Pump Working Hard with Kreepy Running

[hyetech]

I'll try a backwash when I get home today - good idea.

As far as the main drain, I guess that's what I was getting at in my original post - I don't know HOW to get the main drain working at all. I don't have anything in the plumbing I can see that lets me switch between the skimmer and the main drain (can you tell I'm still a newbie? ).

There does seem to be an additional "hole" or opening in the skimmer itself - I've always wondered where that led, but it looks like it's plugged up and I don't ever feel any flow/pressure there. Could that be sucking from the main drain and then piping it into the skimmer?

[RavenNS]

I also have two holes in my skimmer... not clear about why that is, but i saw a diagram of one of these & it looks like they connect to one pipe about a foot down anyway...
btw, I find that annoying because it means that a vacuum filter basket ( small basket with hole cut through to allow KK to fit through & still skim) , won't fit because the hole that you put the KK into is too close to the back wall of skimmer.

As for main drain openings... besides actually swimming to the botom of the pool & checking for suction,
go to your pump area & see if Two pipes become one as it enters the pump.
One pipe should be the skimmer pipe & the other should be the main drain.
check to see if there are some type of gate valves here... if there are two valves, are they both pointed in the same direction?

hope this helps, I'm a newbie here & that was my best guess

[hyetech]

Thanks (man, I love this site - always getting helpful responses - and quickly too!). No, I don't see two pipes or any valves - that's what is bothering me - why do I have a main drain that doesn't do anything

And I still can't seem to figure out why the pump works so much harder with the KK ... frustrating pool