You don’t realize the importance of emptying your skimmer baskets regularly and replacing them before they become
brittle & split until the inevitable happens and you have to deal with a suction line blockage.
Quick Tip : Never try to vacuum your pool by removing the skimmer basket and plugging the cleaner hose directly into the skimmer inlet.
Suction line blockages are more common than you think and can be very difficult to find. Quite often we locate them under the concrete surrounds, anywhere between your skimmer box and the pump.
They can be costly to repair if you consider location costs, but another Handy Hint : with a little investigation you’ll often find that it’s in the first bend underground behind the skimmer box.
Suction lines are normally 50 mm pipes whereas return lines are 40 mm diameters. The larger diameter helps with water flow and if any debris does bypass the skimmer basket, has a bit more room to move before causing a suction line blockage. Pool pumps are supplied with both 40 mm and 50mm unions to accommodate this.
Sometimes you’ll find that the installer has used a 40 mm union on the inlet side rather than a 50 mm part, therefore they often use a reducing bush & a small section of a 40 mm pvc pipe just ahead of the pump.
Suggestion : Before getting concrete cutting done & digging holes always check for any reductions in the suction line first.
Call us to assess the problem and we will let you know if you need leak detection.
Poolzone 0409 715577