What to do if I think my skimmer is plugged?

Question

we just moved into this house and I keep getting different info on how to take care of this darn thing it is a 17000 gal infround pool. it has a sand filter. it will back wash and rinse properly but all the c**p is sitting on the bottom cause we cant vacuum it. It wont suction and i think it might be plugged. cause its not suckin at all. I can put my arm down there and nothing. I dont know where to go. My ladlord says he could call the insurance or whatever but thats $75 I dont have. unfortunatly we agreed to take care of the pool, well it would help if i knew how...someone pllllleeeaaaase hhhheeeellllp!!!

Answer 1

You backwashed ok? If you did...then it's probably not the skimmer line. That's where the water comes from to do a backwash unless you are running the suction off a dedicated main drain line or in wall suction for an automatic pool cleaner. If that's the case, do you see at least two valves in front of your pump? If you do, check to see that both are open. Who knows, the previous tenant may have shut the skimmer off accidentally or possibly because the skimmer line has an issue they didn't want to deal with and you're actually just running on main drain or in wall suction and not the skimmer at all.

It's a little hard to go further here unless you add in comments things like how many skimmers ( some pools have two), if you managed to backwash ok ( lots of volume coming out the end of the hose) and the filter pressure, can you see water in your pump through the lid and is it barely coming in, the noises the pump is making ( is it surging or a steady hum)?

I can start to pin point the issue a little better with that info.

If no further info comes and you're sure it's a bunged up skimmer line, there's really only one way to deal with it other than digging out the elbow below the skimmer or under the equipment pad and that's to blow the obstruction out the way it came in. A pool service pro would use a compressor or garden hose attached to their pressure tester and place that in the front end of the pump, directed down the line to the skimmer and give it some shots. If there's no damage to that line, it'll almost always clear and blow the debris back out the skimmer. In your case, you can try using what's called a bladder drain clearer. You can find them at Lowes. Saw one in there last night retailing for 10 bucks and going under the brand name Cobra. It fits on your garden hose and expands to the inside diameter of the plumbing when you turn on the hose. It'll help to have two people using one of these. One to turn on the hose, the other to make sure it stays in the plumbing. Just use it as a service pro would use a pressure tester and blow the debris back out the skimmer. These "Cobras" use little water so you may have to also buy a #10 expandable rubber plug ( pool shop) to hold over the skimmer hole ( if there are two, it's the one furthest from the pool) to let it build pressure then let it go.

If you're thinking of using a plumbing snake...forget it. They are fine for drains with 45 elbows or traps but are useless for the 90 degree elbows under the skimmer and equipment pad.

If all else fails, time to call in a Pro. The going rate is usually 60 bucks an hour. Just like a plumber though, if they are there for 5 minutes...it's still 60 bucks.