"My question is since the pump is energy efficient, should I have the Intellitouch control panel turn the valve on just for the ATV cleaner." No. If you have the valve turned 100% to the cleaner, and the cleaner gets clogged you could run the pump dry.

Thank you muddy_water and poolguynj. I guess I'll brush the ends by hand until things warm up. In California, an extra kilowatt hour costs 44 cents, so the booster pump costs me around $350 a year to run (we have electric bills with "brackets", like the income tax). I'm wondering whether to buy a Legend II and shut off the booster, next time something breaks.

The pollen is not toooo bad here. I wish I knew more about how the plumbing on this pool was actually laid out. At the bottom of my skimmers there are 2 "holes", someone told me this means they are tied to the drain. I only see one main drain. The cartridges are now 5 years old, I do not know the history of if/when they were cleaned. I cleaned them with water and a light detergent, they still looked dirty when I was done. Have not degreased the elements. I am not 100% sure the gauge is functioning correctly, but it did seem to work ok with the old pump, I consistently got a reading of around 12-13 PSI. And I can get it there now by increasing the flow. My skimmers have no flappers? When I pull the cover, I can see water swirling around, this is why I assumed they were working. Thats also how I came up with the 3-way valve switching between skimmers, when I move the valve, the water movement in the skimmers changes, one gets stronger, the other weaker.

I have had this cleaner for 3 summers and have had to have it repaired 2 times. It is what came with the pool. When he is working, he cleans the floor and walls very well and i have a large/deep pool. Will be purchasing a new cleaner the next time he goes down. Sometimes you get what you pay for.