How to use your manual vacuum

Vacuuming your pool is something we would like to avoid, but if you want your water to look nice and remain healthy, it is a task that needs to be completed.  Having a robotic pool cleaner is a great way to avoid the manual vacuum, but even if you have a robotic cleaner, there are times that you may still need to do some manual vacuuming to the pool – a heavy algae bloom, for example, should be done with the manual vacuum rather than a robotic vacuum. 

So how do we go about setting up the manual vacuum?   

You will need – a vacuum head (vac head), a vacuum hose, a telescopic pole, and typically a vacuum plate for the skimmer. 

Attach the telescopic pole to the vac head, then attach one end of the vac hose to the vac head.  Place the vac head with the attached pieces into the pool. 

Next, using the other end of the hose, fill the hose with water.  One way to do this is to place this end of the vac hose against the return jet of the pool, this will push water through the hose and drive all the air out of it.   

You should see bubbles rising from the vac head on the pool floor…once the bubbles stop, all the air is out of the hose.  

Now attach this end of the hose to your vac plate and place it over the skimmer.  Ensure you have a good seal, or you will lose the suction. 

**If you do not have a vac plate, remove the basket from the skimmer and place the hose into the skimmer, making sure it is firmly in the hole at the bottom of the skimmer. 

NOTE:  If your vacuum loses suction during the vacuuming process, repeat the above steps to fix it. 

Slowly guide the vac head around the pool, beginning in the shallow end and make your way to the deep end.  If you move the vacuum too quickly you may end up kicking up the debris / particles on the bottom which can lead to clouding of the water.  If the water does become cloudy, allow it some time to resettle and begin again. 

If the vac head becomes stuck to the liner, turn off the pump to break the vacuum force and set it free. 

Keep an eye on your pressure gauge, if the pressure rises 8 – 10 psi above your normal number complete a backwash and then begin vacuuming again. 

If you have a lot of debris, you may want to vacuum to waste to remove the debris from the pool without using your filter media.  Vacuuming to waste will cause you to lose water, so, if possible, try using your wall brush to push the debris into piles that you can vacuum.  Having a second person assisting you is also a great idea as the second person can be turning the pump on and off as you move from section to section.