How to Use a Manual Pool Vacuum

A manually operated pool vacuum is a common way for swimming pool owners to keep their pools sparkling clean. Vacuuming is a part of the weekly maintenance that is necessary to ensure that all foreign debris is removed from the water. Leaves and other organic material, such as pollen, grass, insects and needles or seedlings, can promote algae growth. As the material decays and breaks apart, it supplies nutrients to algae, so the removal of any foreign debris is imperative.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Extension pole
• Weighted vacuum head
• Vacuum hose
• Skim-vac attachment

1. Empty your skimmer basket and pump basket of any leaves or debris that may be present. Allow full, unimpeded access to the water once the vacuuming begins.

2. Use a telescopic metallic extension pole that can extend to a length of 16 feet and attach a weighted vacuum head. Attach a vacuum hose to the vacuum head that is 10 feet longer than the largest dimension of your pool.

3. Hold the pole and place the vacuum head on the floor of the pool. Hold the unattached end of the hose and allow the entire length of vacuum hose to become submerged to remove any air pockets that may be present. If air pockets are present, they act as a blockage inside of the hose and prevent the siphoning action from taking place. Running the pump without water flowing through it may damage the motor, shaft seal and impeller.

4. Attach the skim-vac adapter that came with your skimmer to the end of the water-filled hose.

5. Place the skim-vac attachment into the skimmer and rest it on top of your skimmer basket.

6. Turn your multi-port valve to the filter setting and turn on the pump. Vacuum the floor of your pool until the entire area has been vacuumed.

7. Turn off your pump and remove the entire vacuum system from the pool.

Tips & Warnings

• Store the detached hose by coiling it loosely and keeping it out of the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, which can break down the plastic and degrade your hose, shortening its life expectancy. Leave the extension pole and vacuum head attached to each other. Always note what the starting pressure is on your pressure gauge before starting to vacuum. If the gauge increases between 5 to 8 pounds per square inch higher than the starting pressure, backwash the filter. Take note what the filter pressure is after backwashing, it should have decreased to your original benchmark, which is different on everyone's pool. There is no standard starting pressure. When a sand filter is backwashed, the sand is being cleaned of all the debris it has accumulated during the filtering process. The pressure in the filter increases because the water, which flowed between the grains of sand, now finds its pathways blocked by debris. Increase the blockages, and the pressure will increase accordingly.

References

• Hayward

Resources

• Hayward Pool Products