Vacuum Port Returning Dirt Back Into The Pool..
by Dana
My concern is below the skimmer in the shallow end is a round object attached to the side of the pool (looks like a smoke alarm but I assume it is to hook up a vacuum hose, possibly) Anyway, dirt is coming out of the hole in this device and I don't know how to stop it. We have removed the screws that hold it on but the cap still will not come off so we can clean inside. Any suggestions? Also in the deep end around the drain especially there is a lot of dirt on the floor. I recently bought a brush to scrub it off but even that is not removing the grime. I'm thinking I might have to get into the pool with a harder scrub brush and do it that way. Any help you can give will be appreciated since I am a new pool owner. Thanks for the question Dana More than likely that port is for a vacuum hose. When you do vacuum be sure to prime the hose with water. If you don't you'll get a massive amount of air through the filter system. This can be done by putting one end of the hose in front of the returns. This forces water through the hose and fills it. The 2nd way is to hold one end of the hose above the water and "feeding" the hose down into the pool. Just imagine putting the hose into a hole. You go straight down until the entire hose is filled with water. You may either have a flap over the port, or a valve that controls the suction of water. The water flow is adjustable with the valve. The question didn't mention the kind of filter you have. You'll need to backwash with a sand and DE filter, or change out the cartridges with a cartridge filter. If you answer back saying what kind of filter you have, I can help a bit more with the cleaning and maintenance of it. And also what to look for if it's not running correctly. With the grime around the bottom drain, it could be either a kind of mold, algae, or a bad stain. Staining happens around the bottom drain when dirt is allow to sit for a long time. Also when there's an algae problem that didn't get taken care of quickly. I would encourage you to shock the pool. Pool Shock Swimming Pool Chlorine In CA you probably have hard water, so use liquid chlorine. Don't use granular chlorine as this will add more calcium and hardness to your water. Sodium Hypochlorite And get a Taylor FAS-DPD K-2006 pool test kit. Water Testing Kit Pool Water Testing After a good shock you can get a wire pool brush and try to get a grime and dirt from the bottom of the pool. If it's still stained, there's another thing you can do. This does use granular chlorine, but in a very measured does. You can also use a couple of chlorine tabs for this. Fill one leg of pantyhose with chlorine granules, maybe about 1/4 - 1/2 lb. Slowly and gently lower the chlorine to the stained spot and allow it to sit for a couple of hours. This is for plaster pools only. If you have a vinyl liner you run the risk of bleaching it out. *Do a very small spot first, a test area, to be sure you not getting another bleach out stain from the chlorine granules. If the stain is on a slope, tie a string around the end of the pantyhose. Lower it into the pool. When it hits the stain spot, tie off the string. This will keep it in place. Hope this helps. Have a great and safe swimming season. And remember to subscribe to my free monthly E-Zine letter. Robert |
