Need help with main drain

[anup281]

Hello, I am a new pool owner!

We had it plastered and filled on 3/11/22.. have been brushing it 2-3 everyday up until today;

It seems like my 2 MAIN Drains on the bottom of the pool may or may not be working.. since day 1 i feel like all the dirt ive been brushing has just been making its way to the main drain and hanging out there or moving around via water movement. i have quite a bit of dirt in my pool and ive been pushing it to main drains on bottom every day

Can anyone understand my system from the picture i have attached and see if all the valves look correct?

I do have a pentair system and when i press SPA on the remote it changes the values and makes the drain in the spa start working/send heat that way.. when i turn off SPA it changes valves back again and supposidilly makes pool drains work.

I also was told to check if i need to backwash, but not sure how to do it.. cleaner button on remote?

Any tips for me being new pool owner?

 

[Jimrahbe]

281,

You have a cartridge filter, so you cannot "backwash". Your filter has to be taken apart and cleaned.

Main drains have almost no visible suction, so it is normally impossible to tell if they are working.

As a test you can turn off your two skimmer and "if" the pump continues to have water in it, then the main drain has to be working. If you look at the two valves marked "Skimmers" and turn the handles so that they point straight up, that will shut off the skimmers

The pipe on the left that is marked "Spa Drain" is wrong, it is actually the main drain. The "Spa Drain" it correctly marked on the pipe on the right.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimrahbe]

281,

It just dawned on me that you don't have any water going to your pool returns???

It looks like all your return water is going to the spa. You must have a heck of a spillover into the pool.

I suggest that you look at the pipes on the left side of your pic. Find the one that says, "Pool Return" and set that valve so that the handle points to the 3 O'clock position. Unfortunately, the idiot that did your plumbing did not make it possible to control your spillover unless you also let some water go to your bubbler..

Has your pool builder given you pool school yet?

Thanks,

Jim R.