Clogged swimming pool line

[bs0323]

There's a hickory tree near my pool that is dropping acorn-like seeds into my pool, and the vacuum has picked them up and driven them into the line going from the skimmer to the pool. So, the water flow has been restricted greatly, and I've tried a number of things to unclog it, but to no avail yet. I tried a snake from both ends and a DrainKing (forced water at end of hose) and am stumped on how to clean it out, since I obviously can't use chemicals, and am worried about being too aggressive so that I don't ruin the buried, flexible PVC hose (1 1/2"). Any ideas? Thanks

[Craven Morehead]

Trained squirrels?

[hallerb]

how about compressed air backwards? that might dislodge the clog

[bs0323]

Great minds think alike - - I tried "Kleer Drain", which used CO2 cartridges to drive supposedly anything out of a drain...no luck :>(

Thanks for the idea.

[e-mail] wrote:

[hallerb]

how big of a cartridge? small cartridge may be fine on small line but not enough for pool line, besides the plug ius probably leaking a little.

before you get out the digging tools you might as well try a compressor, since you have nothing to lose")

[hallerb]

add find max working pressure for line and stay below that. so you dont split line.

a compressor with a nice big tank would be best.

connect lines, turn air out OFF, run compressor when its at 90 PSI OPEN VALVE SUDDENLY, to shock the debris and get them to move.

If all else fails ask a pool company perhaps they have a mystic approach.

[Chris Lewis]

According to [e-mail] :

Shocking a PVC line with 90 PSI doesn't sound wise. Start lower than that. Try 20 or 30 PSI first and make your way up. That's about the max the pool pump can create.

Before doing that, make sure it's not the pump that's clogged.

We have a particular type of plant that drops something into the pool water which clogs the pump impeller channels. Have to pull the pump chamber apart and fish the crud out with pipe cleaners.

[hallerb]

90 PSI is common for water systems, so it shouldnt do any harm.

Its not the pump if a garden hose barely gets water thru.

Starting low is a good idea.

If your backflushing you must displace the weight of the water in the pool.

[Richard J Kinch]

I know it's a little late now, but shouldn't there be strainers in the system to prevent this?

[Chris Lewis]

Not for pool plumbing. Nor does it have potentially large impacts like that - large amounts of water abruptly running an obstruction - which can cause pressure spikes be far higher than the nominal pressure of the air. Think destructive water hammer.

Given the size of the lines, a regular compressor probably can't inflict enough air fast enough to accomplish major pounding, but it's better to be safe than sorry, and not go above about 45 PSI except as a very last resort before excavating and replacing the lines.

There's a reason why professionals flushing irrigation systems generally don't use standard compressors. They use higher volume lower pressure units.

[I flush mine with a regular compressor, but with care...]

No, usually just the weight of the water in the skimmer stated as a the pressure exerted by a column of water at most about 18" deep. Which works out to about 1/2 PSI.

Even if the inlet you're flushing thru is at the bottom of the pool, it only represents about 4 PSI at most.

Tain't nothing compared to 30 PSI, let alone 90.

[John]

I have the same occasional problem. I insert my garden hose down the line from the pump toward the pool. I feed it as far as it will go with the nozzle on it open, then when I "feel" resistance, I turn on the water and poke and prod the hose further down the line. Hope it helps

[bs0323]

I'll try that, but it may be impossible since I have a relatively sharp turn as the pipe from the pump goes underground and heads toward the skimmer. I've had trouble getting a snake through there, so a garden hose may be too large. Thanks for the idea, though - I appreciate it.

John wrote:

[SMS]

There is no strainer between the vacuum hose and the PVC inlet under the skimmer basket. You remove the basket to plug the hose in. The debris gets caught in the pump strainer basket. However you can get an in-line canister to capture debris before it goes into the skimmer suction port.

The problem is that a suction side vacuum sucks (no pun intended), though usually it'll be the hose that gets clogged, not the pipe.

The Dolphin robotic pool cleaners do the best job in terms of cleaning, but the Polaris pressure side cleaners are cheaper (but they don't pick up fine particles of sand, plus they require a separate pump). I used to have a Polaris, and now I have a Dolphin, and the Dolphin keeps the pool much cleaner.

If a DrainKing can't unclog it then it's really bad.

[SMS]

Maybe an electrician's fish tape would reach the obstruction. You wouldn't get much leverage to push the clog, but maybe you don't need a lot to get it going.

I presume that you already read: "

"

[Chris Lewis]

Not in our case. The skimmer basket stays in.

[Bob G.]

Same here ...the basket stays in ...You can remove the basket BUT you are not susposed to...its kept in to prevent the lines from getting clogged... removeing the basket and connecting the hose to the line without the basket is a good way to clog a line...

Bob G.

[Cary]

replying to hallerb, Cary wrote: I tried this still not successful. Would acid help?

[gfretwell]

If this is spa flex and you can't get a snake through it, I think you need a shovel.

[Tekkie®]

Uncle Monster posted for all of us...

Good one!

[Tekkie®]

[e-mail] posted for all of us...

To shovel against the tide? 8)