Non-Automatic Cleaning or Get Outside and Vacuum the Pool!

Vacuuming is the most boring part of swimming pool maintenance, and yet one that needs to be done from time to time even if you have an automatic cleaner. In the Sonoran Desert, during the so called summer monsoon season, dust storms can arrive every evening. Sometimes, several developing thunderheads are scattered around. Each one will send out a dust storm. Sometimes these thunderheads coalesce into one huge monster of a storm. These will just trash your pool up way beyond the load capacity of your automatic cleaner. There is no commercially available cleaner that can take kind of load. So that is why all pool owners and pool service professionals need to have vacuuming and netting equipment.

As these storms begin to occur, there is really no way to know just how severe they will become. So I would recommend that the swimming pool be turned on if it is not already running. If you have followed my blog posts from the beginning you know that I prefer to have the time clock set to run the pool in the evening hours anyway. If the storm becomes really severe however, you might as well just turn the pool off, since the skimmer, the main drain, and the automatic cleaner will all probably get plugged up with debris. No one likes to repeatedly empty out the skimmer basket, or the automatic cleaner while it is lightning and thundering! In this case, commonsense tells you to just let the debris in the pool accumulate and then settle to the bottom of the pool over night. You can get to work, in the morning !

The swimming pool cleaning sequence that you want to follow here is basically the same for a pool that is lightly or heavily trashed up. It's just that it will take much longer to complete the cleaning with a trashed pool.

The first step is to turn the pool on at the time clock, then walk over to the skimmer and remove the lid. Look into the skimmer basket. Always look first to be sure a critter of some sort is not in the basket area. Reach down and lift out the basket, it probably would be a good idea to wear some latex gloves while you are doing this. I have seen people fashion a wire clothes hanger as a hooking tool to lift out the basket, you can try that if you wish. Clean the basket out by tapping it on a fence or large rock and if necessary, rinse it out with a garden hose. Check the basket visually to see if there are any holes or cracks in it, if so, then go ahead and buy a new one.

Next, remove the diverter valve, look to it's underside to be sure that the flap is in place, check also that the float is moving freely. At this point, I usually put my fingers down into the skimmer and let the suction line pull on them, just to get a good reading on whats going on with the upstream equipment. If it feels like the suction line is going to pull my fingers off, then the pump and filter are probably OK. Replace the diverter valve, be sure that it sets flat against the o-ring on the bottom of the skimmer housing. Now put the skimmer basket back into place. Look to see that the weir is moving freely and that it is in it's proper place. Remember to look first before you put your hand into the weir area!

If you did the "fingers in the suction pipe test" you already know that things are OK upstream. If you didn't do that test, then you can check now to see that the action of the skimmer is good. You should be able to see a very good flow into it. If there is not a good flow of water into the skimmer, or if the suction in the "the fingers in the suction pipe test" felt weak, then the pump strainer basket may be full, or the filter needs to be backwashed, or if it is a DE filter it may need to be manually cleaned out, or a host of other problems may be the culprit. But for now, put the lid back on the skimmer and walk over to the equipment area and turn the pump motor off.

Unscrew the lid to the pump strainer basket housing, it may be tight. If you are using your hands, try turning it very slowly with steadily increasing force. If it is stuck, you can buy a pump lid wrench removal tool. The one I like is the metal one with a rectangular loop that fits around most lids. With the lid wrench, you still will use the "turning very slowly with steadily increasing force" technique. When you get the lid off, check that the rubber o-ring that it rests against is in good shape. Often there is a sticky goo that forms on this o-ring or in the groove within which it fits. Either of which may cause an suction side air leak, causing the pump to lose it's ability to pull the water from the pool. You can wipe the goo off with a warm, wet wash cloth or rag. If after the goo is wiped off, a lot of rubberized dirt comes off the 0-ring onto the wash cloth, then the o-ring is worn also, replace it with a new one. The next time you are in your local pool store go ahead and pick up a tube of Magic Lube, this is the lubricant that you want to put on the o-ring and the groove that it fits into. Accept no substitutes here, if the pool store doesn't have it, go to another one. Lubricate the o-ring, the groove that it sits in, and the screw like threads on the plastic lid.

Most newer pumps have "see through" plastic lids that enable you to look into the pump strainer basket to judge how full it is. From time to time check that this lid has not developed a crack that again may be letting air into the system, these can be difficult to see. Sometimes, there is a hole or crack in the pump basket housing area with the same negative result.

Lift out the pump strainer basket by grasping the metal wire handle and turning the basket while it is still in the pump. There will be two notches on the plastic basket that will line up with slots inside the pumps basket housing. Once you have the basket lined up, you can simply pull the basket out. If the handle is missing, or the basket warped, replace the basket. As I have said before, it makes this job a lot easier if you buy a second basket so you can let one basket dry out, and later easily dump the contents. Either way, inspect the pump strainer basket for cracks or holes, replace the basket if necessary.

[Whenever I have had a service call or repair call where the problem is that the pump's impeller is plugged, I immediately know that there is a good chance that the pump strainer basket or the skimmer basket probably has a hole or crack in it. Sometimes the service person or home owner did not take the time to see that the pump strainer basket was properly seated. In this situation also many times it is the skimmer basket that has not been seated properly or sometimes the skimmer basket begins to float when the pump is off, and when the next pump cycle starts up, it is pulled down by the water flow and rests cock-eyed letting debris to get around it. The solution for a floating skimmer basket is to replace it with one that is weighted at the bottom. I have often put a rock in the bottom of the skimmer basket to weight it down. Just be sure that the rock you use is much bigger than the diameter of the suction pipe at the bottom of the skimmer housing].

Now, put the pump strainer basket back in and don't forget to put the o-ring back in! I have several times been called out to a repair call where the only problem was that the pump lid o-ring was not put back in! Screw the lid back on. Do not bear down with a lot of force while screwing the lid back on! When lubricated properly, a hand tightened lid is sufficient. If you use your new lid wrench to do this, then you are going to be forced to use the lid wrench the next time you want to take the lid off. Turn the pool pump back on. Most modern pumps will suck air from the line going back to the skimmer in order to start the water flowing again. If the pump doesn't pull up the water, or if you don't have a modern pump, you may need to prime the pump at this point by pouring water into the pump basket area before putting the lid back on and starting the pump.

Once both the skimmer basket and the pump strainer basket have been serviced, and the water flow has started again, you will want to let some of the air that accumulates at the inside top of the filter out. So it is time to look at the pressure gauge that rests on top of the filter. There should be a small valve that you can turn to open. This valve is known a an air relief valve. If you open this valve, the air will begin to be released, followed later by water. Once the water shows up the air is obviously out of the filter and you can close the air relief valve. If this valve is stuck, then you can use some WD-40 and a small pair of pliers to work it loose. Be careful here. These valves are fragile. Use minimal force.

If your pool is really trashed up, and you own a sand filter or a cartridge filter, then you are going to want to backwash, or clean the the filter before you begin to vacuum. If you own a DE filter then you may need only to note the pressure as indicated on the pressure gauge, and later decide (after noting the resulting pressure increase), whether a backwash or clean out is necessary. In a later post having to do with filtration this step will be covered in much more detail.

For now however, walk back to the swimming pool, and while the pool pump is running, use your leaf bag to net out most of the surface debris. This in itself can be quite laborious, (remember to use the technique I talked about in an earlier post). If the pool bottom is really trashed then clean out the bottom of pool with the Jandy Leaf Master and then later when the dirt and dust have settled back down you can vacuum.

If the pool's bottom does not have a lot of debris, then you can prepare to vacuum. Bring out and begin to assemble the vacuum equipment. The vacuum hose, as well as the vacuum head should have been stored out of the reach of sunlight. The vacuum hose should have been stored in a circular pattern, to facilitate the assembling and vacuuming process.

While holding on to the part of the vacuum hose that is going to be attached to the vacuum head, push the rest of the hose (which should still have the stored circular shape) into the pool. Attach the vacuum hose to the vacuum head, then attach the pool pole to the vacuum head. Then push the vacuum head with the pool pole attached, into the deep end of the pool. While still loosely holding on, let the vacuum hose slide through your hand, feeding it from the remaining circular shape floating on the pool's surface, thereby dropping the vacuum head and the pole to the bottom of the pool. This will pull the vacuum hose down also. The vacuum hose should now be filled partially with water, and you, kneeling along side the pool, can push the yet unfilled portion of the vacuum hose directly downward into the water. When you have pushed the vacuum hose all the way in, water should start to come out of the end of the hose. (This is an advance technique, which again will be covered in a later post), an alternative technique is to fill the remaining empty vacuum hose with water by placing it up against an inlet jet. You need to fill the vacuum hose completely in one way or another so as to minimize the amount of air that will be introduced into the pump.

At this point, after the vacuum hose is filled with water, drag the end of the vacuum hose over to the skimmer, kneel down and put the hose into the suction pipe that leads back to the pump. You have a choice here, you can either put the vacuum hose over the deck and then into the skimmer suction pipe or you can put it in through the front of the skimmer, laying the vacuum hose on top of the weir. Even when you have done everything correctly, there is still always some air that is unavoidably introduced into the suction pipe. Wait until it has cleared the pump, then you are ready to begin to vacuum.

Use the pole to pull the vacuum head out of the deep end of the pool and start vacuuming the steps in the shallow end. This accomplishes two things. One, by starting in the shallow end and gradually moving to the deep end, the vacuum head is going to be much easier to handle. After all, you are going to be going downhill, (gravity here is our friend once again). Do you want to start vacuuming in the deep end and try to move that heavy vacuum head uphill? I think not.

Two, you want to save the worst of the debris and dirt for last, otherwise the suction for the whole job is going to be diminished, and where is that pile of dirt likely to be? Yup! At the bottom of the pool, so don't vacuum there first. So always start your vacuuming job in the shallow end of your pool.

This vacuuming process can be facilitated by the use of a swiveling type of connector that maybe already attached to your vacuum head. You can buy a vacuum head with or without a swivel connector. If you buy a vacuum head with a swivel connector then you can steer the vacuum head by twisting the pole as you move the vacuum head forwards or backwards.

If you purchase the type of vacuum head without a swivel connector, you can still move it over easily by using the following technique: As you push the vacuum head forward and you reach the other side of the pool, you will need to move it over to pick up more dirt. The best way to do this is to snap the pole back towards you, lifting the vacuum head momentarily off the floor of the pool, as it is still suspended, snap the pole in the direction opposite to where you want the vacuum head to go. The pole will act as a lever, with the fulcrum in the middle. In other words, if you snap the pole to your left, then the vacuum head will move to the right and if you snap the pole to your right, then the vacuum head will move to the left. Again, this needs to be done while the vacuum head is momentarily suspended. After you have drawn the vacuum head all the way back so that it is nearly under you, go ahead and lift it up slowly to clean the wall of the pool, then move it over to start again. Continue until the pool is cleaned.

You may have to clean the pump strainer basket out, backwash, and vacuum several times before the pool is cleaned up. This process will cause some of the dirt and dust to be suspended into the water again. Wait for a day or so, until the dust and dirt have again settled to the bottom of the pool and repeat the process, or begin to use your automatic cleaner.

This completes the cleaning subsection of the sanitation classification, that rests upon the top of our imaginary Golden Triangle. In the next post, we will consider the other subsection of sanitation which is disinfection.