish I had found this website last week when this happened! Company who built pool has been zero help in suggestions and even said it would have been impossible for the shorts to have been sucked up as they were too big to fit through a small opening. If anyone has additional suggestions, please post. It may take multiple ideas to remedy the situation. Again, thanks!
If snaking fails and I assume the plumbing is not easy to get to (underground, etc) then you might as a last resort try dissolving the shorts enough to get them to pass through to the pump strainer basket. My first thought would be to use granulated dichlor, drop a little down the skimmer pipe and see if it gets caught in the shorts, if it does add a bit more and then turn off the pump and let it sit there long enough for the dichlor to dissolve and see if has the effect of breaking up the shorts. Not really something you would want to do in a normal situation, but this is not normal.
An inground pool I assume?
I'd pull some valves apart if possible. If you have a ball valve in the skimmer line, that would be a likely catch point. Also at the "T" where the skimmer and drain come together. Should be able to snake those easily if you can't easily disassemble them.
If they aren't there, I'd try forcing water from the pump basket back through the skimmer. Close the main drain valve (if you have one), and stick the hose in the pipe where it comes into the strainer basket and wrap it with a rag or towel to let it pressurize the line a little.
I'd pull some valves apart if possible. If you have a ball valve in the skimmer line, that would be a likely catch point. Also at the "T" where the skimmer and drain come together. Should be able to snake those easily if you can't easily disassemble them.
If they aren't there, I'd try forcing water from the pump basket back through the skimmer. Close the main drain valve (if you have one), and stick the hose in the pipe where it comes into the strainer basket and wrap it with a rag or towel to let it pressurize the line a little.
Not yet. Need to head to store to buy some things. The pool company is coming out tomorrow for pool school, and they are bringing something in case we are not able to get it out today. I'll update when I know more.
Thanks for checking!
Thanks for checking!