So After I opened my pool I noticed one of my skimmers not sucking. My other one works fine, It is the one I usually vacuum the pool with and the suction was fine, his brother is slacking and doesn’t work at all. I shoved a drain cleaning wire down it, in search of a clog. But if felt like I hit the junction point of a pvc tee fitting. Main drain works and both returns work, except one return has fine bubbles on the surface that I have never seen before in 10 yrs of ownership. I even disassembled the valve at pump and pipe junction where you can turn on or off the main drain and skimmer, all looked fine. I’m stumped? Thinking I need an endoscope. Any tips?
One of my skimmers is not sucking?
- Thread starter Spitdog
- Start date
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,939
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
So you probably have a skimmer on the pool end near the equipment pad and one on the far (opposite) end of the pool right? Which one is NOT working? You might also post a pic of your equipment pad for us so we can see what pipes come out of the ground before going into the pump.
2 skimmers in shallow end closest to pump, about 20’ away. See attach pic for pipe configuration. Pretty basic with a skimmer pipe and a main drain pipe controlled by a valve that fluctuates the two.
So 2 skimmer boxes closet to pump, 2 returns and one main drain.
I realize where valve handle is in pic, its there to give more percentage to skimmers and surface pollen.
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Good question! I honestly didn’t do that or even think about that. Something would need to give I suppose.
what do you think....... go for it?
Look at all these fine bubbles coming out of one return. These make me think I have a cracked pvc pipe underground.
But I’m also not getting any foreign dirt in the pool.
But I’m also not getting any foreign dirt in the pool.
Buying one of these is starting to make sense, but also scares me a little on what I might find. 
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,939
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
That's a lot of bubbles. Safe to say the skimmers are plumbed together and share that one line back to the pump. One skimmer probably has two holes where one hole goes to the pump and the other hole goes to the other skimmer right? If that's the case, I would go through the process of elimination. You can do like John suggested above, and if no change, you can attempt to snake the lines once again connecting both skimmers together, or try a pressure bladder to push water backwards. Sounds like something got sucked into one of those skimmer lines. Those are quick and easy at-home things before investing in a borescope.
Yea I think It has to have some kind of clog. I did try squirting the hose down it but just couldn’t get the pressure to do anything.
so maybe close off the working skimmer and remove the valve at the pump and trying to blow that direction with water pressure somehow, maybe unstick it the same direction it got stuck to begin with.
- Jun 22, 2014
- 47,939
- Pool Size
- 17888
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
thank you so much........Texas Splash.... I will try this..
I will insert it at the jandy valve end If possible.
I will insert it at the jandy valve end If possible.