first time posting - blocked skimmer pipes

[charlie54]

I am ready to call a company in -- can anyone recommend a pool company or a plumber if that is the best in southern new jersey?

[PoolDoc]

If you'll send pictures in, we can probably give you a set of instructions that a plumber can follow. Most plumbers are somewhat scared of pools, but if you tell them you just need a 1.5" or 2" pipe run from here to there, they'll relax. I'm telling you this since plumbers can be somewhat easier to find than pool guys. Of course, in NJ, all plumbers may be unionized and WAY more expensive than pool guys. But that's not the case everywhere, and I don't know if it's true there.

If you do send pics, take pictures of the skimmers, the deck, and the equipment area, and send them to poolforum@gmail.com

[Cbw2121]

I saw a really neat video on youtube the other day on trouble shooting and repairing clogged skimmer lines...go to youtube search "clogged skimmer lines video" I hope it helps

[PoolDoc]

If it was THIS one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Q5EawYkm8
don't do that, except as a last resort -- you can shatter PVC lines that way!

This one is OK,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiL-pFEhWf4
but only applies to a specific set of circumstances. Ironically, the sort of problem here, is just the sort of situation that can lead to a shattered pipe using the techniques in the first video!

[TheGoose]

I had flex PVC and mine were totally blocked. They were collapsed. The guys I hired were able to dig under the deck/skimmer and replace them with regular PVC.

The original main drain is still flex. I think what makes the skimmers go bad is putting chlorine pucks directly in the skimmer basket it eats away on the material over time. Wish I still had the piece that came out-looked like a monster from a sci-fi movie.

Can't do anything about the main drain I suppose. Right now it's still functional.

FYI I paid about $450/skimmer. The "pool" co's were quoting $1,000/skimmer.

I had to run my pool with no skimmers for about 5 years until I got this fixed. It made all the difference in the world. Much easier to maintain.

[PoolDoc]

Yea. Flex pipe should *NEVER* be placed under ground. It was always a seriously bad idea.

[TheGoose]

Can anything be done when my main drain collapses? Or do I just consider it dead and go to skimmers only?

Sometimes I circulate on "Both". Seems like it helps clean the bottom of the pool. Also I use the main drain when I empty the pool for cleaning etc.