Draining w/filter pump & combination skimmer

[Motozoic]

I'm planning to drain about 70% of the water in our pool to reset the CYA levels (excessive) somewhere in the Jan-Feb timeframe. I would prefer to use my existing pool equipment to perform the drain, but I believe I have a combination skimmer (2 holes) which complicates the drain process using the filter pump. I do not have a diverter or any sort of device below the skimmer basket. Would it suffice to simply "jumper" the main drain to the pump suction inlet?

The other question I have is related to my Pentair Triton II sand filter equipped with a slide valve. The slide valve allows for 2 positions only, normal and backwash. Will my filter be alright if I drain a significant volume of water through the filter with the slide valve set to backwash? As far as I know, there is no "waste" setting on the slide valve.

I have another pump that appears to serve the rock waterfall and does not run through the sand filter. It's got a hose spigot mounted near the pump, but I don't think using it is an option because the suction for the waterfall is fairly high in the shallow end of the pool.

 

[Texas Splash]

Certainly when it comes to draining, you need a suction source that's low - either a main drain or an aftermarket sump pump to drop into the deep end. If you have a main drain and are able to pull water only from that drain, even if it's backwash to waste, that will work. In your image, I don't see a selector valve before the pump, so I'm guessing you have no mechanical way (valve) to separate water pull from the skimmer or drain. Perhaps water gets pulled from a shared line to the skimmer as you say. As for the skimmer, you can try to merge the two skimmer holes with some flex line or something, but my gut tells me you won't get an air tight connection and may lose prime to the pump. But you can give it a shot, just keep an eye on things when the water level gets close to the bottom of the skimmer. In the end, a sump pump may be your best bet. They aren't too expensive, and you can even rent one with a good sized hose from the local box stores. They actually remove water quite quickly.

 

[Realaxpooltech]

Rent a submersible pump, make sure it has enough hose to reach your cleanout in the front of the house, there is no better way to drain a pool.

 

[ajw22]

Draining a pool using a sump pump and garden hose will take hours. Better to rent a pump with a large hose suitable for the task.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Moto,

If the goal is to save a few bucks, and you don't mind investing your time, then you can kluge together a "jumper" between the two holes in your skimmer.. I did this on an older pool and it worked just fine..

That said, it cost me a lot more in time and effort than it was really worth..

Since this time a year I suspect you are not using your pool anyway, it probably does not really matter to you how long it takes to drain. If this is true you can use a garden hose and siphon the water out. It will take a day or so, and you need to have a place "downhill" where the end of the of the hose can be.

As other have said.. If you just want to get the job done, and move on, then renting a pump is the best option.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Motozoic]

I do have this one manual Jandy valve and I'm unsure what it's exact purpose is. With the valve turned all the way in one direction, it cuts water flow to the rock waterfall completely and routes water directly out of the return port in the shallow end of the pool. Anywhere in between results in more rock waterfall flow. I suppose it's a valve that allows some mixing of the return port and waterfall flow.



There is another set of valves located near the skimmer and I believe it's part of the popup cleaning system. The 2 black Jandy valves are motorized and I believe they are setup to drain the pool and the hot tub. A manual switch on each valve actuates them and I have verified that the hot tub will certainly drain itself into the sewer by actuating the one on the right! What I'm not sure of is what the purpose of the red valve is... if anyone has an idea, please let me know.

 

[ajw22]

I do have this one manual Jandy valve and I'm unsure what it's exact purpose is. With the valve turned all the way in one direction, it cuts water flow to the rock waterfall completely and routes water directly out of the return port in the shallow end of the pool. Anywhere in between results in more rock waterfall flow. I suppose it's a valve that allows some mixing of the return port and waterfall flow.

View attachment 89231

There is another set of valves located near the skimmer and I believe it's part of the popup cleaning system. The 2 black Jandy valves are motorized and I believe they are setup to drain the pool and the hot tub. A manual switch on each valve actuates them and I have verified that the hot tub will certainly drain itself into the sewer by actuating the one on the right! What I'm not sure of is what the purpose of the red valve is... if anyone has an idea, please let me know.
View attachment 89232

Really hard to tell what is happening when pipes disappear into the ground. From want you describe the right motorized valve is the pool and spa suction lines. The hot tub should drain itself to the pool, not the sewer, if you have the suction set to the spa and don't have the spa return open.

The left motorized valve is probably the return lines to pool and spa. My guess is the red valve is to add water to the pool or spa.

Where are these valves in relation to the equipment pad pic you posted in the first post?

Does your spa have a spillover into the pool?

 

[Motozoic]

Agreed, difficult to determine how the plumbing is arranged. The spa and pool are attached via a spillover. When I manually actuated the rightmost Jandy valve in the photo, the hot tub started draining. I can only assume it was draining into the sewer because there was no sign of water anywhere to be seen. I have noticed that my Pentair Compool control panel has a position for drain as well. I reckon it's hooked up too.

I should mention that there's a separate autofill valve for the pool. The motorized Jandy valves are located adjacent to the skimmer access near the pool, so a solid 20-30 ft away from the pumps, filter, heater, and other bits in the equipment area. Now I'm pretty curious about the red valve... could it possibly be to control flow to the skimmer?

 

[ajw22]

Agreed, difficult to determine how the plumbing is arranged. The spa and pool are attached via a spillover. When I manually actuated the rightmost Jandy valve in the photo, the hot tub started draining. I can only assume it was draining into the sewer because there was no sign of water anywhere to be seen. I have noticed that my Pentair Compool control panel has a position for drain as well. I reckon it's hooked up too.

Drain means drain SPA to pool. The water volume of the spa is too little to see it make a difference in the pool level.

I should mention that there's a separate autofill valve for the pool. The motorized Jandy valves are located adjacent to the skimmer access near the pool, so a solid 20-30 ft away from the pumps, filter, heater, and other bits in the equipment area. Now I'm pretty curious about the red valve... could it possibly be to control flow to the skimmer?

I think the pipes around the red valve are too small for it to be connected to the skimmer.

 

[Motozoic]

I've acquired a short section of hose with the appropriate adapters (in silicone to help seal better) for draining purposes. I'll have to wait until the rains stop and things dry out a bit here in Tucson, but will definitely attempt a drain in the next month or so. Thanks for all the input and information.