Leaf Canisters Effective?

[VoR]

Are these a worthwhile investment over just letting the pump basket catch the debris? The ones with a mesh bag seem like they would trap more stuff than the ones with a hard skimmerlike basket, but I would suspect they might get holes in the mesh and then what do you do?

 

[Guest]

They are MUCH easier to clean out than the pump strainer so for that reason alone I would have to say they are worth it if you get a lot of leaves and large debris.

 

[VoR]

Thanks for the info, I just found out about vacuum plates too, do they work very well? Like these here:

http://www.aquanet.net/pool-vacuum-plates.htm

I have a U-3 basket and this looks like a little simpler way to go

 

[Guest]

vacuum plates are used when manually vacuuming and if you can get the right one for your skimmer they are worthwhile, IMHO. There are (expensive) automatic skimmer vacuum plates for use with suction side cleaners that allow the skimmer to still skim while the cleaner is operating. If you keep the cleaner hooked up most of the time and do not have a dedicated suction line then they are worthwhile if you can get one that will work with your skimmer
http://www.paradisepoolsupplies.com/hay ... mplate.htm
Leaf canisters are used with suction side pool cleaners. If you have a lot of leaves in your pool and you manually vacuum get either a leaf rake or a garden hose powered leaf eater to take care of the leaves before you vacuum.

 

[VoR]

We don't get a ton of leaves in there, I usually just put in the KK 1-2 times a week to get the junk our 3 queen palms drop in there. Anything from seeds to pollen stems and palm frond leaves...I was hoping the vacuum plate would let me use the skimmer basket as the first catch and not rely on the pump one as the only catch.

Sounds like a leaf canister is probably the best option.

 

[searayboater]

My brother has one attached to his hayward pool vac and it catches all the leaves that make it to the pool bottom.

 

[fofa]

I've used one for going on 5 years now, and it is much easier to clean than the pump basket. You still have to clean the pump basket, but not anywhere near as often.
Mine has a design much like the pump strainer basket (plastic with slits), and last fall I had to replace it because it split (4 1/2 years). So other than an occasional O-ring and some silicone grease, it is pretty maint. free. I think the mesh ones would remove finer debris, but i also think they would need replacing way more frequently.