Caretaker system leak

[Johnnie2038]

I moved into my house about 7 months ago and the pool was working fine but recently the caretaker system on the bottom side of it was leaking some water could tell it was because the Dirt around it was moist, so I attempted to seal it with pool putty and the previous owner had put silicone on the whole outer ring part of the system . And to get to the conclusion of my ask for help today I was cleaning the pool due to an algae problem and I tried to connect a cleaner tube to the skimmer and there wasn’t almost any suction so I go to restart the pool/pump and when I did the caretaker system was leaking air and water from the top part of the system right by a tiny nut screw and it is leaking a bit more water than it did before

 

[Bama Rambler]

The caretaker system wouldn't affect the skimmer suction unless it's clogged almost completely (not likely). It could be your filter clogged.

Having said that, you need to fix the caretaker system. If the heads are working properly, You need to remove all the silicone possible. It shouldn't have been there in the first place. Then you'll need to remove the V-clamp and replace the large o-ring. Make sure the o-ring grooves are clean and have no cracks or warps.

 

[proavia]

Here's the manual for the caretaker water valve: https://www.jandy.com/~/media/zodiac/global/downloads/tl/tl-1306.pdf

When you take it apart, inspect all the internal parts and o-rings. Be sure to clean the strainer cup too.