Pool Drain Question

[Dottie]

I have a cover on my swimming pool drain that is round, solid in the middle and small squares around the outside...it is Miami-Dade approved. It is supposed to be held in place with two screws. My pool robot frequently gets caught on the lid and I have to push it off. Somehow one screw came out. I need to replace it...but none of us can swim well enough to go down and get a closer look. Does anyone know how I can find out what screw to buy? We will have to drain enough water out of the pool and replace it ourselves probably. The people at the pool supply store recently bought it and don't know who to call for a job like this. The pool was resurfaced about five years ago and the new cover put on the drain. Any help would be appreciated. (Don't know what happened to the old screw...I just cleaned the filter and it wasn't in there.)

[Oren]

Is the drain shown on this link? *

Given the water table in Miami, it's not advisable to drain the pool. It can "pop" out of the ground. A local pool cleaning/maintenance company can make the repair.

[Dottie]

We aren't in Miami - we are further north. What we planned to do was drain enough water out to be able to work at the deep end without it being over our heads. We have had the pool partially drained before when it was re-surfaced and when we needed to do something else. Getting people who do these small jobs is harder than you think. They just don't want to be bothered ... it doesn't pay them to come out for an hour or so.

[gfretwell]

It is probably a #8 by 1 1/4" oval head STAINLESS self tapping screw. That is somewhat standard. If the hole is stripped you can use a #10 They will be in a bag at the pool store and a lot cheaper loose at the hardware store. Just be sure you get stainless

Do you know a SCUBA diver? ;-)

I am not sure what kind of cleaner you have but my Hayward Navigator falls in love with the drain cover when the shoes are worn. It sits too low. They are easy to replace and the guy should have them at the pool store.

DO not drain your pool until it stops raining (Probably January) and then don't drain more than a couple feet off. It will pop out of the ground.

[Dottie]

I am going to go to a different pool store tomorrow and hope to get the name of someone who does this type of work. My husband wants to try to do it but I know he can't - and of course, you are right about not draining the pool until later in the year. I just wondered if people who work on the pools drain them for this type of thing or do they have equipment so they can go under water and work.

[aemeijers]

Hint- it is a lot easier to swim down to the bottom at a shallow angle, than to try and go straight down to something.

-- aem sends...

[Dottie]

I got a pair of goggles and a nose cover - and today I tried to inspect the drain. I couldn't get down far enough, just floated up every time. The drain appears to be held in place by the suction of the drain - so as long as it's not disturbed it should be o.k. with the one screw holding it. It is shaped like the Hayward cover in the picture but don't think it has the Hayward name on it. My robot is a Hayward....and it probably does need new flappers. Everything is closed today, I will start calling tomorrow. Judging from today's outing, someone has to use scuba gear to work on it or we have to drain the pool enough to work on it. It cost a lot to refill the pool...the county charges extra here per gallon unless it is the first time fill.

[SteveBell]

Do what the scuba divers do: tie a weight around your waist to keep you on the bottom. Make sure the weight is light enough that you can get back out.

Did I mention that you should check first to see if you can get back out while wearing the weight? Also have someone there to rescue you if you black out.

[Mark]

Note this can be VERY dangerous. Do NOT run the pump without the drain cover installed over the drain. People can actually get stuck to the drain by the suction or get their hair caught and be trapped underwater and drown. Even worse things that I don't even want to repeat can and have happened. I am not kidding about this, it seems silly but is very serious. Uncovered pool drains are a VERY serious saftey hazard. Please heed this warning.

Mark

[gfretwell]

The Hayward cover is a round dome on top. The Pentair cover is flat on top. Hayward Navigators will hang on a Pentair cover, even when they are brand new. I swapped to Hayward covers (some modification necessary) If this just started hanging up you probably need shoes, not flappers. They are the wedge shaped rubber doodads that walk this thing across the bottom. Pry them off with a butter knife

[Dottie]

A man is coming Friday to look at it. In the meantime, the drain is not uncovered - it is covered and the cover is being held in place with one screw. The man said he did not need to drain the pool to fix the problem so that is a relief. He does have scuba gear and was recommended by the company that installed the pool.