Skimmer not picking up as much as it should??

[hokey71]

I opened my pool this past weekend and wow was it easier than ever. I had to put in very little chemicals and it was crystal clear. But I now have another small problem.

My pump is running and it is pulling in stuff to the skimmer but seems to be leaving a lot behind which eventually sinks to the bottom for me to vacuum it out. It used to pick up more and also would gather more of the junk in the middle of the pool at the bottom for easier vacuuming. I have 2 return jets and one is facing up and the other down. I am getting a good "spin" on the water and you can see everything going past the skimmer but it seems to be farther away from the wall of the pool and not getting sucked in.

The pump is getting to be about 7-8 years old and can have lost some suction I guess but it's hard to tell. It does seem to be working fairly well. I bring it in every season so it's not out all winter.

I noticed this last year and I just opened the pool and it seems to be doing the same thing. Makes cleaning and vacuuming a pain and more frequently as well. Any ideas? I have a pressure gauge on the mutli-port valve and it is normal but I have no way of testing the pump to see if it lost some of its oomph!

Any ideas?

 

[woodyp]

Might want to check and see if anything might be clogging the inlets on the impeller on the shaft. How does the strength of water from the returns feel?

 

[Smykowski]

What's your clean pressure and when are you backwashing it?

 

[hokey71]

Clean pressure I assume is when it leaves the multi-port valve and it is 10PSI. I backwash usually when it starts creeping up to 15PSI or once every 1-2 weeks. The strength of the water seems good which is also puzzling but if its gradually been getting less than it might be hard for me to notice.

How would I check the inlets on the impeller? You mean take the pump apart and look inside?

 

[Smykowski]

Clean pressure is the pressure right after you're done backwashing and the filter is clean. We recommend backwashing when the pressure rises 25% above clean pressure. In your case, if the pressure after a backwash is 10, you'd backwash next when the pressure rises to 12 or 13. Rising from 10-15 in two weeks seems too often.

When you backwash, does the flow feel strong? And as the week or two goes by, does the flow diminish? Or is it weak from the get go?

 

[JohnT]

How is your water level in the pool? High water level, even an extra inch, can slow down the skimming action. Also check that the weir is floating right at the surface of the water. The weir is important in the operation of the skimmer.

 

[hokey71]

Yeah the clean pressure is 10. It doesn't actually get to 15 but I always backwash at least every 2 weeks. Probably gets backwashed in the 12-14PSI I guess. Right after I backwash the flow feels strong and it weakens over the 1-2 week period. I don't think it's significant but I can tell the difference.

The water level in the pool is good. I just filled it up this past weekend and got it to a good level.

When I checked the pool today the skimmer basket had a fair amount of debris in it but it wasn't full so it's catching stuff just not as much as I think it should. Maybe it's just me...lol. Also, I noticed my pump is leaking. Not a lot but it has a slight drip. There are 2 plastic plugs that appear to be dripping slowly. Maybe it's time. How long should a pump last if it's taken care of?

One other question I have is the return jets. What are the proper positions for them? I have one pointed up and away from the skimmer and the other one pointed down and away from the skimmer. But does it matter which one points where? In other words should the first jet point down and the second up or the other way around or does it matter?