guidelines / best practices for skimming action?

[delirium330]

Wondering if those with experience can share best practices for optimizing the skimmer action? For example, I found a pool checklist thing near my pool when I moved in and when discussing the topic of aligning the jets said, "You should never see ripples in the water!" making the case for underwater current also moving along the surface debris and that the jets should be at a 90 degree angle (not pointing up towards the surface)? Also, my pool is shaped sort of like a kidney bean so should I point my jets along the walls, aim them directly at the skimmer?

 

[JohnT]

I get better surface debris removal when my returns ripple the water a little 5 or 6' out. How you achieve proper flow depends on where your returns are. In my grecian, I have a return in the steps that pushes that stuff along the south wall where it turns to move along the west wall. It then hits a return on the west wall that is aimed to the northeast that pushes things across the pool where it runs into a return on the east wall that is aimed northwest that gets the debris against the nort end and causes it to flow around the corner in front of the skimmer. If the skimmer misses it, it runs into the return on the west wall and makes another pass.

Just think about how you can move a floating object so it comes past the skimmer close to the wall. Try it with a ping pong ball or two to see where things go.

 

[JasonLion]

You want to aim the jets so they create a consistent circulation pattern circling around your pool. You want to aim at least one jet down towards the deepest spot in your pool to promote mixing of water at different depths, but otherwise want the jets fairly level. In most pools a simple circular pattern works best, but in more complexly shaped pools you sometimes need to setup two or more circles of circulation in different parts of the pool.

Depending on your layout there may be enough jets to deal with special situations beyond the general circulation. For example, it is nice to have extra jets that can insure circulation reaches areas that wouldn't otherwise get good circulation, such as what often happens around steps.