Where is shallow end skimmer hooked in?

[oldpool]

Trying to understand how my skimmers and main drain are connected. My deep end skimmer below the basket has one 1.5" hole out the bottom. Looks like out the side of that hole goes to the pump and out the bottom goes to the main drain.

My Question is where is the shallow end skimmer plumbed in. Seems like it would have to just come around the edge of the pool and tie right into the side of the main drine line that goes to the bottom of the deep end skimmer. My shallow end skimmer has one outlet out the bottom. I have one suction line from the pool into the pump.s

o o o o ----------skimmer deep end
o o----------- er (shallow) o o
o o o o
o o o oo to main ooo ooo
o o o ooooooooooooooooooooooo ---------to pump
o ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 0
o o
o o
o o-------------to main drain
o o


When we bought the house the guy told us when we vacuum we should hook to the variflow trimmer valve in the deep end skimmer with the main drain diverted off and put a threaded plug in the bottom of the shallow end skimmer, which would essentially have our pump pulling exclusively the vacuum line.

Diagram isn't exactly right, but would it be like that or would the shallow end skimmer be hooked into the side going to the pump?

Thanks,

[mas985]

If you only have one suction line coming back to the pad, it is likely that the second skimmer is simply teed into that one line somewhere and it is probably at a point where the two lines would meet before going back to the pad.

[czechmate]

My Question is where is the shallow end skimmer plumbed in. Seems like it would have to just come around the edge of the pool and tie right into the side of the main drine line that goes to the bottom of the deep end skimmer. My shallow end skimmer has one outlet out the bottom. I have one suction line from the pool into the pump.s

Your pool is an example how some "contractors" rape the pool industry, as if they did not make plenty of profit already. Selector valve in a front of pump skimmer should be the industry standard.
Moreover, the 2 feed lines provide more supply to a hungry pump, that is often over-sized in horsepower, due to the thinking that bigger is better. It also gives you a lifeline in case of a clogged up line from the main drain. (Sometime caused by careless workers during re-plaster job.)
You may be able to locate the "T" joint, where the deep return joins the shallow return in the landscape, unless it was done under the cool deck. Than you out of luck.

[oldpool1]

czechmate,

See my other post about plaster in the main drain! I understand from other research that the main drain/skimmer plumbing is done that way sometime to keep from a dry run if the water level drops below skimmers, but couldn't they have just run an equalizer line in that skimmer and run each line separate to a "manifold" style setup with valves. Currently, my questions are just so I can completely understand the system, and thankfully I don't have to fix it, but for other reasons over the last couple of years, I have removed a fair amount of decking and crazy as it may be, when I remove the rest of the decking to be replaced I'm thinking of digging down, separating those skimmer and main drain lines and plumbing it all up with separate lines. Am I nuts? I've already redone the spa plumbing.

We bought the house with the pool already 20 yrs. old and I've spent the 10 years we've been here gradually redoing everything and learning about/understanding my pool, and in the procees have also learned that as in many professions, there are lot's of people who don't really understand how things work, but don't know or don't want to admit that they don't. As you said about the pumps, there are many pool "experts" I've talked to that don't understand the equipment and systems they are installing. As an example, when my pool remodel guy set us up with a new pump, filter, multiport, heater, etc., it took me a while to figure out why our spa jets no longer worked the way they should or did previously. Needless to say, I've learned/taught myself/figured out much over the last several years about pool plumbing, pump curves, flow rates, etc. After looking at pump curves, doing head calculations, etc., it has become evident that simply choosing a different pump would have been a better choice (for example the difference in pump curves between a Pentair Challenger High Flow vs. Pentair Challenger High Head pump). I've talked to countless people in pool stores or pool construction that couldn't answer basic questions about these type things.

Sorry to vent,

Thanks for the help.

[czechmate]

Most people here read an answer to their trouble and do not even bother to write two words in reply.
You are not from that bunch.
I did not catch your trouble with getting the plaster from the main drain, it was just my guess.
You may also try electricians steel tape with the spring leader or better yet roto-rooter type spring tape.
Just use it with the mind that it is PVC, but schedule 40 will take a lot.
If you lucky, and there is no plumber 90 fittings, only 45's, you may get it all the way to the main drain body bucket.

BTW, there is no need to apologize for writing few extra words.
There is too many people, that write 4-5 words and expect us to read their mind
and return an essay afterward.

[oldpool1]

Nobody has ever accused me of withholding information! I appreciate the info and come spring will add these items to my arsenal and hopefully have everything straightened out.

Thanks,

[Teapot]

Looks far more likely you just want a link to your site. Please go away.