Drains and Skimmer Most pools have one, but larger pools can have several main drains. Main drains must be protected by an approved cover. Water is also introduced into the pump through one or more skimmers, located in the waterline. Your pool's main drains are useful for keeping a pool clean.
However, it is not mandatory to install a main pool drain. Your pool can survive without them. However, if you want to have sparkling pool water, you should install two pool skimmers instead of the main drains. Skimmers would promote proper circulation and filtration of pool water.
Alternatively, consider installing the main drains. Not only are they useful for filtering the pool, but also for emptying it during major repairs. Ultimately, consult your pool contractor before ignoring the installation of a main pool drain. The main drains are usually located at the lowest point of the pool, so the entire pool surface slopes toward them.
Most of the dirt and debris that sinks out of the pool through these drains. To prevent people from catching their hair or limbs in pipes, drains are almost always covered with anti-vortex grilles or covers (a cover that diverts the flow of water to prevent a dangerous vortex from forming). The so-called main drain of a pool is not really a drain; that is, it is not used to drain the pool. Instead, it's an outlet, which houses a pipe that goes to the pump, which sucks the water through a skimmer, then through a filter, then through a heater (if you have one) and then back to the pool through multiple inlets.
Most pools have two main drains, but a small pool can have only one. Drains are placed at the deepest point of the pool. This is because newer pools are designed with this hazard in mind and typically have at least two main drains as a result, reducing suction power by half and significantly reducing risk. With an adjustable platform base, union connections included, and a very strong warranty, these pumps offer impressive value for pool owners.
In these systems, each main drain is installed a minimum of three feet apart, and the main drain lines are connected to each other. Skimmers draw water the same way as main drains, but only suck from the top of the pool (usually the top eighth of an inch). In an active main drain there is direct suction from the pump to the main drain, without any other opening (closed circuit). The two main drains, if any, should be located in the deepest section of the pool, about three feet apart.
Ideally, the pump rotation rate should be approximately eight hours, which means that all the water in the pool goes through the previous steps in that time. This is why there have been changes in the swimming pool industry in how main drains should be installed, specifically to avoid (or at least reduce) the risk of entrapment. Still, even with hard-to-block drain covers that comply with VGB, as well as dual suction point piping configurations, main pool drains cannot be said to be 100% safe. There is no discernable suction power of a pool floor drain, not even one that is installed in the most dangerous plumbing configuration possible.
Now I don't want to alarm pool owners and swimmers, as the vast majority of pool drains pose no risk to bathers, but the reality is that main pool drains can be dangerous. It's a bit confusing, since “main drain” is its name, but main drains aren't actually used to drain swimming pools. While it's true that pool drains have the potential to be dangerous, they're not in the way that irrational fears can pose danger. That's why it's so important to keep main drain covers in place at all times, and cracked or broken main drain covers should be replaced.
Therefore, you can install both main drains or both skimmers to ensure that your pool water remains crystal clear. We have already seen that the water in a swimming pool needs to circulate through a filtration system, to remove dirt and debris. . .
