Vacuum vs. Sweep

[Kouri]

Reading about pools I've seen lots of discussion about vacuums and wonder if vacuuming is required. We have a screen cage over the pool and get few leaves, moderate amount of small bugs and good amount sandy dirt. Can that be swept into the main drain or is that a bad idea?

As an aside, the skimmer action is very weak and I don't know why; I've added new float valve, weir door and gauge to cartridge filter. I'm hoping it's because the water level was too high and will resolve itself upon refill (emptied today for new plaster).

Thanks.
Susan

 

[duraleigh]

You need to vacuum. Maybe not as much as others but the main drain will do very little to suck in floor dirt.

Vacuum and brush the sidewalls........keeps algae from getting a foothold, too.

 

[Kouri]

For now, the pool service will do it once a week when we are not here. Funny -- I never worried or thought about the pool in the 6-years I've been the "property manager" and assumed all was well. For the most part it has been although pool not properly balanced in my newly educated opinion!

 

[triptyx]

Dave is right. I spent the first three months with my pool trying to do as you were - brushing towards the drains. At rest, the pool sparkled, but I noticed into the third month of doing this that when the kids and I were in the pool splashing around, it got extremely cloudy. After getting a Kreepy to handle the vacuuming for me, no amount of splashing around now makes any impact on the pool's sparkle or clarity. I was extremely impressed by the difference.