In-ground cleaning system, main drain clog

[Barbieri]

We have a 12 year old pool. Our filters are clean. The cleaning system pulls through the skimmers, but not through the main pool drain. It works fine when on spa mode, too. We did have a time of lots of wind. and debris may have gotten stuck down main drain. We heated the pool and stuck a wire hanger down the main drain to try and unclog potential blockage - to no avail. We tried a "bladder" going through where the wire basket is to use water pressure to blow out anything- to no avail. Do we need to buy a "snake" or some other special tool to unclog this area? Any tips on how to proceed would be appreciated.

[Patrick Doyle]

If there is an obstruction in the line, its not likely that you will pull it up to the top.  It will need to go out the same way that it went in.  You can pressurize with air or water, and you can also try a snake.  

Pat Doyle

pdoyle@doylepools.com

[JasonKnight]

Pool drains get clogged from time to time, even if you properly care for and maintain your pool. It is important to maintain the drains to avoid bigger problems down the road.

[Barbieri]

Thanks guys. I'll look into that "pool plunger" if the problem still exists after Wed. The pool guy is going to put another set of eyes on our problem. Doesn't sound promising.

[milamin]

There are several ways in which you can unclog pool drains. You could either do it by yourself or call any inground pool builders to do it for you. Firstly you would need to turn off the pump and remove water from the pool to work at the bottom drain. If there are any objects that might get in the way it would be best to remove it. Remove all the big debris like leaves, twigs, and dirt.Even if the debris isn’t the cause of the clog it would be better to get it out of the way so that it would easier to clean the drain.

In most cases, it is the small debris found inside the drain line that is causing the clog. This could be anything from pieces of dirt to foliage. You could use a clog removing device that relies on water pressure to clear the drain. The balloon-like piece on the end of the device will prevent the water from moving back into the drain. While the water pressure flowing through the device will push the clog forward until it breaks apart. You could prevent future blogs by maintaining your pool on a regular basis. Make sure that you remove the debris every day and especially after a storm. Run the pump and filter as recommended by the manufacturer and clean the filter on a regular basis. You could clean the drain twice in a month by flushing it with with a clog removing device that uses water pressure.

[Barbieri]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The pool company we hired, "Total Pool Care", wasn't exactly "total". My husband bought an immersable mini camera. We snaked it down the pipe toward the main drain. We saw the blockage about 5 ft down, at the bend. Palm debris. We bought a plumber's snake, but found it too slow. We rented a powered snake and had it cleared in 15 minutes. Thanks again for the tips. 

[Gregoryzz]

Now I realize that clogging the pool is really a problem. A couple of years ago, my wife and I did not have the means to cause cleaning, which is why the water did not drain from the pool for about a week and all the garbage that came from the yard floated in it. Especially large debris was brought by the wind during a thunderstorm and we cleaned it with a net. You know, all sorts of twigs, packages. But, apparently, some strong cellophane bag could become something like a "bubble" in the drain pipe, not letting water through despite the high pressure - still 30 cubic meters. We later bought a device for removing blockages, but it would be better to call special workers to clean the underground network of pipelines. Recently, we generally clogged the air duct in the house, then we decided not to climb ourselves and called the Service of Duct Cleaning.