use of main drain with skimmer float

hey all,

my recent dilemma involves the suction side of my pool. the main drain is plumbed into the bottom of the skimmer, and there is a movable flap that covers the hole. beside that hole is the line back to the pump.

now after seeing many inground pool videos, it seems that its best to use a half and half blend of main drain and skimmer for adequate circulation. heres my problem. there is only one line going back to the pump, so there is no diverter valve. the plumbing configurations similar to my pool seem to use a skimmer float to control the "blend". I don't have this device, nor even know what it looks like or if it even exists for that matter. the previous owners could have broken it somehow.

for the record, my skimmer is a Jacuzzi Model W.

thanks for the info

http://www.poolsinc.com/jacuzzi-mode...s-skimmer.html

This may help.

this picture does describe my skimmer, but it still doesn't show how the part works.. i think that it must be the weir or something, but i don't know how it works

Restricting either the skimmer or main drain side reduces efficiency so I would leave both the skimmer and main drain fully open (i.e. remove the flap all together on the float and main drain port). This will result in the lowest head loss possible and the highest flow rates. This will usually favor the skimmer slightly but that is a better situation in my opinion. The main drain circulation isn't all that critical anyway.