“You know… that thing?”
Not everyone knows all the ‘pool jargon’ that goes along with their swimming pool and equipment. That’s OK, most folks don’t, and really… why would you? We’re here to help. To the left is handy graphic that will help you better explain your problem to us. With a simple point of reference, you can talk about your pool like a pro.
The process of filtration starts with the skimmers and main drains. The skimmers are collection pots at the top of the pool which collect leaves and other debris. The name is commonly confused with the net you put at the end of a pole to clean the pool’s surface, but that is what’s known to us pool folk as a ‘leaf rake’. The main drains are the covered inlet fittings at the bottom of your pool.
Water is drawn into both the skimmers and main drains by the filter pump. The water passes through the pump and into the filter via the multi-port valve. This is the multi-setting device on the front of the filter which allows for different settings like filter, recirculate, backwash, rinse and waste. A cartridge filter will not have a multi-port valve.
From here, water passes through the filter and into the pool heater, if present. Then, water makes its way back into the pool via the pool’s returns, often through eye-ball type fittings.
And that’s it! In theory, pretty simple, but a lot of things can go wrong along the way. That’s where we come in!