Rock in skimmer line

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M

mrjetson707

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2021
120
Martinez, California
Pool Size
11000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I've googled this and found a couple posts similar to this issue but was unclear about the resolution. I have a rock in the line under my skimmer. I tried a drain king from my pump inlet but it's too far away to get any pressure. I tried fishing it out with a coat hangar to no avail. I read a comment about putting epoxy on a stick and pulling it out but I don't quite understand. what type of epoxy. what would that process look like exactly? any other suggestions on how to get this rock out? I recently bought the house and it was in there already.
Please help because im losing my mind trying to solve this issue. I was thinking of getting a plumbing snake and going from pump inlet to it but idk what size I should get and idk if I'll damage the plumbing. Water can get by but occasionally I heard the pump struggle for a second or 2
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Gosh. Hmm do you have anything “tweezer-like”? Or perhaps “chopstick-like” where you can pinch it out? Though I think effectiveness would depend on how much it’s lodged in there.
 
Hi. A wet&dry workshop vacuum might get a good grip on it, if you can loosen it. You might also need a short length of PVC tube that fits inside the skimmer plumbing to extend the reach. Best of luck getting that out.
 
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kul said:
Maybe try slightly wiggling it out side to side instead of pulling up right away? I’m trying to think about how it got in there and doing the reverse.
If I were a rock being sucked into a skimmer….hmmm
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I have a feeling it was put there purposely by the previous tenants. they had to leave when the owner sold the house
 
Spit balling ideas…

Can you go the other way. Get a long masonry drill bit and drill into the rock and break it up. You have to be careful not to nick the pipe. If you can break the rock into a few pieces it will end up in the pump basket. The risk is broken into two pieces it may get lodged further down in a 90 bend.
 
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I would not send that rock, or pieces of it, further into the pipe. That could turn a puzzle into a problem. It went in from the skimmer, that means it'll come out the same way. It's just a matter of maneuvering the rock such that it can come out at the same angle and rotation that it went in. What is the distance from the skimmer bottom to the rock? Would 12" hemostat forceps reach? For 15 bucks you get two, each with a different angle:

Amazon.com: Set of 2 Premium Quality 12" Rochester Pean Hemostat Forceps Straight & Curved Clamps Three Locking Positions - SurgicalOnline : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: Set of 2 Premium Quality 12" Rochester Pean Hemostat Forceps Straight & Curved Clamps Three Locking Positions - SurgicalOnline : Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com

Gently work the rock back and forth with the forceps, rotating it as you go until you find the narrowest width. It'll slide right out.

Then pray that's the only one... :unsure:
 
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Dirk said:
I would not send that rock, or pieces of it, further into the pipe. That could turn a puzzle into a problem. It went in from the skimmer, that means it'll come out the same way. It's just a matter of maneuvering the rock such that it can come out at the same angle and rotation that it went in. What is the distance from the skimmer bottom to the rock? Would 12" hemostat forceps reach? For 15 bucks you get two, each with a different angle:

Amazon.com: Set of 2 Premium Quality 12" Rochester Pean Hemostat Forceps Straight & Curved Clamps Three Locking Positions - SurgicalOnline : Industrial & Scientific

Amazon.com: Set of 2 Premium Quality 12" Rochester Pean Hemostat Forceps Straight & Curved Clamps Three Locking Positions - SurgicalOnline : Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com

Gently work the rock back and forth with the forceps, rotating it as you go until you find the narrowest width. It'll slide right out.

Then pray that's the only one... :unsure:
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I think they might be too short
 
Dirk said:
Here's 15":

24"

Amazon.com: DDP 24" SURGI GRADE STAINLESS STEEL TWEEZERS : Industrial & Scientific

Buy DDP 24" SURGI GRADE STAINLESS STEEL TWEEZERS on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders
www.amazon.com

There are all sorts of other lengths and shapes and angles on Amazon, too...
Click to expand...
not sure if they'll grip it. I'll try something like this
 
Do u have anyone with tiny hands that could reach to grab it? Small children perhaps? Also some sort of grippy gloves 🧤 might be helpful. Also a fishtape may work better than the coat hanger & the head can be bent in various ways with kleins then twisted like a snake (if u have one on a reel) but without the bulbous head of a snake.
You can try to swab the pipe (where u push snake/fishtape past the rock & out through wherever the pipe ends up then attach a rope/pull line/jet line & pull that back through, next attach the swab device/material to the end of the line- there should be rope/line attached to both sides of the swab so u can pull from either direction if necessary) but this carries some risk as the swab material/ mandrel can get stuck too. We do this with buried electrical conduits before pulling wire to clean rocks/rodents etc out of the pipes.
 
Hey George !!! I'm seeing one of those kids puzzles made up of a few loops of metal that come apart easily....... once they are twisted a specific way. You very well may spend an hour solving the puzzle, but if it went in, it has to come out.

I had a rubber winterizing plug get sucked into my pad plumbing upon opening and it got past the first 90 and wouldn't come back. (Always relieve pressure from the gizmos/ threaded plugs that can't be sucked in. Lesson learned !!) It took a half hour with a shop vac, but it eventually vibrated itself around enough to make it out.

Many prayers and twice as many curses were exclaimed throughout, but it did come out the same tilt that it went in.

If you found a quick setting epoxy you would basically make a lollipop. If it only needed to be spun left/right, you might hit the Sweet spot by twisting the lollipop handle. But it wouldn't help if it also needed some combo of front/back and left/right like a rubiks cube.
 
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Shop vac with a nozzle small enough to grab on to it?

A stiff piece of wire and bend a 90° on the end, short enough to get around and under the rock to wiggle it and get it free.

Use a garden hose to flow water though it backwards to help push it out and try hooking it with something at the same time. Be careful to not over pressurize the pool line.

It fit in there so it will fit out too. Just need to get it in the right orientation. I had a similar happen when working on sprinkler lines, took a while but knocking it finally dislodged it and it came out.
 
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Any updates?
Drama Dis Gonna Be Good GIF by MOODMAN
 
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wireform said:
I've used https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y75N3D...t_i_XAR74C7ZCSCRC5ZC9CFZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 on many occasions and works like a charm. The wires are sharp and can grab stuff the weirdest way because the spring loaded pressure pulling back also makes it try to hold on. The stone is to your advantage here as it doesn't look smooth but rather quite course and ruff.
Click to expand...
I vouch for this tool !
I use mine all the time for random stuff. It’s saved the day many times! Just used it yesterday getting a dropped bolt in an engine compartment. Used it last week to unclog the shower.
 
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