Suction side: how water leaves the pool
Skimmers pull from the surface. That's where oils, sunscreen, pollen, and floating leaves live, so skimmer flow is what keeps the surface clean. A full skimmer basket kills it.
The main drain pulls from the bottom and handles circulation and settled fines. Most pools blend the two through a valve.
A dedicated suction line may run to a suction-side cleaner. If your cleaner slows down, the basket or that line is usually why.
Suction-side leaks don't drip — they suck air. Bubbles at the returns and a pump that won't hold prime point here.
Pressure side: how water comes back
After the filter, water returns through wall fittings with adjustable eyeballs. Aiming them matters more than people think: pointed to create a slow circular flow, they push debris toward the skimmer instead of parking it in a corner.
Spas, spillovers, waterfalls, bubblers, and deck jets are all pressure-side loops, usually with their own valves or actuators.
Pressure-side leaks spray or seep. Wet spots on the deck near the pad or a section of yard that stays green in a drought are worth flagging.
Central Texas plumbing quirks
Our soil moves. Expansive clay swells and shrinks with drought and rain, and that movement stresses buried pipe, especially where it transitions at the pad and under decks.
Sun-exposed PVC gets brittle. UV degrades unpainted pipe over years, and exposed water feature plumbing is usually the first thing to crack.
Water features are the most common freeze casualty. Shallow, wide, exposed, and often on their own line, they freeze while the main pool is fine.
Old pools may have flexible pipe buried in the ground rather than rigid PVC. It's the source of a large share of the underground leaks I see and it can't be repaired the same way.
Valves: leave them where they are
Diverter valve handles are set for a reason — usually a suction blend that keeps the pump primed and the water circulating properly.
Turning a suction valve fully closed while the pump runs is a fast way to damage a pump.
Actuator valves move on their own on a schedule. If one is grinding or stuck between positions, that's a service item, not something to force by hand.
If you'd like to know your own valve positions, ask during a visit and you'll get them labeled and explained.
Describing a problem well
Note whether the pump is running when you see the symptom. Half of all plumbing diagnoses hinge on that.
Note whether water is going in or air is coming out.
Note the filter pressure and the water level.
A photo of the pad and a short video with the sound on will usually get you an answer the same day.
