Manual vacuum settings

[tumor]

Hi all. Looking for recommendations for the proper settings and suction strength to use for a manual vacuum (weighted blue roller type).

First, should I have only the vacuum port on or should I have the main drain on as well? Initially I was thinking it would be good to have the main drain at least partially on in case I suck up some air or the port gets clogged, but now I'm thinking that it is robbing the suction of the vacuum.

Second, what kind of suction strength (or flow rate) should I be setting for the vacuum? Any concerns of damaging the plaster with too high of a pump speed? My vac port is 1.5".

Part of the issue is my plaster is a darker mini pebble and dirt doesn't really stand out and my screen enclosure keeps larger debris out of the pool, so I'm vacuuming blind.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Texas Splash]

Tumor, I'm not a VSP owner so I suspect some others will chime-in with more specifics. But I would probably bypass the drain suction while going manual and keep all the suction on that vacuum. I put my 2-speed on high when vacuuming, so I suspect that's equivalent to your VSP rpm of around 2,500-3,000 or so. You might have good suction at 2,500, or elect to increase it a bit. Your vacuum head, plumbing, and pool surface may dictate which is best. When moving my vacuum head along the bottom, I can tell it's working well because it grips the surface with the suction. Not sure if yours will because of the pebble. Happy pool housekeeping.