Pool newbie

[Limeybiscuit]

Thanks for your responses, much appreciated. The previous owner did indeed have a solar panel once, this was removed once he re-roofed the house. The red valve on the wall, I can turn it however and can hear water flow but unsure as to what purpose it serves so I always turn it back to its original state.

Both skimmers have this white plug screwed into them, I notice you stated it was for winterizing. So in essence if I remove each white plug from each skimmer what advantages would it give me? Both skimmers have two holes and both skimmers have one white plug screwed into them.

Also when I move the below valve to the opposite direction the water in the basket goes down and the pool starts to loose prime I think the pressure guage goes down and it makes a high pitched noise. When turning this valve all skimmer shut off, I am assuming it is directing flow to main drain?