Includes one cover, one sump, gaskets, and screws. Setup #1 - Skimmer Connected to Drain. Your pool may have a spa, which is known as a "pool-spa combo" so there will be another valve for the main spa drain. If you install a main drain pair and use the anti-vortex covers, each cover splits the flow rate into a 360 degree pattern with 44 inlets each. To install the main drains into a vinyl pool, first remove the cover and face plate off of each main drain pot, and tape over the opening, covering the faceplate screw holes with duct tape. 12.2k members in the pools community. Archived. beside that hole is the line back to the pump. In normal operation, the water will pull from both. hey all, my recent dilemma involves the suction side of my pool. I have a 40K inground pool that is losing maybe an inch or two of water every three or four days. Same arrangement with set #2. The water from the pool or spa, not both at the same time, enters the equipment system through a main drain on the floor, through a surface skimmer, or through a combination of both main drain and skimmer. Also, the suction in a pool is usually divided between the main drain and the skimmer, so one is not dangerously stronger than the other. Skimmers plumbed together and plumbed back to pump suction. Skimmer Setups. hide. Main drains in swimming pools sit in their lowest points. Posted by 2 years ago. Menu Home; About; Blog; Contact; Posted on February 6, 2021 by For some time now, I wanted to get a 50/50 mix of skimmer and main drain on my 60000L inground pool. Pool Return Skimmer Pool Drain Spa Drain Spa Return Check Valve Spa Make-up Filter Pump Heater Filter Venturi Chem Feeder Inline Feeder / Bypass Venturi Bypass Feeder / Inline Venturi Note: Ozone unit should be turned off before running in spa mode. The hole closest to the pool would be the one that connects to the main drain. 1) Main drain #1 plumbed to skimmer #1, which is subsequently plumbed back to pump suction. If your pool person/gardener has solved it in a year get rid of them from pool duty they are useless. skimmer flow is obtained. Most modern in-ground pools have two main drains set several feet apart to prevent suction and blockage issues that could occur with a single main drain. The hole furthest away from the pool is the line that goes back to the pump. This item is for SP1082, SP1084 and SP1075 skimmers. Blow out the skimmer and plug off the main drain (main drain depends on how it is plumbed. Posted on February 6, 2021; By; IT (0) Comment Comment 2) Main drains plumbed together and plumbed back to pump suction. Vacuum port in skimmer, should I bridge it to the return ? In the photo below, there are four valves. However, if the water level drops below the level of the skimmer, the float valve will stop floating, close the skimmer side, and pull 100% from the main drain. Skimmers. 100% Upvoted. The main drains are usually located on the lowest point in the pool, so the entire pool surface slants toward them. Swimming pool circulation pumps draw water from the pool utilizing suction plumbed to the skimmer inlets at water level and the main drain at the pool's bottom. the main drain is plumbed into the bottom of the skimmer, and there is a movable flap that covers the hole. We don’t carry it but I see it online here – Our first pool and am a little confused at how it is plumbed for the main/vacuum/skimmer. Basic Pool or Spa Plumbing Systems. Swimming Pool Main Drains must be installed in accordance with the VIRGINIA GRAEME BAKER POOL AND SPA SAFETY ACT and all applicable ASME/ANSI safety standards. *American National Standards Institute and published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2) Attach your vacuum head to the pole. Hayward SP1082GV Outlet Contol Valve (Skimmer to Main Drain) for SP1080 Series Skimmers. Here at Drainage Superstore we have a range of skimmer boxes, extension rings and throats, and other equipment you may require to fit your skimmer into your pool. Some skimmers have two holes in the bottom. Val-Pak makes an aftermarket diverter for Anthony Skimmers, the type with a single hole in the center bottom. Main drain line plumbing # The majority of pool state guidelines instruct pool owners to construct two main drains. Spread the pipe across the whole pool, including all the curved lines of the pool. That would stop water loss if it was a main drain or siphon issue. If plumbed to pump, blow water back into the pool … To do so, the skimmer is connected to the suction-side plumbing of the pool’s pump and draws water across a weir (or a float) as a result of the vacuum created by the pump. b.) Log In Sign Up. Lots of junk came out of the main drain, but it is clean now. These are "3-way" style valves. Vacuum port in skimmer, should I bridge it to the return ? Check Valve Check Valve Venturi Flow Adjustment Valve. 4 comments. 1. During normal operation, water flows to the filtering system through two or more main drains at the bottom of the pool and multiple skimmer drains around the top of the pool. Do as Dennis suggests and buy a bung and fit into the main drain. With the 40 PVC pipe, create the main drain lines, skimmer line, and return line. They can be plugged, if not needed. A swimming pool main drain uses suction to pull pool water through it. 1. When I line my pump up with the main drain, no water flows, but it works fine on the skimmer. Skimmers and Main Drains. share. COVER DIMENSIONS: COVER OUTSIDE DIAMETER: 7-9/16" (A) (MAIN FLANGE RING) COVER TOTAL HEIGHT: 1" (B) MAXIMUM HEIGHT ABOV If you get a skimmer float valve, it will have an adjustable part that you use to split the suction between the skimmer and the main drain. First, main drains are not like skimmers, they draw from pretty much all directions so the suction in any one direction is fairly small. I opened the drain cleanout in the skimmer and ran a hose down the line. Skimmers sit near a swimming pool's waterline, taking in water via gravity and letting it flow down to the filter. Most pools have one, but larger pools may have multiple main drains. I wanted to close the main drain to see if maybe I was losing water there. Every plumbing diagram I see shows the skimmer and drain both connected yet after talking to a few people and reading the posts here I just seem to be more confused as to whether the main drain needs to be in the filtering circulation. Since you drained the pool below the skimmer, the water level in the main drain pipe should be lower as well. If plumbed in the skimmer, just plug off. 4. The pool will be equipped with an auto fill system, if that makes a difference. The main drain is located on the bottom of the pool in the deepest part. If the cleaner is taken out of the pool, the valves will be set differently. Often, pool builders use the 40 PVC pipe for plumbing the pool. If the skimmer does not have an equalizer assembly, rotate the trimmer in the skimmer over the suction port until the desired flow is obtained. Swimming pool circulation pumps draw water from the pool utilizing suction plumbed to the skimmer inlets at water level and the main drain at the pool's bottom. To understand the basic plumbing system of a pool or spa, you must follow the path of the water. The main drain is the primary way that water is drawn from your pool into the pump and filter. User account menu . heres my problem. A skimmer is most often a rectangular opening in the pool wall near the top, at the water surface level. Close. Skimmers are the first stop on your pool water’s circulation journey. When I did so I also noticed that my two pool skimmer/filters worked better. Obviously in a pool where the main drain is very deep, this is not a concern, so safety suction lines are not added. save. However, there's still no flow. Having any main drain suction reduces the skimmer action. The skimmer is the place we recommend that you use to vacuum the pool to insure any large debris that may be vacuumed up is caught in the skimmer basket thus avoiding a potential plugged circulation line. Swimming pool main drain assembly complete, vinyl liner pools. 0 Comment. It seems like pools today are circulated like this. Online Courses Depot - replace pool main drain valve replace pool main drain valve. Swimming Pool Plumbing Diagrams 1 Standard Skimmer with 2 Main Drains & 3 Returns. Main Drain & Skimmer During normal operation, water flows to the filtering system through two or more main drains at the bottom of the pool and multiple skimmer There is a 2″ plug included with each main drain you will use that to plug the bottom hole in each main drain. Top. Let the filter circulate the chemicals overnight. now after seeing many inground pool videos, it seems that its best to use a half and half blend of main drain and skimmer for adequate circulation. This is called an equalizer line. Just had the pump and filter plumbed in and I have realised that the main drain has not been connected to the pump. They are, from left to right, SPA MAIN DRAIN, CLEANER, SKIMMER, and POOL MAIN DRAIN. Normally the front port of the skimmer is plugged and the back port is plumbed to the suction side of the pump, but there are occasions where the front port is plumbed elsewhere.. To brush the pool, when the skimmer is plumbed to the main drain, close the equalizer assembly hole with the equalizer trimmer. report. At my house, which is newer, the main drain is plumbed back to the equipment pad. In this diagram, the main drain is tied into the front port of the skimmer. So each inlet has approximately 1/88th of the total flow rate. I only run my main drain at about 10%.. Pool main drain covers are flat with the openings on top. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. AVG 2008 Approved. Main drains must be protected by an approved cover. Water is pulled to the circulation pump under negative pressure, then pumped through the filter and back to the pool. Drains and Skimmer. Also, how many separate return (pump suction) May 12, 2015 - How to Switch From a Skimmer to a Main Drain. The main function of a pool’s skimmer is removal of debris from the surface of the water. Anyways, I just got around to tinkering with it recently, and I have found a few things out. Most of the dirt and debris that sinks exits the pool through these drains. Most skimmers also have a floating door called a weir that helps ensure that only the water at the very surface level enters the skimmer. Neither one has a operating main drain. It is heated to 82 and it does seem when the heater operates more I lose water faster. A Swimming pool main drains are one of two mechanisms used in many pools to circulate and filter their water, the other being skimmers. The main drains serve a similar purpose to a skimmer and are crucial to keeping the water temperature and chemical content consistent. We have always operated the pool on full skimmer, but I always wondered how you would make use of the main drain. Pool skimmers are designed to remove floating debris from the water surface without creating loud noises or disturbance of the pool water. 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