Plumbing of Vac and Skimmer pipes off pool pump

[Elemge]

Hello .. I'd just like to tell you I', a new member. This is a great forum.

Recently I moved my entire pool plumbing and electrical to about 100ft away from the old location making it above ground. The old equipment was on a hillside below water level and had many problems with shut-off valves and check valves, filter preasure, installing new pumps, so on ...

Plus, it you neded to fix anything the pool would drain to the point that you cut into the PVC of pipe disconect causing a massine flood

When I moved all the pipings, I plumbed everything the way it was plumbed previously, except alot neater .. nothing but 90 and 45 degree sweeps were used, every pipe and valve installed level and plumb all equipment level ( all the pipeing came up thru the deck, no plubing from the dirt ).. things like that ...

So to make a long and boring story come to the point,here's my question is ...

The vac line ( pool sweep ) and skimmer line ( tied together w/ the main drain ) which eventually go to the pool pump ( suction side ) were tied together with a 3 way valve ( one in to vac, one in to skimmer, one out to pool pump )using a 3 way valve so one pipe just combined pipe enters the pump ( there is a 3 way valve that takes suction from pool side or from the spa side before the pump .. but that doesn't figure into the question) The single combined vac/smimmer lipe enters the 3 way valve onto the pump

Now I come to realize that if I went off the 3 way valve comming from the pump, setting the valve to the pool suction sude, and 90'd down.. using a tee ... to individual pipes pulling from the skimmer and pulling from sweep vac outlet, both with 2 way valves inline, that would have been a bettter installation creating less turbalence and more controll.

Right now, I have to choke the vac line for my pool sweep (Baracuda X7 Quattro ) to operate it properly with the right amout of suction and thus the skimmer sucking power is now very weak becasause of it. Also my pump is working harder The pressure goes down in the filter when the pump works harder also

Should I re-plumb the Vac and Skimmer lines separtly to the valve going into the pool pump with a 2 way valve on each getting rid of the common 3 way that now connects them.

Thank You in advance for you answers.


Any thoughts?

Larry

[Pool Clown]

Sure, If I understand what you said earlier. It sounds like your pump wont give you the flow you need to run both the skimmer and vacuum, so putting a valve in will help, to the extent of being able to run the cleaner OR the skimmer, but not both.

[Guest]

Or alternatively a regular valve on each line, allowing you to open the flow in increments and in any combination you need (e.g. vacuum with skimmer at 1/2, or skimmer with main drain a little open)