How do I use a swimming pool vacuum?

Much of this will depend on what type of filter you have. If it's a sand filter, great, but if it's a cartridge or DE filter, vaccing up that mess using your filter equipment isn't the way to go. That sand and debris on the bottom, will gum them up in no time at all. A sand filter you can put on the "drain" or "waste" position. This by passes your filter entirely and sends debris that's made it through the pump basket, directly out the back wash line. It requires using some of your pool water to vac this way, but it's faster, less work and won't risk damage to your equipment quite as much.

Ideally, the best way to to get a pool tech in, with a separate pump, but if this isn't an option you can do it the way I described. You'll just need to scoop out, with a net, all the large debris and occasionally empty your pump basket or skimmer basket if you used a skimmer vac plate.

The process for getting a vac ready for use, is quite simple. This is how pool pros do it:

1/ Attach vac head to pole and hose to vac head. Set this up in the shallow end by a pool return.

2/ With all of this on the deck, take the free end of the hose and walk to the skimmer, untwisting the hose so that it's straight.

3/ Take out the skimmer basket (unless you use a vac plate) and push the free end of the hose through the skimmer and up through the deck hole a foot or so.

4/ walk over to your pool pole/vac head and place the hole in the vac head directly over the running pool return. This will force water through the hose. When you see it come out of the end at the skimmer, you've gotten all the air out. If this is a sand filter, now is the time to switch the multiport from filter to "waste" or "drain", and have your backwash hose rolled out. Always turn off the pool pump when you swap positions on the multiport, never do it while the pump is going, you can blow the keystem gasket. When it's in the new position, turn it on, head back to the pool and plug in your hose to the back hole of the skimmer or the vac plate if you're using one.

Vac as quickly as you can, try not to lift the vac head off the bottom too much, it stirs stuff up.Start in the shallow end and work to the deep end just like you dust a house on cleaning day. Start high, go low. Remember, you're draining some pool water out with that debris, it's dropping your water level. Vac quickly. If you can't get it all done in one shot, don't worry, just add some more water and go at it again later. It's helpful in this situation, to have filled the pool up as high as you can, prior to starting to vac this way. Sometimes, by the time you're finnished if you're fast, the water level ends up just right.

The vac head you're using is what's called a vinyl pool vac head. Use it if this is a vinyl pool. If it's a concrete pool, I'd suggest ditching that thing and buying a proper concrete pool vac head. They roll on wheels. Easier to maneuver and they don't tend to push stuff out of the vac's path. Don't use one of these on a vinyl pool unless you know what you're doing. It can easily get stuck on the bottom and an inexperienced person can cause damage to the liner.

If you DO have a DE or cartridge filter, get a pool tech in. There's no way to bypass those systems and everything vac'd up, goes into them. It'll clog up in a hurry. You'll spend more time cleaning the filter than you will cleaning the pool.

If you have any other comments or questions, my email is available on my profile page.

Put the hose over the water return to fill it with water. You'll know when it's full because the air bubbles will stop coming out of the end of the hose that is attached to the vacuum part (the triangle part you mentioned).

Then, remove the hose from the water return but don't take it out of the water. Put it in to the skimmer on top of the basket. You will now have a suction.

I do not have a problem getting sand up with my vacuum attachment. BUT, sometimes it's easier to remove that part & you only then have the hose --- I get in the pool and hold this hose between my feet & can scoot it right across the sandy areas. Sometimes that's easier.

Good luck.

How To Use Pool Vacuum

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RE:

How do I use a swimming pool vacuum?

I drained my pool because after Hurricane Katrina, I haven't been able to adjust it, so I figured I would start fresh. Problem is my pool is full of sand and dirt thanks to Katrina. How do I use my hth vacuum to get out the rest of the mess? The vacuum is shaped like a triangle, with a...

You have to do it with a different hose. The vaccum will not work with sand. We had to do ours manually. Just put the hose in where the backet is and connect a brush to it and it will suck out the sand that way. Good luck to you!

MAKE SURE THE hose is full of water as you place it in the pool or it will not suck up the sand!