skimmer plate/thingy

[hyperionguy]

After years of successful TFP maintenance of my AGPs, I'm pretty much taking over care of an in-ground pool about 30 miles from my house. So please be patient as I will probably ask a bunch of newbie questions all over again.

The pool has a skimmer and bottom drain but only 1 pipe coming out of the ground to the pump inlet (I was expecting 2 lines plus a valve).

The plumbing looks like this:



There are two holes at the bottom of the skimmer but it seems like only 1 of them has suction (I think), I'm guessing that is normal. Sitting at the bottom of the skimmer is this thingy. Does this normally provide some kind of adjust-ability as to how much suction comes from the skimmer vs. bottom drain? Also, does it allow me to drain the pool below the skimmer without sucking air so i can adjust the CYA level? Any inputs would be appreciated!


That thing is really stained, but probably can't be cleaned. The inside of the skimmer looks the same.

 

[tim5055]

As you have figured out, of the two pipes in the bottom of the skimmer, one goes to the main drain and one back to the equipment pad.

I don't have that in my skimmers (all home run like you were hoping) but as I understand it, yes it should give you some adjustability.

 

[jblizzle]

On the bottom of the space ship should be a piece of plastic that can slide over the hole, doing so will force more suction from the floor. That said, it is usually best to have most of the flow going through the skimmer.

This float diverter does not usually seal air tight and will not likely allow you to drain down below the skimmer. You might be able to do so with a vacuum hose put into the skimmer hole.

 

[Richard320]

As said above, underneath that UFO should be a plate that slides over a hole. If the plate is fully closed, all teh suction goes to the main drain. All the way open, suction is to the skimmer. If the water drops too low in the skimmer, the float inside - yes, it should rattle when you shake it, nothing's broken - gets sucked against the hole and all the suction goes to the main drain. How I adjusted mine was I watched the turbulence in the skimmer without the diverter valve. Then I started closing it up until there is just the slightest detectable difference. Seems to work well.