Quote Originally Posted by DennisP View Post

Oh, and in fall when the leaves are flying, it makes a huge difference to still be able to filter the water via the mains drains if the skimmer clogs with leaves... I had it happen last fall when the kids were swimming when it was 50 degrees outside... The pump was on high, the pool heater was running heating the pool and the skimmer was totally filled with leaves... If the main drains would not have been able to supply the water properly the heater would have shut off due to either low flow or too high of heater temps and the kids wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as long as they did. Without main drains that situation would have been ruined since the pool would have started to get cold quickly (and a 3-4 degree drop with the kids playing is a big deal to them being able to enjoy themselves).


If you have a skimmer and a "main drain" located on the pool sidewall (AKA two inputs), a clogged skimmer will have no effect on circulation and flow rate. Over thirty years experience with that setup.

As far as mixing heated return water with pool water, all you need is an eyeball fitting connected to the heated water return. Aim it down a touch and the heated water mixes with the lower level cooler pool water.

I prefer that the "main drain" be located on the pool sidewall rather than on the pool bottom.