New pool owner here, with no experience or pool expertise. Appreciate your patience and support.
The previous owners had a pool guy who came by once a week. I decided to upgrade to a salt water system and to try to save a few bucks by handling the maintenance myself, so he hasn't been here in a week. I moved in about 3 weeks ago.
I realized that the skimmer wasn't pulling anything in and that the surface of the water was pretty dirty with bugs. I have a screened enclosure so it should stay relatively debris free. I also noticed that the water line is a few centimeters above the skimmer hole, which may be too high. I walked over to the pool equipment and noticed the valve had the skimmer 100% OFF and main drain 100% ON.
I decided to turn it 70/30 so 30% is pulling from the skimmer, and saw the water start to pull through. Yay.
But then I became concerned that perhaps the valve for the skimmer was off completely on purpose.
I opened the skimmer, removed the basket, and saw 2 holes at the bottom. 1 (front facing the pool) is sucking in water pretty hard. The 2nd (back) didn't seem to be doing anything. When I stick my fingers in there, I felt some sand and just a dead end underneath it. I then became concerned that the 2nd hole is supposed to be doing something and the skimmer valve was off to prevent some problem or breakage. I'll have the pool guy who is installing a heater and the salt water system back this week but I'm a little concerned in the meantime.
So here are my questions:
The previous owners had a pool guy who came by once a week. I decided to upgrade to a salt water system and to try to save a few bucks by handling the maintenance myself, so he hasn't been here in a week. I moved in about 3 weeks ago.
I realized that the skimmer wasn't pulling anything in and that the surface of the water was pretty dirty with bugs. I have a screened enclosure so it should stay relatively debris free. I also noticed that the water line is a few centimeters above the skimmer hole, which may be too high. I walked over to the pool equipment and noticed the valve had the skimmer 100% OFF and main drain 100% ON.
I decided to turn it 70/30 so 30% is pulling from the skimmer, and saw the water start to pull through. Yay.
But then I became concerned that perhaps the valve for the skimmer was off completely on purpose.
I opened the skimmer, removed the basket, and saw 2 holes at the bottom. 1 (front facing the pool) is sucking in water pretty hard. The 2nd (back) didn't seem to be doing anything. When I stick my fingers in there, I felt some sand and just a dead end underneath it. I then became concerned that the 2nd hole is supposed to be doing something and the skimmer valve was off to prevent some problem or breakage. I'll have the pool guy who is installing a heater and the salt water system back this week but I'm a little concerned in the meantime.
So here are my questions:
- Does the 2nd hole in the skimmer (not the front one facing the pool) do anything? Should I feel it pulling in like the front hole? If so, then does that mean it's blocked? If it's blocked, should I turn the valve back to be 100% main drain and 0% skimmer?
- Am I correct in thinking that the water line should be in the middle of the skimmer window instead of above it? If so, how do I drain the pool a bit to lower it?
- Probably a topic for another thread, but are there any great go-to materials for new pool owners who are trying to do the routine maintenance on their own with a salt water system and screened in enclosure? Chemical testing routine and materials, cleaning tips, whether robot vacuums are worthwhile, etc.?
Yes, the water level should be about 1/2 - 3/4 up the skimmer faceplate opening for best results. As for the overall pool maintenance, see the link below to get started. We'll coach you along the way. Also be sure to update your signature with all of your pool and equipment info. Include your test kit as well.
