Chapter One: The Pool Clues
It started like every other Saturday. Skimmer basket? Clean. Chlorine level? Good. Filter pressure? Normal. So why did the pool still look like it hadn’t moved since Tuesday?
A seasoned pool owner would say, “It must be the weather.” Or blame the neighbor’s trees. But the real clue was in the water movement. Or rather, the lack of it.
Water just sat there, barely circulating. The surface looked bored. That should’ve been the first sign. Instead, I did what every pool owner does when things don’t make sense. I shocked it.
Twice.
And of course, nothing changed.
Chapter Two: The Interrogation
I sat there on the deck, notes in hand, like a detective reviewing witness statements. Everything was logged. Every chemical. Every brush session. Every filter backwash.
Then it hit me.
What if the return line wasn’t doing its job? What if the water wasn’t actually going back into the pool properly?
I walked over, reached into the return jet, and got a sad puff of water. Not even enough to ruffle a floating leaf.
So now we had a suspect.
Chapter Three: The Flashback
Two weeks earlier, I vacuumed without using the skimmer plate. A few leaves slipped through. No big deal, I thought. They’ll get caught in the pump basket.
Wrong.
They made it just far enough to wedge deep in the return line, slowly building up like a traffic jam during rush hour. Each day, circulation got a little worse. But not bad enough to scream for help. Just annoying enough to ruin the water flow.
Chapter Four: The Pool Confession
I turned off the system, popped off the return eyeball fitting, and stuck a flexible wire into the line. And there it was. A soggy, packed mess of leaves and gunk that had no business being in there.
After twenty frustrating minutes, water blasted through like it had been set free from prison. I turned everything back on, and the pool water practically danced with joy.
Circulation returned. The water moved. The skimmer actually skimmed.
Chapter Five: Case Closed
The pool wasn’t haunted. It wasn’t cursed. It was just clogged.
And the worst part? It was my fault. I ignored subtle signs and over-relied on chemicals. But once I stopped guessing and started investigating, the answer was buried in my own notes.
The Clogged Pool Return Line Checklist:
- Notice weak water movement? Don’t ignore it.
- Clean your return jet fitting regularly.
- Use a skimmer plate when vacuuming up debris.
- Check for soft blockages with a flexible line or plumbing snake.
- Don’t just treat symptoms with chemicals. Look at circulation.
Your pool is trying to tell you something. Listen to it before it starts screaming. Or in my case, just silently sits there looking cloudy and sad.
