Floor Drain-Necessary?

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M

Marco Josip

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2025
63
Philadelphia PA
Pool Size
3000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-15
Building 12X8 Plunge pool with 4’ Foot Depth.

Pool will have skimmer and 2 return lines.

Main question here….is it necessary to have 2 floor drains 3 feet apart? Would a wall equalizer/suction directly under the skimmer be better? Is that even code?

My main concern is water level dropping while on vacation in summer months and pump seizing due to no water flow through filter

Thank you!
 
They are entirely unnecessary providing the water level remains high enough for the skimers. If anything in PA, you'll be forever dumping excess rain, not losing water.

Also, while i happen to love drains, I wouldn't in a shallow pool because they'd be toestubber9000s. Wall drains would alleviate the rare chance of the pump running dry and save your feet.

Safety Drains VGBA - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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80,

An equalizer port will work just fine.. I have them on my pool..

That said, it appears to me that to make the equalizer port work, you would need a floating diverter valve.. My skimmers do not have a floating diverter.. I have never let the water get below the skimmers, so I have no idea if they will work without the diverter or not. I can't see how they would.. :scratch:

I have two rent house pools that have no operating main drains... they have worked just fine for over 13 years...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
That said, it appears to me that to make the equalizer port work, you would need a floating diverter valve..
Click to expand...
I'd home run a dedicated drain leg. I've seen too many posts about fiddling with those floating diverters. :ROFLMAO:
 
All,

Thank you for the replies thus far. This is the last item I’m back and forth with my shotcrete guy.

I’m leaning towards NO DRAINS only because I’m looking at it as 2 more potential leak/failure points I’d have to deal with down the road

However, the idea of the pump running dry when we are gone for 2 weeks in June doesn’t frighten me.

Link below for the skimmer I have purchased and also link for the rendering of exactly how our pool will look

Hayward SP1070 Skim-Master Pool Surface Skimmer | Pool Supply 4 Less

Hayward Cycolac Skimmer Dual 1-.5 FIP In-ground, concrete and gunite, residential or commercial pools.Concrete, Skim Master with Round Cover 4.5 inch Throat Length
www.poolsupply4less.com

 
80,

Here is the issue that I see.. If the pump is sucking from both the skimmer and the main drain, if the skimmer runs dry, the pump will just suck air at the skimmer and the main drain is useless.. Unless something shuts off the skimmer.

It appears to me that if you use a main drain, or an equalizer port, something still has to shut off the skimmer..

The options are to install an auto-fill, which should eliminate the water dropping below the skimmer..

Or..

Having a main drain, and when you leave on vacation, just set the valves to use only the main drain.

To be honest, I doubt your water level is going to drop below your skimmer in two weeks...

Edit... if you look at the pic of the skimmer you plan to buy, you can see the floating diverter below the skimmer basket...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
If your contractor does his job, the drain isn’t going to leak any sooner than the skimmers will leak. From experience here, skimmers end up leaking more than the main drain. If the main drain leaks 20 years from now, you can just plug it and not use it. It’s different with a vinyl liner but shotcrete has fewer failure points in that regard. Make sure he pressure tests whatever system you end up doing.

I don’t use the main drain for much of anything But I will switch the valves to use only the main drain if I’m going away for a while
 
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Jimrahbe said:
80,

Here is the issue that I see.. If the pump is sucking from both the skimmer and the main drain, if the skimmer runs dry, the pump will just suck air at the skimmer and the main drain is useless.. Unless something shuts off the skimmer.

It appears to me that if you use a main drain, or an equalizer port, something still has to shut off the skimmer..

The options are to install an auto-fill, which should eliminate the water dropping below the skimmer..

Or..

Having a main drain, and when you leave on vacation, just set the valves to use only the main drain.

To be honest, I doubt your water level is going to drop below your skimmer in two weeks...

Edit... if you look at the pic of the skimmer you plan to buy, you can see the floating diverter below the skimmer basket...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Jim, thanks a lot for the feedback I appreciate it very much as I’m going to be brand new to pool ownership this spring.

What exactly is a floating diverted purpose? Would that benefit me just solely having a skimmer and no drain?
 
I have a skimmer with main drains plumbed to it. I also use a diverter/float valve in the skimmer. My experience is that the diverter valve is not airtight. When water level drops below the skimmer, it will pull water from the main drains, but will also allow air into the system and the pump will eventually run dry. One main advantage of the diverter is that it will shut down that skimmer and pull from the main drains if the skimmer becomes clogged with leaves or other debris. This will still create a watertight seal and allow the pump to pull only from the main drain.
 
Last edited:
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80,

Floating diverters look like a little space ship.. They sit below the skimmer basket and turn off the skimmer and turn on the main drain (or equalizer port) if the water falls below the skimmer's mouth. Basically, they float when there is water in the skimmer, and sink when there is little or no water in the skimmer.

I have tried them on older pools and they never worked well for me.. I have never tried one that had a new skimmer..

Personally, if I were worried about the water level, I'd go with an auto-fill system.. Should not be very expensive.. Then, I would not install a main drain.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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Thank you for all the feedback, I have a lot to mull over the next two weeks before the build starts

I’ll definitely be back in April trying to wrap my house around the salt cell and getting the pool opened after plaster
 
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One last question regarding pump. Pool is 12X8 approx 3000-3500 gallons

Would 2HP pump be too large? Would it do damage if it’s too large?

I’ve dialed in on the one below solely because it’s 115V standard plug vs hardwired and it also has a built in timer

 
Actually….looks like they actually have a 3/4 HP with timer.

Would this be better considering how small the pool is?

Would still be cycling all the water in the pool every hour. Also I’ll be using 1.5’ PVC

aquastrong.co

PSP066T-LV 3/4 HP 115V Pool Pump with Timer, 4332 GPH

AQUASTRONG 3/4 HP Above Ground Pool Pump with Timer, 115V, 4332GPH, 1.25"&1.5''Connection, High Flow, Powerful Self Primming Swimming Pool Pumps with Filter Basket Design your own pool pump schedule. A built-in 24-hour programmable timer activates the pump when you need it.NINE selectable...
aquastrong.co aquastrong.co
 
Jimrahbe said:
80,

That pump is for an above ground pool.. It will not work in an in-ground pool.. It has no suction.

Which kind of pool are you building?

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
It does say Self Priming…

1738813810726.png
 
Jimrahbe said:
80,

That pump is for an above ground pool.. It will not work in an in-ground pool.. It has no suction.

Which kind of pool are you building?

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
This is what it will look like, link below. Partially above grade

Would the 1HP technically be better? I’m solely looking at the gallons per hour here and trying to match that up as close to our total pool gallons (maybe that’s stupid of me)

aquastrong.co

PSP100T-LV 1 HP 115V Pool Pump with Timer, 6100 GPH

AQUASTRONG POOL PUMP Powerful 1HP Pool Pump with Timer (115V): This high-performance 1HP pool pump operates on 115V, delivering a robust flow rate of 6100 GPH. It’s ideal for both pool pumps above ground and inground pool pump systems, providing efficient and reliable water circulation for...
aquastrong.co aquastrong.co


 

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