Main drain connection

[menniearg]

Just had the pump and filter plumbed in and I have realised that the main drain has not been connected to the pump. 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.
We only have one drain and one skimmer in a 3x9 metre pool and I would have thought that you would get much better water circulation using the main drain.
I would like to hear some opinions as to whether using the one skimmer will be enough for circulating the water and therefore keeping the pool clean

[Pool Owner]

Is the drain connected to (through) the skimmer? This is a common practice now, which prevents damage to the pump if the water level drops below the skimmer inlet. There is a float that fits below the skimmer basket which closes when the water level drops then only the drain is used. Also, there is typically an adjustment on the hardware with the float, which assists in determining the amount of water coming from the drain and the skimmer. If you have questions, now is the time to ask your pool builder.

If you have not yet done so, you may want to invest about $30 into getting a good reference pool book. Check your local library for books on the subject of pool maintenance/construction to see if there is one you like. I have a short review of a few books on my blog (noted below). While it is very large, I think you will find “The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual” a good choice. Since it is almost 700 pages, you need to use it like these pool bulletin boards, search for the information you need and only read the part that covers your problem.

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply.
I'm 100% certain that the main drain has not been connected to the pump or skimmer so I guess that means I will have to confront the builder yet again