How much suction for skimmer intake?

[aureolux]

Hello pool friends,

I recently bought a house with a pool and opened it last week. I had a local company show me how everything worked and help kill the algae. In the meantime I have read all about the chemistry and feel pretty comfortable. Water is looking better every day.

However, chemicals are slow to dissolve and there is still plenty of dead algae clouding up the water (has been 4 days now, and although improving, still a bit milky). My brother (also a pool owner) was going to show me how to use my vacuum to start cleaning the bottom today (now that you can see the dirt), but the skimmer intake isn't generating enough suction. You can feel it a bit if you put your hand down near the pipe but it is not pulling much water in. Possible courses of action?

Some 5 sec videos below. Please ask me to take more videos if there is something to look at. No changes if I turn the intake valve toward 100% skimmer instead of 50/50 skimmer/bottom drain.
Pump
Skimmer
Return 1
Return 2

Cartridge filter is reading about 15 psi. I hosed down the filters and all of the baskets today and they are pretty clean. 1 HP pump for what I think is a 19,500 gallon pool.

 

[crabboy]

Looks like there are two flex PVC pipes coming into the pump, one goes into the ground, the other goes behind the pump somewhere, Id assume that is the skimmer?

I'm not familiar with that brand of valve, so I don't know which way to throw the handle. Either way, throw it 90 degrees or even 180 degrees and see if the skimmer has more suction. Ideally, you want the drain off and all the water coming from the skimmer.

 

[aureolux]

Yes, the pipe behind the pump goes to the skimmer via a trench. (Looks like original skimmer line was abandoned.) I will try fiddling with the valve again but it did not seem to make much difference when I tried this morning.

 

[crabboy]

(Looks like original skimmer line was abandoned.)

That is the con to flexible PVC, it's easy to run, nice smooth bends, but doesn't hold up as well.

You should really be able to tell when only one pipe is sucking water. I have a 1HP pump and it gets quite loud when sucking from a single pipe, yet alone with the vacuum hose attached. It cavitates like mad.

 

[CincyDools]

But another PRO for flex pvc is that fire or carpenter ants don't like to eat it as much as rigid pvc. ;-)

 

[duraleigh]

But another PRO for flex pvc is that fire or carpenter ants don't like to eat it as much as rigid pvc. ;-)

I am not aware of ants eating rigid pvc. To my knowledge, that has never been reported on this forum in 12 years.

 

[Jimrahbe]

A,

It appears to me like you have a suction side air leak, or maybe a clogged impeller..

I say that because I can see air under your pump lid, which should not happen with a single speed pump.

Since you just cleaned your filter and the pressure is only 15 lbs, I don't believe that filter is the issue for now.. It will be has soon as you start vacuuming all that "stuff" through the filter.

I would reach in, with the motor off of course, and see if you can feel any derbies in the impeller area. I would then inspect the pump lid O-Ring and make sure it is in good shape and coated with pool lube. And that the lid is screwed down well..

If that did not solve the problem, the next thing I would do is get Drain King and force water back from the pump to the skimmer to make sure the line is clear.

Thanks,

Jim R.