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Ok, my first spring opening and I keep seeing vacuum to waste. I have a Polaris with the booster pump and I don't know what it means to vacuum to waste since this is the only vacuum that I have. Is there another vacuum I should be buying that hooks to my filtration so I can do this? The polaris just picks stuff off the bottom and puts it in it's back, this obviously isn't getting the algae off the bottom or anything.
Vacuum to waste does not apply to your Polaris, it applies to when you hook a vacuum hose up to your skimming. When you do that you want the water to go to waste rather than have all the crap you vacuum go to your filter and plug it up. The Polaris has its own filter bag, so this is not a problem.
as a new pool owner (last year), I was a little confused by this initially too..
The Polaris is a clearner (and a darn good one!). It is pressure side (booster pump) and uses a bag to collect things.
A Vacuum is different. It goes on the end of a pole and is flexible plastic. You connect it with a hose into your skimmer (remove the basket). My PB gave me a plug (PVC section with cap on the end) for my second skimmer so all the suction would go to the other skimmer (and vacuume).
It works by channeling all the filter pump suction to the vacuume head. The flexible plastic allows it to maintain decent suction over a bigger area than the end of the hose.
Normally, the filter-pump basket and filter would catch whatever you suck up. Since you know you're sucking up crud, you'll clog your filter quickly. Vacuume to waste is a backwash value setting that allows you to bypass the filter and just dump, the water. You'll drain your pool a little, but you won't clog your filter.
I don't have a drain to waste position on my backwash valve. So it's all hypothetical to me :(
Robert