Manual Vacumn For Pool - Improve suction?

[carlhussey]

Hello,

I have an above ground 18ft Coleman pool that I installed about 2 weeks ago.

I have done some hard plumbing on it on the inlets and outlet but still utilize the hoses for the time being until I can find a good solution to connect directly to the pump.



I am using an Intex 3,000GPH pump on the pool along with the Intex surface mount skimmer.

I bought a manual vacuum and hose to clean the pool as I didn't want to invest in an auto-cleaner just yet. My issue is that there doesn't appear to be a lot of suction, or as much as I would think there should be.



I detached the hose that is plugged into the wall from the skimmer and hooked it directly into my vacuum hose.
When I put my hand over it, there is a decent amount of suction but its not overpowering (guessing this is by design).

When I am pushing it along the pool floor, I would say 50% is getting sucked up and the other 50% is just getting pushed around by the wheels hitting the dirt.

Is there any way to improve the suction on these dual inlet pools? I was curious is blocking one (only during the cleaning process) would help to provide more suction on the one I was using.

Anyone else use a manual vacuum that runs into this issue?

 

[domct203]

I would most definitely block the other suction port when vacuuming.

 

[carlhussey]

Thinking about this more, how would blocking a port help.. ? The same amount of water is going into the pump regardless of one or two or ten lines I would think. It sounded right when I first though about it but don't know that blocking one would help my situation? Seems like it would be a limitation of the pump. Am I wrong?

 

[Richard320]

The pump finds it easier to pull water through the short line than through the long hose and mechanism of the cleaner. Go watch it and then stick a plastic lid or your hand over the second inlet and see the difference yourself.

 

[carlhussey]

I briefly did that but putting one of the rubber stoppers in one of the inlets a few days ago but then since there was no water in the pipe, it sucked in air and started choking. I turned it off right way for precaution but from what you are saying, this would have probably re-primed itself and worked even though 5 feet of PVC has no water in it due to being blocked?

 

[Richard320]

Make sure you fill that vacuum hose with water before you try connecting it. I find it easiest to just set the vacuum in and pull the hose taught and then slowly feed it in vertically so all the air purges out. Then keep the open end submerged until it gets connected. Then cap the second port.

 

[NoTime]

The 2nd return is a safety device to prevent entrapment (a human getting physically stuck to a return). With 2 returns there's not as much suction at either port.

 

[carlhussey]

The 2nd return is a safety device to prevent entrapment (a human getting physically stuck to a return). With 2 returns there's not as much suction at either port.

Thanks, I figured that's what it was for.

I guess I am just overthinking it. If you had two straws in your mouth going into one drink, the your suction of the liquid would never change.
My lung capacity wouldn't increase with the more straws I add, much like the pump only being able to suck a constant flow of water.

Probably totally off or inaccurate but that's how I thought of it when I started doubting myself that blocking one would help.

- - - Updated - - -

Make sure you fill that vacuum hose with water before you try connecting it. I find it easiest to just set the vacuum in and pull the hose taught and then slowly feed it in vertically so all the air purges out. Then keep the open end submerged until it gets connected. Then cap the second port.

I will give this a try and see if blocking one increases the suction.

 

[ashtonfitzgerald]

I vacuum with a manual vac in my Intex AGP. I block one of the pump inlets when I vac. Water flow through the vac is greatly improved. Fluid dynamics are tricky to understand, but water will take the shortest route through a pump system possible. The restriction of the vac hose will cause more water to flow through the open inlet as it offers less resistance.

 

[m_more]

We always blocked one with the black stoppers that come with the pool!!! Make sure you unscrew the vac adapter thing (our intex were blue) that goes over the inlet, Plug the hole and the rescrew it back on do it stays in place and doesn't wiggle off and suck up air.