You're a lifesaver!! I had my nearby palm trees trimmed which left a ton of debris in my pool. I used a manual pool vac to clean my pool, thinking that would be the quickest way to get the debris out of my water to keep my water healthy, not thinking that using the vacuum would clog my pipes. But it did. No water flow, no water getting to my pump, and it wouldn't backwash at all. I was freaking out, and quickly started searching when I found your video. I used my shopvac to basically pump out my pool vac line, and at first (like for 5 minutes) I wasn't getting anything but water. And no change with water flow/pump/backwash ability. But I kept at it and although I didn't get a huge amount of debris, the shopvac trick must have unblocked the clog because water started flowing from my returns, the pump filled with water, and I was able to backwash. You saved the day!
This video is a God send!!!! I was vaccuming my pool and then I was ready to prime my pump. It wasn't priming, filter wasn't filling up. Discovered a rock in the pipe in the skimmer. Tried to remove it and dropped it down the pipe!!! Ugh! Watched your video. Went out and boom! First try I was able to suck out the rock!!! Thank you so very very much for this video!!!!🙏🙏🙏 I have already subscribed! lol
Thanks man! Helped alot! I tried that rubber expansion balloon and it blew into my line! I had to let the water bring it back up thank god. The shop vac works better.
Thank you for this wonderfully simple solution! I had been thinking about snaking, but not only did you remind me of the wet function of my shop vac, it was SO much easier. You not only saved me the grief, but you saved me a service call on the Saturday of a long weekend during a pool party. :-) The vacuum canister doesn't have to fill with all kinds of obvious guck either. Sometimes the action of dislodging anything might be enough to loosen everything once the water starts flowing again. I ran my vacuum for 5 draws of 9 US gal (around 170 L in total) because I didn't know how much water was in my lines. BIG TIP: When you restart the pump, water can take a disturbingly long time to start flowing back into the pool, because you've emptied the line of water, and the pump has to pull enough air to displace the water. Your pump will sound very odd as it draws air and increasing amounts of water over a much longer period of time than you may expect. Be patient. For those of you asking which hole, it's the same one you'd use for vacuuming (suction). Whether you use a skimmer hole or a dedicated one in the wall to vacuum, it's that one.
I vacuumed my pool after a storm we had (a lot of leaves/debris left after I skimmed most) and lost pressure in my skimmer line. This is the first video I watched and it did the trick! I actually have similar wet vac. I just used my pool vacuum hose. Thanks So Much!
Called a hydroflush. You don't have to remove that cover. Remove the glass/clear cover to your left, shove the hydroflush into there and it should work. Or you can use the hydroflush on the skimmer side. There about $10 at Lowes
You're a godsend!!! Thanks soooo much for making this simple video!!! I'm going to go try it now and I think it's gonna do the trick! Thanks for being bad a$$!!! 👍💪🏽
Going to try the Hydroflush tomorrow morning. My circulations valves have no pressure except for the overflow valve. Hope it works and thanks for the video Billy!!
just a friendly comment. You shouldn't have chlorine tabs in your skimmer basket.....creates high acidity when the pump is off and eats away at the basket and pipes in that area
@@porgesto8809 if you have your pool pump running 24/7/365, you are correct. if your pool pump turns off, trichlor sits and actually does become pretty acidic.
@@porgesto8809 chlorine is very acidic! Chlorine gas has a Ph of 0, Trichlor has a Ph Value 2.7! Anything under 7 is a acid! When chlorine reacts with the hydrogen in water it turns into hypochlorous acid! So please tell me again why chlorine is not acidic??
I used to put chlorine tablets in my skimmer also, but took them out, because they were corroding the copper lines to my pool filters, and causing leaks...
You didn’t say which of the holes in the skimmer to put the vacuum tube in and the pump directions were equally as vague. Where does the vacuum go in the jandy valve opening? What if your valve is vertical like mine?
@@riddlegunnermanuel6503 oh, haha. I just saw that and thought "oh cool, I can just put the tablets in the skimmer?" Is it bad because it's so concentrated near where swimmers are?
Putting tabs in the skimmer creates a super concentrated area of corrosive water directly into your pump. It will eat your baskets, plumbing, seals, and impeller.
One of my customers dropped a spring component down the pool side "main drain" hole of the skimmer. not the suction side (thank god). Is there anyway to blow that side out? its not jammed just lost down there somewhere. Too far to even see.
I am one of your subs....got a ? for you. My electronic pool cleaner is a Polaris 280 that plugs into a female fitting on the side of the pool. It is a return. (not a suction) I also have 3 other return jets with the "eyeball" fitting. I don't have an extender hose as shown in your vid. If I want to clean this out using a wet vac, do I need an extender hose? Thanks for your help.
It can't be a return if it's plugged into the vac. The jets are the returns. You can get these hoses very cheap at the local pool supply. They may give you an old one.
@@btuff Thanks for the prompt reply. My lingo might be confusing, sorry. I plug the Polaris 280 into this fitting in my pool. This is how it was set up when it was built in 2007. I have always used this fitting (I don't really know what to call it) for my Polaris to help clean my pool. The reason I refer to it as a "return" is because when I disconnect the Polaris, water shoots out of it. That is why I called it a "return", cuz it returns water to the pool. My Polaris has it's own motor. I run it daily to sweep the bottom and sides of my pool. Any additional feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again :)
Basically what you're doing is reversing the flow in the suction side. That really is the only place you can have a clogged pipe. So we need to suck it the opposite direction. You're pool vac is obviously the suction side as it picks up debris. We need to use the hose that connects to your suction device.
@@anitarushlow4022 hi there! I'm trying to determine if like is clogged in my mom's pool and like you I use her polaris to clean daily that is connected to the side.port.on the pool next to another outgoing eyeball jet. I totalllly get your lingo and undedtasn what you are saying and asking but never heard a true answer or soluton to your quest from BTUFF. More importantly...did you hioke your whole wet/dry vac up to that"polaris port" in the pool to check for clogs and or did you go to your vacuum port in your skimmer basket where he was implying you needed to use to reverse the flow on the auction side. I am clueless. And broke. And desperate to do something right for my 80 yr old, greatly disappointed-in-me mother and can't seem to get the courage to ask for a play by play on what to do if you have a pool set-up like you have so I was hoping you could maybe briefly, and in your own time explain if you were able to unclog or find a clog in your pool with this method. And if so, did you buy a different cheap hose from the pool supply place and connect it to your shop vac hose and then into the "polaris port" and turn the vacuum on or put the hose on the exit "blowing out" side of the wet/dry vac. I'm so confused! Sorry sincerely for the stupid questions but you seemed quite confident enough in what "structure/setup" hour pool has and it sounds like her pool with Hayward filter pump built back in 1996!! Any help you can give me will or is beyond appreciated. Thank you!
@@anitarushlow4022 Polaris 280 is a pressure side cleaner. Those lines rarely clog. He’s referring to clearing only the suction lines from the main drain and skimmer.
Those tabs in the skimmer will eventually weaken the pvc piping and turn them brittle. Next thin you know you have a collapsed line or broken pipe. Those tabs arestill dissolving even when your pump is turned off and turns all the water in your skimmer and suction line corrosive.
I might actually have a small branch that still has pine needles in intake hose.i'll disconect line and see if i can shove garden hose thru..zodiac barracuda stops water flow entirely. Big pump is above pool water level but for years thats never been problem
I still can't figure out how that vac sucked up all that water with the outlet drain plug completely missing. Are Craftsman wet/dry vacs totally awesome, or what?
You didn't say or show where to put the other end of hose or how to attach it, only the hose end to the vac. Guess I'll figure it out but if you're gonna post a video, don't leave out the most important part.
You're a lifesaver!! I had my nearby palm trees trimmed which left a ton of debris in my pool. I used a manual pool vac to clean my pool, thinking that would be the quickest way to get the debris out of my water to keep my water healthy, not thinking that using the vacuum would clog my pipes. But it did. No water flow, no water getting to my pump, and it wouldn't backwash at all. I was freaking out, and quickly started searching when I found your video. I used my shopvac to basically pump out my pool vac line, and at first (like for 5 minutes) I wasn't getting anything but water. And no change with water flow/pump/backwash ability. But I kept at it and although I didn't get a huge amount of debris, the shopvac trick must have unblocked the clog because water started flowing from my returns, the pump filled with water, and I was able to backwash. You saved the day!
This video is a God send!!!! I was vaccuming my pool and then I was ready to prime my pump. It wasn't priming, filter wasn't filling up. Discovered a rock in the pipe in the skimmer. Tried to remove it and dropped it down the pipe!!! Ugh! Watched your video. Went out and boom! First try I was able to suck out the rock!!! Thank you so very very much for this video!!!!🙏🙏🙏 I have already subscribed! lol
Thanks man! Helped alot! I tried that rubber expansion balloon and it blew into my line! I had to let the water bring it back up thank god. The shop vac works better.
He’s referring to a drain bladder at 3:25, it’s a great tool to have. It screws on the hose and pressurized the water to clear up the line.
Thank you for this wonderfully simple solution! I had been thinking about snaking, but not only did you remind me of the wet function of my shop vac, it was SO much easier. You not only saved me the grief, but you saved me a service call on the Saturday of a long weekend during a pool party. :-)
The vacuum canister doesn't have to fill with all kinds of obvious guck either. Sometimes the action of dislodging anything might be enough to loosen everything once the water starts flowing again.
I ran my vacuum for 5 draws of 9 US gal (around 170 L in total) because I didn't know how much water was in my lines.
BIG TIP: When you restart the pump, water can take a disturbingly long time to start flowing back into the pool, because you've emptied the line of water, and the pump has to pull enough air to displace the water. Your pump will sound very odd as it draws air and increasing amounts of water over a much longer period of time than you may expect. Be patient.
For those of you asking which hole, it's the same one you'd use for vacuuming (suction). Whether you use a skimmer hole or a dedicated one in the wall to vacuum, it's that one.
I vacuumed my pool after a storm we had (a lot of leaves/debris left after I skimmed most) and lost pressure in my skimmer line. This is the first video I watched and it did the trick! I actually have similar wet vac. I just used my pool vacuum hose. Thanks So Much!
Called a hydroflush. You don't have to remove that cover. Remove the glass/clear cover to your left, shove the hydroflush into there and it should work. Or you can use the hydroflush on the skimmer side. There about $10 at Lowes
You're a godsend!!! Thanks soooo much for making this simple video!!! I'm going to go try it now and I think it's gonna do the trick! Thanks for being bad a$$!!! 👍💪🏽
worked great! , pool cleaner line had several pieces of plastic debris, barracuda is back on the job.
awesome. Better than paying someone 200 bucks to do it.
Hi
This was a very helpful video thanks from England .....proper job ...
I can vouch for this method. My pool pump is at optimum Power now and is super silent
Good video. That piece you put in the end of the hose is called a pressure bladder.
Here's the shop vac we used in the video: amzn.to/3cmzRqS
This is what I needed to learn today.. thanks..
Awesome. thanks for checking out our page.
Quick and easy solution
Thank you!!!! Super helpful.
Where did ya hook the hose to the drain
Going to try the Hydroflush tomorrow morning. My circulations valves have no pressure except for the overflow valve. Hope it works and thanks for the video Billy!!
just a friendly comment. You shouldn't have chlorine tabs in your skimmer basket.....creates high acidity when the pump is off and eats away at the basket and pipes in that area
D Matt Chlorine is not acidic.
@@porgesto8809 if you have your pool pump running 24/7/365, you are correct. if your pool pump turns off, trichlor sits and actually does become pretty acidic.
Agree. I have trichlor floater stuck for just 12 hours in a dead shallow pool spot. It removed the calcium deposits from that specific area. Wew
@@porgesto8809 chlorine is very acidic! Chlorine gas has a Ph of 0, Trichlor has a Ph Value 2.7! Anything under 7 is a acid! When chlorine reacts with the hydrogen in water it turns into hypochlorous acid! So please tell me again why chlorine is not acidic??
I used to put chlorine tablets in my skimmer also, but took them out, because they were corroding the copper lines to my pool filters, and causing leaks...
So nice to hear English
great video man, thank you!
You bet, thanks for the reply.
BEST WAY TO UNCLOG ON RUclips I WENT THROUGH TODAY. SUBSBRIBED
can a towel with the hose to help stop up hole
The skimmer portion....what do you do? Which line? You glossed right over it. Otherwise, I'll try the other two methods. Thanks!
Whatever line has the suction from the pool, push it into that. You're basically reversing the suction side.
Was it sucking into the wet dry vac or blowing?
thanks for the help
You didn’t say which of the holes in the skimmer to put the vacuum tube in and the pump directions were equally as vague. Where does the vacuum go in the jandy valve opening? What if your valve is vertical like mine?
Whatever drain has the suction
@@btuff hard to tell what side has suction when you have a clog and no flow. Can you damage if you try both holes?
Turn pump on and look. You'll see which side is sucking.
When applying vacuum to the skimmer return line as shown in the video, the lid needs to be off the pump housing to allow air into the line, correct??
Thank you for that information!
Sorry but adding chlorine tablets to a skimmer is a no no
Why?
@@joshwoods6911Dont seem to be fitted as standard
@@riddlegunnermanuel6503 oh, haha. I just saw that and thought "oh cool, I can just put the tablets in the skimmer?"
Is it bad because it's so concentrated near where swimmers are?
Yes @ josh woods why is it a no no?
Putting tabs in the skimmer creates a super concentrated area of corrosive water directly into your pump. It will eat your baskets, plumbing, seals, and impeller.
Do I need to remove the Jandy valve at 3:12 on the pump side before vacuuming the line?
Just the screws on top
@@btuff What I'm trying to get is do I need to unscrew the Jandy valve when vacuuming the at the pool side? Or just leave it seal at the pump side?
@@jd8947 it shouldn't matter but you could. Or just open the lid to remove the negative
vacuum
Great info. How would you unclog the jacuzzi jets? Is there a similar way?
yes
@@btuff I have a pentair. I tried using the shop vac pushing through the PVC pipe next to the pump system but still no luck. hmmmm
I have a Jandy, How may I unplug the spa jets? Also, what’s the name of the tool plumbers use to make a tight seal?
super helpful!
Glad it helped!
One of my customers dropped a spring component down the pool side "main drain" hole of the skimmer.
not the suction side (thank god). Is there anyway to blow that side out? its not jammed just lost down there somewhere. Too far to even see.
I accidentally sectioned a bag of pennies into the skimmer line. Do you think these tricks would work?
Probably.
Keeping chlorine tabs in skimmer, they say is bad for pool pump, no ?
Yes it is bad, don’t do it. Just get a floater
I am one of your subs....got a ? for you. My electronic pool cleaner is a Polaris 280 that plugs into a female fitting on the side of the pool. It is a return. (not a suction) I also have 3 other return jets with the "eyeball" fitting. I don't have an extender hose as shown in your vid. If I want to clean this out using a wet vac, do I need an extender hose? Thanks for your help.
It can't be a return if it's plugged into the vac. The jets are the returns. You can get these hoses very cheap at the local pool supply. They may give you an old one.
@@btuff Thanks for the prompt reply. My lingo might be confusing, sorry. I plug the Polaris 280 into this fitting in my pool. This is how it was set up when it was built in 2007. I have always used this fitting (I don't really know what to call it) for my Polaris to help clean my pool. The reason I refer to it as a "return" is because when I disconnect the Polaris, water shoots out of it. That is why I called it a "return", cuz it returns water to the pool. My Polaris has it's own motor. I run it daily to sweep the bottom and sides of my pool. Any additional feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again :)
Basically what you're doing is reversing the flow in the suction side. That really is the only place you can have a clogged pipe. So we need to suck it the opposite direction. You're pool vac is obviously the suction side as it picks up debris. We need to use the hose that connects to your suction device.
@@anitarushlow4022 hi there! I'm trying to determine if like is clogged in my mom's pool and like you I use her polaris to clean daily that is connected to the side.port.on the pool next to another outgoing eyeball jet. I totalllly get your lingo and undedtasn what you are saying and asking but never heard a true answer or soluton to your quest from BTUFF. More importantly...did you hioke your whole wet/dry vac up to that"polaris port" in the pool to check for clogs and or did you go to your vacuum port in your skimmer basket where he was implying you needed to use to reverse the flow on the auction side. I am clueless. And broke. And desperate to do something right for my 80 yr old, greatly disappointed-in-me mother and can't seem to get the courage to ask for a play by play on what to do if you have a pool set-up like you have so I was hoping you could maybe briefly, and in your own time explain if you were able to unclog or find a clog in your pool with this method. And if so, did you buy a different cheap hose from the pool supply place and connect it to your shop vac hose and then into the "polaris port" and turn the vacuum on or put the hose on the exit "blowing out" side of the wet/dry vac. I'm so confused! Sorry sincerely for the stupid questions but you seemed quite confident enough in what "structure/setup" hour pool has and it sounds like her pool with Hayward filter pump built back in 1996!! Any help you can give me will or is beyond appreciated. Thank you!
@@anitarushlow4022 Polaris 280 is a pressure side cleaner. Those lines rarely clog. He’s referring to clearing only the suction lines from the main drain and skimmer.
Co2 tank and a hydro flush
How many hp is the wet dry vac you used ?
whats at the other end of the line? Is that permanently attached to your pool??
I'm not sure why there is two lines. I only know one sucks in.
I have a question. Water hose got stuck in the side skimmer of the pool. You think this might help?
If it's causing a jam yes.
Shouldn’t have those tabs in the skimmer
Having chlorine tabs in the skimmer is actually a really great way to chlorinate the pool.
Those tabs in the skimmer will eventually weaken the pvc piping and turn them brittle. Next thin you know you have a collapsed line or broken pipe. Those tabs arestill dissolving even when your pump is turned off and turns all the water in your skimmer and suction line corrosive.
I could have sworn there was a video of you doing the skimmer method… an I wrong??
I might actually have a small branch that still has pine needles in intake hose.i'll disconect line and see if i can shove garden hose thru..zodiac barracuda stops water flow entirely. Big pump is above pool water level but for years thats never been problem
Does anyone know the name of the part he's talking about at 3:24?
I still can't figure out how that vac sucked up all that water with the outlet drain plug completely missing. Are Craftsman wet/dry vacs totally awesome, or what?
It didn't suck up until the drain was clear. With no resistance of a clean drain the water made it's way to the top.
@@btuff
Aaaah that makes sense.
What do each of the two lines in the skimmer go to? This worked last year but this year it's not working. Too much debris or something
It’s easy to figure out. Which ever side is sucking things in is going to pump. That’s the line you want to hook to
Ooohhh...shop vac!
Does the pump need to be turned off?
Yes.
The tool that you use to pressurize is called a bladder. We call it a bull dick.
Poor treatments descriptions
Legit
You didn't say or show where to put the other end of hose or how to attach it, only the hose end to the vac. Guess I'll figure it out but if you're gonna post a video, don't leave out the most important part.
What’s to figure out? Put pool vacuum line into your wet/dry vacuum line and turn on.
@@btuff Where was the the other end of the hose going? Did you detach it from the Barracuda?
@@gayeclaggett2444 yes, one side goes into the vacuume, one side goes into the suction line.
@@btuff OK, my pool is really old and doesn't have one. I will try something else. Thank you!
@@gayeclaggett2444 how does it filter water? what ever sucks the water into the pool filter, use that
No help
Will you marry me