Inground Pool Main Drain Plumbing

Good day all,

I found this forum in an effort to get information about my pool. We purchased this home back in '97, and the pool was sitting in the backyard. It was all black and stinky, so my dad drained it and cleaned the gravel that was at the bottom. It is now a functional pool, but the equipment is starting to age. Neighbours told me that the pool was installed back in the '70's, and I'll assume that the equipment is original.

The pump is a Sta-Rite Duraglas 2.5 HP, and the filter is made by Swimquip. It's all very old, but it seems to do the job. As for the skimmer and return jets, they seem to be made by a brand called Jacuzzi, and I think they're defunct now. The main drain is what I came to ask about. I could never figure out how to get a half and half blend of the skimmer and main drain for circulation. To me, it seems that most pools are plumbed like that nowadays. My pool is running full force through the skimmer, and the main drain just sits there. Only one line runs back to the pump, but it seems that the main drain is connected to the skimmer at the bottom. It boggles my mind about how that works. I should also mention that there is a suction leak somewhere, as I can see air bubbles out the returns.

So my plan consists of this. I will disconnect what seems to be the main drain line at the bottom of the skimmer, and run that hose over to the pump, where I will install a 2 way valve. The main drain and skimmer will be connected to this, and the outlet will go to the pump. That way, I can have an even flow from the skimmer and main drain. I want to do this because there is a stagnant area of water at the bottom which doesn't seem to be caught by the skimmer.

Post your comments on my idea. Thanks