am I doing something wrong?

[my2kidsmom]

On the surface of my pool, there is a lot of tiny, tiny grayish whiteish "particles". I guess this is plant matter from the stuff blooming out right now. I can skim the surface of the pool over and over and over, but this stuff slips right though the skimmer. Is there anything I can to to clear the surface better? Where there is plenty of movement, the surface is clear, but this stuff is pretty heavily concentrated over in one corner of the shallow in of the pool.

TIA

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

People use what's called "skimmer socks" you can buy them at pool stores I think. I've never used one. But I also think I read on here about people using old pantyhose somehow? Hopefully someone will chime in.

 

[JasonLion]

The alternative to skimmer socks is knee high stockings. Either one can be put over the skimmer basket to help trap pollen. But I don't think that is the problem here.

In the spring, when there is lots of pollen in the air, there is always going to be something on the surface of the pool. If everything is working correctly, the skimmer should catch a lot of it, at least when the pump is running. But there will nearly always be some pollen still floating on the surface of the pool.

One possible explanation is that there is just lots and lots of pollen right at the moment, and the skimmer can't keep up (or the pump wasn't running when you looked).

The other possibility, is that your circulation isn't very good and surface debris is not getting pushed into the skimmer(s). When everything is working right the water should flow around the pool in a circle and slowly bring most of the surface debris to a skimmer. High winds can disrupt this process somewhat, but even then you should see water moving around and past the skimmer(s).

If the water is not circulating correctly, you can adjust the aim of the return jets to help push the water around in a circle (or sometimes more complex patterns for oddly shaped pools).

 

[257WbyMag]

Yep...you need some skimmer socks. They can be found at the bigger Wal-Marts and all pool stores have them. They come 3 or 4 to a pack and will run you about $6 or $7 per pack. I use them year round and you would be surprised how much garbage they trap. I have also noticed that I can go much longer between filter cleanings with them installed.

They simply strecth over the filter basket and catch what normally would go right through. I have heard of people trying pantyhose with mixed results (on the filter basket, that is ). I think that the skimmer socks are much tougher and last a little longer.

 

[h2ctpdjl]

I have been using panty hose over my skimmer basket for the past swim season and just put one on when I started up my pool this past weekend. catches all kind of garbage. i had problems with very fine "sandy type" granules on the bottom, but the pantyhose does the trick.

 

[Butterfly]

Yep...you need some skimmer socks. They can be found at the bigger Wal-Marts and all pool stores have them. They come 3 or 4 to a pack and will run you about $6 or $7 per pack. I use them year round and you would be surprised how much garbage they trap. I have also noticed that I can go much longer between filter cleanings with them installed.

They simply strecth over the filter basket and catch what normally would go right through. I have heard of people trying pantyhose with mixed results (on the filter basket, that is ). I think that the skimmer socks are much tougher and last a little longer.

Couldn't agree more! :lol:

 

[jagfan]

The alternative to skimmer socks is knee high stockings.

Yup, I've been using my old knee high stockings for years. They trap the very smallest of particles. I do a daily rotation using 2 knee highs. Each day I remove the dirty knee high and replace with the clean one. The dirty one gets rinsed with a hose and hung to dry - ready for use the next day. Simple and cheap since I have an abundance of old knee highs. I also use them to tie my plants against stakes, tie storage boxes, etc. They come in handy. Sorry, to ramble - will shut up now!

 

[duraleigh]

I'm gonna post a slightly different take. It seems to me that Mom is talking about pollen or something on the surface of the pool that she is unable to remove manually......not that they are passing thru the permanent skimmer.

I may be misinterpereting OP's thinking but I think she was asking how to get the stuff off the surface of the pool.

If that's the case, the answer is not good. This time of year trees are throwing everything they can think of into your pool. From pine pollen to seeds to flowers, etc. About all you can do is be patient and keep scooping the surface. The permanent skimmers will eventually take in most of it but you have to run the pump 24/7 and still skim manually.