skimmer sock

[delfargo]

i've heard mention on several forums here about the "skimmer sock" to help filter out the really fine stuff. is that something a guy could make out of a coat hanger & some panty-hose or something like that, or is it more "involved" than that? i've never seen one before. can anyone fill me in? thanx.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Just the pantyhose should work, cut off one leg (or buy knee highs ) and stretch it over the skimmer basket.

 

[MikeInTN]

Here's a couple of pictures of what a dirty one looks like, so you can see how it stretches over the skimmer basket, and so you can see what kind of Crud it catches.

BTW, I buy mine at WallyWorld.

 

[delfargo]

so it would go over the actual basket, eh? for some reason i was imagining it stretched over some kind of frame in front of the skimmer (pool side). and the reason for this "sock" is to catch the finer particles that a sand filter might not get? seems like you'd need to check and empty quite often.
o.k. then...i'll give it a try. thanx for the info.

 

[AnnaK]

It goes inside the basket and is stretched over the rim. I put a rock inside mine to keep it from floating up once the pump shuts off. This keps it submerged inside the skimmer basket instead of floating up and spitting all that crud back into the water.

 

[waterbug]

I;m probably missing something here as usual, but how is it that the skimmer sock does not get sucked down through the basket and end up in the filter?

 

[sbluhm]

The skimmer sock doesn't get sucked through the basket because it's porous enough to let all the water through, but will trap small leaf and dirt particles that would otherwise fit through the strainer holes.

 

[MikeInTN]

I have had a case or two where the sock would catch enough Crud to where parts of it would start getting sucked through the basket. I'd have all of these little balls of cloth that I'd have to pull back through from the inside. Oh, and then there was the Great Borax Incident of '07, where I dumped too much borax too quickly into the skimmer which clogged up the sock, pulled the basket against the bottom of the skimmer, and broke the basket. I cursed mightily at my stupidity for that one.

 

[NWMNMom]

You do have to watch them because if they get overloaded, they can restrict flow into the pump - but they do a nice job of catching that Crud that gets through the basket and either ends up in the pump pot basket or further filling up the filter itself - tree pollen time and itty bitty gnats are the big reason for me to use these. I wouldn't go without them anymore.

 

[tcpiii]

Here in NC, these are invaluable during pollen season. I tend not to use them later in the summer, and just backwash somewhat more frequently.

 

[Vickery]

I wished I'd had one yesterday when an ant swarm decided to go for a swim in our pool. I backwashed ants for a while...suspect that will be an ongoing thing for a while. My much better half was out of town...I certainly wasn't going to go plundering through her things and grab the wrong knee-highs!

 

[Vickery]

WELL! The ants came back! Another swarm. Never had one before, much less two in the same week! This time I was able to secure a knee-high...and caught the critters without overloading the filter. Wonderful idea!!!

 

[dsilchenstedt]

2009 and still helpful!!! Knowledge never gets outdated

Bringing it back from the abyss, bwahahaha.

 

[Texas Splash]

Absolutely. Thank goodness for the "Search" feature on this site.