Is it a broken underground pipe or cloogged up

I have an inground gunnite pool that is approx 25 years old. The pool is new to me as I only bought the property two years ago. It is the second time I have opened and closed the pool.

The pool is approx 24 x 40 with a separate 10 foot diameter wading pool that is about 30 inches deep. Opening the pool has been good. The water is clear, but a lot of debris got in due to bad weather for two weeksafter the cover came off.

I have topped up the pool to normal levels and started the filtering process. My problem is tha I am not getting the flow of water through the system. It almost appears that I have bubbles coming out of the outlet jets. What happens when I have the complete system opened up is that I do get the water input into the pump as would normally be the case.

When I close off the main pool and only filter the small pool. everyting is fine. PSI at the filter is 20 plus and the pump is runnining with full waterflow going through. It is only when I set the valve (4 settings) to put the whole pool sytem activated that I start getting a drop in volume of water being pulled through the pump. Th other observation is that the suction at the skimmer is very low. it would never suffice to vacuum the pool.

I have tried every valve combination possible and nothing seems to solve the overall system operation.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks........Peter in Canada

My guess is that you have a blockage in the pipe between the skimmer and the pump.

If you have a plumber's snake you can try to free it up.

Another thing that may work is called a "drain king". You can get it at Home Depot.You hook it up to your garden hose then place it in to the hole in the bottom of the skimmer.Turn the water on and it blasts water through the pipe with a pulsating or hammering action to try to dislodge the clog.

Worth a try,anyway.

The "Drain King" idea is good. The "plumber's snake" is bad. You might get it past one of the elbows in the plumbing, but if you get it past a second it most likely would become stuck. On occasion I have see the broken end of one stuck in a skimmer port waiting to rust away so that it can be removed.

Plumbers and drain cleaning companies use these to clear drain lines with large curves in the pipes. They are generally referred to as "sweep 90's," similar to what electricians use when piping with pvc conduit. Pool plumbing uses very sharp 90-degree elbows that will not allow a "snake" through very well.

Use the Drain King so that it pushes the clog back toward the pool. The other way will cause the clog to pack even harder and become even more stuck.