Skimmer equalizer and leaves in pool

[InvaderZim]

My pool has two skimmers and two main drains. The skimmers have two holes in the bottom, and the hole closest to the pool has a flap and seems to lead to a nearby inlet under the water line.

From searching TFP, I gather that this is an "equalizer" to guarantee water flow to the pump inlet if the water level drops below the skimmer -- although the flap is usually closed.

My question: I maintain the pool myself and am going on a two week trip in March, around the time when live oaks drop their leaves and the skimmers have to be emptied twice a day.

Is one purpose of the "equalizer" port in the skimmer to guard against a leaf-clogged skimmer? If I open the "equalizer" port, will the pump (a Jandy VSP pump) be able to avoid sucking in air? As I mentioned, there are two main drains and two skimmers. Or would it be better to just close the skimmer valves on the pad and just do without skimmers for two weeks? The water will still be well below 60 degrees and I have a robot that zips around the bottom of the pool, but it might fill with leaves too and maybe not keep the main drains clear.

Thanks!

 

[mas985]

Is one purpose of the "equalizer" port in the skimmer to guard against a leaf-clogged skimmer?

Yes

If I open the "equalizer" port, will the pump (a Jandy VSP pump) be able to avoid sucking in air?

You should not need to manually open the equalizer port. That should have a valve on it which only opens under high suction when the skimmer is clogged. It should look something like this:

As I mentioned, there are two main drains and two skimmers. Or would it be better to just close the skimmer valves on the pad and just do without skimmers for two weeks? The water will still be well below 60 degrees and I have a robot that zips around the bottom of the pool, but it might fill with leaves too and maybe not keep the main drains clear.

Thanks!

Again, if the equalizer is setup properly, you shouldn't need to do anything.

Also, I believe that controller/pump will detect no flow (loss of prime) and shut down automatically.

 

[1poolman1]

My pool has two skimmers and two main drains. The skimmers have two holes in the bottom, and the hole closest to the pool has a flap and seems to lead to a nearby inlet under the water line.

From searching TFP, I gather that this is an "equalizer" to guarantee water flow to the pump inlet if the water level drops below the skimmer -- although the flap is usually closed.

My question: I maintain the pool myself and am going on a two week trip in March, around the time when live oaks drop their leaves and the skimmers have to be emptied twice a day.

Is one purpose of the "equalizer" port in the skimmer to guard against a leaf-clogged skimmer? If I open the "equalizer" port, will the pump (a Jandy VSP pump) be able to avoid sucking in air? As I mentioned, there are two main drains and two skimmers. Or would it be better to just close the skimmer valves on the pad and just do without skimmers for two weeks? The water will still be well below 60 degrees and I have a robot that zips around the bottom of the pool, but it might fill with leaves too and maybe not keep the main drains clear.

Thanks!

If the water is not below the equalizer port in the pool, the pump will not pull air.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Consider a skimmer guard...

Skimmer Guards - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[InvaderZim]

Yes

You should not need to manually open the equalizer port. That should have a valve on it which only opens under high suction when the skimmer is clogged. It should look something like this:

View attachment 549260

Again, if the equalizer is setup properly, you shouldn't need to do anything.

Also, I believe that controller/pump will detect no flow (loss of prime) and shut down automatically.

Interesting. It definitely does not have this. I think the skimmers are PentAir while everything else is Jandy/Zodiac. It just has a flap at the bottom of the skimmer with a screw that I can rotate to either cover or uncover the equalizer port. I felt inside the port and it's not threaded so there's no way to add something like this. I wonder if it's possible that it's elsewhere in the pipe? That would make it hard to service since it appears to have two separate inlets with covers, presumably for safety reasons.

Regardless, now I have "open skimmer ports" on my pre-trip TODO list, at least for early spring and fall.

Consider a skimmer guard...

Skimmer Guards - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thanks! This would be my fallback. I wonder if opening the equalizer ports and jamming the weir doors shut would be a similar solution. I'm not positive about the timing of the live oak leaves, except it's early spring -- so they may not even fall while I'm gone.