Replacing pipe from skimmer to pump - a few questions.

[ship of fools]

I have had issues with extremely poor suction in my skimmer ever since i bought the house. A couple of years ago with the help of several people here i was able to make the decision to dig under the concrete and expose the skimmer ... and a kinked flex hose. Replacing that improved things somewhat for a period of time but i am back to no suction. If i close the main drain i stop pumping water.

I have tried the drain king and snake already and think it is time to dig again and replace the pipe. It isn't too far from my equipment and i have dealt with the frustration of not being able to vacuum well for too long.

In reading up it sure seems that rigid pipe is the way to go over flex pipe. I would like to confirm that as well as confirm that i want schedule 40 pvc.

My other main question has to do with how deep to bury it. I am in Upstate NY and need to winterize so the pipe will be blown out and capped in the winter. Will the ground heave enough to damage the piping if I only bury it a foot or 18" underground?

Any other thoughts / suggestions? I assume i should try to limit the number of 90's / turns.

Once I have this all done should i be able to close the main drain entirely and run just the skimmer while vacuuming??

Thanks in advance!

 

[Isaac-1]

As a rule of thumb people in warmer climates hate flex PVC, and in colder climates they tend to like it, my guess is different failure modes depending on temperature, exposure, etc.