When is the main drain opened? Do I open it when using the backwashing/rinsing port? Or Do I open it when using the waste port? I noticed that when I do open it a LOT of trash goes into the pump basket. Is this normal?
And, lastly does it make sense to put one 3" chlorine tablet in the skimmer basket?
Hi Ranger,
We suggest always having the main drain open. The main drain pulls dirt and debris from the floor of the pool where the skimmer(s) pull debris from the surface of the pool. I normally have my main drain half open and my skimmers half open, this allows me to pull debris from both the bottom of the pool and the surface of the pool.
We don’t suggest putting a chlorine tablet in the skimmer basket as this water is getting sucked right back to your equipment and you don’t want that highly concentrated chlorine going right back to the equipment as it will damage the pool equipment. We would suggest a Floating Pool Chlorinator that disperses the chlorine into the pool water and then the pool equipment is getting the diluted chlorinated water back to it. I hope that helps.
Thank you sooo much Patrick, I will use your advice about the chlorinator! However, I have a small spa built into the pool and when I leave the main drain open it drains the spa. When I just use the skimmer (and the main drain is closed) the spa allows returning water to spill over back into the pool slowly. When I use the main drain the spa slowly drains and there is no retuning water to the pool. It appears to be draining the spa dry! Of course I close the main drain before this can happen. Thats when I see debris going into my filter basket from the main drain. I must be doing something wrong!
Are you sure that you are pulling from the pool main drain and not the spa main drain? You may be pulling from the spa main drain and returning through the pool jets, which would drain your spa.