Thoughts on drains?

[Justin9314]

Good morning everyone!

I have been reading about installing main drains on vinyl pools and the potential for leaks down the road. I am second-guessing my decision to install main drains at this point due to this. I am curious about what would need to change on my current design to support having no main drains? Would my current two skimmers support this 20 x 40 pool? We luckily do not have many trees to be concerned about, so leaf debris would be fairly minimal.

The current plan is standard skimmers. I have read about Aqua Gennies as well? Are these interchangeable/worth the cost?

Thanks again for everyone's input and time!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Justin,

If I were to do it again, I would not have main drains in my pool.. They are just not needed in most cases.

If you think a main drain will suck up a bunch of "leaf debris", it won't.. You might be able to take a pool broom and make some of them go into the main drain, but that is more work than it is worth..

If the only choice I had was two skimmers and no main drain, or one skimmer and a main drain, I would take the two skimmer every time.

I'd also skip any "magical" skimmers.. Standard skimmers will work just fine..

If you do decide on a SWCG, then I would also suggest a VS or 2-speed pump.. and a 30K pool will need a 60K cell..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Justin9314]

Justin,

If I were to do it again, I would not have main drains in my pool.. They are just not needed in most cases.

If you think a main drain will suck up a bunch of "leaf debris", it won't.. You might be able to take a pool broom and make some of them go into the main drain, but that is more work than it is worth..

If the only choice I had was two skimmers and no main drain, or one skimmer and a main drain, I would take the two skimmer every time.

I'd also skip any "magical" skimmers.. Standard skimmers will work just fine..

If you do decide on a SWCG, then I would also suggest a VS or 2-speed pump.. and a 30K pool will need a 60K cell..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks Jim,

I just ordered the Circupool RJ-60 for the SWCG. I also have a 2 HP 2 speed Hayward pump. Sorry for the basic questions but something else I have been thinking of is a timer for the pool pump. Are there timers that determine full power vs half power on the pump? Or is this normally a manual process?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Justin,

You need two mechanical timers wired together to control a 2-speed pump..

Something like this.. Buy Electromechanical Timers - Sign In: Free Shipping $50+ | Zoro.com

Or you can get an electronic timer like this one...

How To Wire a PE153 Digital Timer to a 2-Speed 230V Motor - INYOPools.com

This guide show you how to wire a PE153 Digital Timer to a 2-speed 240V motor.

www.inyopools.com

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[SSharp]

We ditched the main drain on our 20x40 and have 2 skimmers. After a season of use, we are glad we went that route. Just another needless leak point, toe stubber, and place for our robot to get stuck on.

 

[dw9000]

I have two skimmers & two drains and think it circulates the water well, plus it allows me to drain water with ease.