Skimmer not sucking

[josemary9]

Main concern is I don't feel suction in the skimmer hole or when I try to vacuum to waste. What should I do?

I just opened last night, have 3 kiddos under 5 so doing the best I can brushing and testing. This is 3rd year with poo forum, would think I know everything but feels new each year! I will and am reading pool school as I can as well but a quick suggest on what to add to get these levels right would be helpful.
FC-30
CC-1.5
TC-31.5
pH-8.2 or higher
TA-60
CH-160
CYA-0

Thanks!

 

[josemary9]

Just checked gauge and is at 12, which is baseline in past years if I recall. Jets blowing and turned off pump and felt into pipes but nothing. I read troubleshooting, should I use a hose in the filter basket pump pipes to reverse blow? Doesn't seem like that would make much pressure. The debris floating around pool is not being sucked into skimmer! ARH!

 

[JohnT]

Ignore your pH for now since your high chlorine level will skew the result. Let your chlorine come down until it gets to around 10ppm since you have no CYA.

Does the weir in your skimmer float at the water water level or does it have water over the top? If you pull the weir up, it will block the flow and the skimmer will empty quickly if water is flowing into the pipe.

 

[BoDarville]

I'll begin with your test results & recommendations...

FC-30
CC-1.5
TC-31.5
pH-8.2 or higher
TA-60
CH-160
CYA-0

• 1. The first thing you need to do is get some CYA (stabilizer) in your water. I would use a dry granular CYA/stabilizer product and aim for an initial dosage of 30-40 ppm. See Pool Calculator (link in my sig) for dosing amounts.
  2. Your CC of 1.5 indicates the need to shock which it appears you are doing. However, I would let your FC come down to around 15 ppm which would be the shock level for a CYA of 40 ppm. The current FC of 30 is waaaay to high for a CYA of zero, even when shocking.
  3. Do not test pH until your are done shocking and FC levels drop below shock levels (ideally below 10 ppm). High FC levels tend to invalidate the pH test.

As for the skimmer situation, do you have multiple skimmers? If so, does the non-suction apply to only one skimmer? Do you have a main drain? The non-suction indicates some sort of blockage or stuck skimmer weir. Looking at your follow-up post, it appears you are getting some circulation with the pump on. Are the jets (returns) blowing out water, air (bubbles), or a mix of water & air?

 

[harleysilo]

To reverse blow your skimmer line I think you need to use a drain king. Goggle it and you'll see what i'm talking about. It goes in the pipe, then expands, then water keeps flowing into the rest of the pipe, i'd guess you'd get up to the water pressure PSI of your spigot/house in the pipe.

How does your water look? Why such high FC with no CYA? Your PH is going to be inaccurate at that high FC level.

 

[josemary9]

Hmm..well I cant get to the store until tonight when the husband gets home from work for stabilizer I do have some trichloro pucks from years past, wouldn't they add some CYA? I also have muriatic acid. Then again until I figure out why the skimmer line doesn't suck it wont do much sitting in the skimmer basket! the weir seems fine, its flapping with the water a bit under the top of it, water level is perfect. the jets are blowing normal with seems to be just water. The skimmer basket is not catching debris since there is so suction from under it, the pipe you stick the vacuum vac into. I am not sure if there is a main drain. When I can see, there are 2 round drain looking things on each side of the skimmer but deep, a foot from the bottom. I have been brushing them, or trying to in case there was algae over them.

 

[josemary9]

the FC I tested right after I dumped 2 gallons of bleach in and had put 4 last night when opened. Didn't have test kit out yet and just wanted to start shocking. Water is green, cant vacuum with so suction.

Another question, if any suggestions my hubby dropped a piece of firewood on the green safety cover over the winter and we need to repair it. Its sitting in the yard waiting to be powerwashed and fixed. Its pretty big, any suggestions on how to cheaply patch it?

 

[josemary9]

Shaking my head! back to getting chems straight guys! I turned the valve thing, after reading other posts, we have a slide and stuff and I don't really get which way to have it turned so the PIPE WAS CLOSED! ALL GOOD NOW, SUCTIONING AND SKIMMING NICELY! So should I add some trichloro, does that add CYA? I will get stabilizer later on though!