Vacuuming an Above Ground Pool

1. Clean skimmer & pump baskets of all debris and backwash or clean filter if need be. If there is not enough flow through your system, you will not pull enough suction to vacuum.
2. Turn pump on.
3. Attach vacuum hose to vacuum head.  Attach telescopic pole to vacuum head handle.
4. Submerge head, hose & pole under water and continue to feed all of hose (hand over fist) under water.  There can be no air in the vacuum hose otherwise you will get no suction.  Holding the free end of vacuum hose up to return jet will also push air out of hose.
5. Keeping the free end of the hose under water, bring it over to the skimmer.
6. The recommended way to attach the hose to the skimmer is to use a skim vac plate. This is a plate that covers the skimmer basket so the larger debris will collect there.  You can remove the skimmer basket and simply push the free end of the hose into the hole at the bottom, but the larger debris will then collect in your pump basket which is smaller and more difficult to empty.
7. You should feel immediate suction through the hose and vacuum head. If you are lifting the hose out of the water to put it into the skimmer, make sure that the end of the hose is not being exposed to air! If you need to, cover the end of the hose with your hand until it is under water again to keep it as full of water as possible.
8. Now start vacuuming! Once the pool is clean turn the pump off and disconnect everything. 
9. Empty skimmer & pump baskets.  Backwash or clean filter if need be.
10. If your pool is extremely dirty you may lose suction during vacuuming.  It will be necessary to disconnect equipment, empty baskets & backwash several times—they can only hold so much!