How Swimming Pool Plumbing Works

Pumping and Circulation

• A motorized central pump moves the pool's water in a circular motion throughout the pipes and parts of the plumbing system. This pump assures that the water reaches all of the necessary functions to preserve the cycle. Consider the pump akin to the heart in an animal's body. The pump uses a motor to drive an impeller that moves the water, maintaining a perpetual suction effect. This suction flow pulls water from the basin, through the drains and skimmers, filters, and back into the basin through returns.

Drainage and Skimming

• The main drain at the base of the pool removes sinking debris through either a gravity or vacuum-powered extraction. At the same time, the pool utilizes skimmers---little pumps around the rim of the basin---that remove floating debris and other undesired substances from the water's surface. In both cases, drained water has been pumped and routes to connected piping for its next destination.

Filtration

• Metal or plastic filter containers line the drains and skimmers coming from the basin of the pool. These filters capture debris and are to be emptied or otherwise cleaned regularly. Filters begin the plumbing cycle's purification process and assure that not only does your returned water come back clean, but that no debris can cause damage to sensitive parts within the plumbing system.

Chlorine Disinfectant Feeder

• Chlorine, a sterilization agent, must be connected to your pump to assure that the water does not carry bacteria and other harmful pathogens. Filtration alone is not enough to keep you safe from disease-causing elements, as they are small enough to pass through any filter and must be neutralized. Chlorine disseminates into the water through a device known as a feeder, which connects directly to the pump and secretes either liquid or powered chlorine into the water.

Returns

• Returns are the inverse of drains and skimmers. At the end of the plumbing cycle, filtered and sterilized water "returns" to the basin through openings similar to your drains and skimmers. Returns work at the same total rate that water is removed through skimmers and drains so that the pool's height remains constant, preventing overflow and decreased water levels. This process continues in a cycle for as long as the pool's pump is operational.