skimmer

[Lez331]

hi. under my skimmer basket, one of the holes there seems clogged. Are both holes suppose to be clear?. My filter pressure is low with return line coming out strong and with air. I checked my filter and pump connection, strainer basket. I know something is wrong because i never had this issue
last year. I a
I am wondering if I have a clogged pipe that goes into my pool. I haven't been able to get my pool clear. I feel My filter is the main issue.

 

[Texas Splash]

Are both holes suppose to be clear?.

Not always. While many skimmers are produced and installed, the installers themselves do not always use both lines below. Do you have a main drain? Some pools did not have a main drain for one hole (line) to connect to, or other pools had the main drain go directly to the equipment pad and bypass the skimmer completely. So sometimes one of those holes is permanently plugged. I don't see a diverter valve in there which is often installed to adjust the suction flow between the two holes, so unless it was broken or removed by accident, I suspect one line was never used. Now if you have a clog somewhere in your suction line, sure, you could have low pressure. You might even see less water in the pump basket under the clear lid, and in extreme cases lose prime. So if you still suspect a line is clogged, you might try using a snake tool to see if any winter debris got stuck in there, or even consider purchasing a bladder pressure product (i.e. Drain King) which helps to push water through the line (forwards or backwards) to break-free any junk.

You commented on your pressure gauge being low. Don't rule out that perhaps the gauge itself is bad as well. When the system is turned off, does the needle go all the way to zero? Does it stick or fluctuate? Bad gauges are fairly common after winter.