Skimmer weir

adamt

0
Feb 10, 2016
37
Los Angeles, CA
So I've noticed a lot of fine debris floating on the surface. I've always had problems with fine debris, but lately it seems like more is on top. Maybe it's my imagination.

Either way, I also noticed that my weir is not bobbing up and down. It seems stuck "laying down" when the filter is on.

Could my weir be broken, and could this be the cause of so much dirt on the surface of my pool?

Thanks
 
Yes. Floating debris (that doesn't get sucked down into/through the skimmer basket) will return to the pool as soon as the pump shuts off if the wier is stuck down.
 
Yes. Floating debris (that doesn't get sucked down into/through the skimmer basket) will return to the pool as soon as the pump shuts off if the wier is stuck down.

Too early for pollen season right?
 
Adam,

The Weir is what makes the Skimmer really work. Suggest that you try and determine why yours does not float like it should.

I "assume" the water level is at the middle of the skimmer.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Adam,

The Weir is what makes the Skimmer really work. Suggest that you try and determine why yours does not float like it should.

Just trying to be clear since I'm still a newish pool owner...the weir should be bobbing up and down when the filter is on, right? That action is what regulates the amount of water and dirt going into the skimmer and actually helps suck down surface dirt?

Also, besides taking the weir out, is there a different way to test why it's not working properly?

Thanks for the help!
 
I've seen one get stuck down occasionally and it just needs a slight pull up to free it. Hopefully that's all it is.

When the water is perfectly still they don't move much. When the water is choppy they bob up and down. When the kids are thrashing the pool, the weir door really moves around a lot. I think that's why that particular one got stuck down.

- - - Updated - - -

And welcome to TFP! Good to have you here :)
 
The weir door on my Hayward skimmer has a piece of foam on the backside to help it "float" up, don't know if yours is the same.

I have found mine stuck down once, probably from all the activity of the kids in the pool as mentioned. I just had to pop it back into place and it worked fine.
 
They don't necessarily bob high up like you seem to be thinking. They tend to lay down if your water level is low. What matters is that they must come back up and shut when the pump is off. The only reason that it would be bad for it to be almost laying down is if it has 2" of water flowing above it. Basically what you're looking for is a good, circular flow when you open up the skimmer. If you have that, and if the door shuts when the pump is off, it sounds right to me.

If this is indeed the reason that your weir door is running low, you may just need to check your water level? Let me know what you find!
 
When I rented this house two years ago and took over the pool, (my landlord had a "pool guy" [emoji849][emoji849]) there was no skimmer basket, weir door and the lid was broken.. le sigh

I let it go last year and this year already I replaced the lid, got a basket (it fit YAY!) and decided to get/try a floating weir. It has been the best thing and is interesting to watch [emoji23][emoji23]

I am easily entertained though...


Christina
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
"pool guy"...there was no skimmer basket, weir door and the lid was broken..

The lid was broken? Huh...

No weir door? I guess I've seen it before...

No skimmer basket? WHAT?

How does this get overlooked! :lol:

He didn't try to sell these items to you? Was he only managing the chemicals or was he doing more? We usually recommend our chemical service to a landlord to at least make sure that the homeowner knows what needs to be done (ie get leaves out of pool) and the landlord knows if the pool is being neglected. Even still, I'm AMAZED that this was not noticed!

Before I started working in the industry, our skimmers did not have weir doors. I never really paid any attention to it until I realized how much of a benefit they are. That said, I bet you're loving it. Highly effective items for sure.
 

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The lid was broken? Huh...

No weir door? I guess I've seen it before...

No skimmer basket? WHAT?

How does this get overlooked! :lol:

He didn't try to sell these items to you? Was he only managing the chemicals or was he doing more? We usually recommend our chemical service to a landlord to at least make sure that the homeowner knows what needs to be done (ie get leaves out of pool) and the landlord knows if the pool is being neglected. Even still, I'm AMAZED that this was not noticed!

Before I started working in the industry, our skimmers did not have weir doors. I never really paid any attention to it until I realized how much of a benefit they are. That said, I bet you're loving it. Highly effective items for sure.

He was worthless.. literally... within 2 months of us moving in, I started noticing algae in the deep end. I got ticked off, ordered refill for my kit and started testing the water. Sent my landlord pics of the algae and all test results.. there was ZERO chlorine and ZERO CYA... it was a mess. I told her to fire him and I would take care of it.. so it was done [emoji23][emoji23]


Christina
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
He was worthless.. literally... within 2 months of us moving in, I started noticing algae in the deep end. I got ticked off, ordered refill for my kit and started testing the water. Sent my landlord pics of the algae and all test results.. there was ZERO chlorine and ZERO CYA... it was a mess. I told her to fire him and I would take care of it.. so it was done [emoji23][emoji23]


Christina
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is funny. We took over a pool once that was being "maintained" by a smaller company. The pool was solid green, and the owner was out of town for a month or so. Needless to say, he was fired. It was funny because the guy showed up while I was there and the owner said, "No, we're done with you," and sent him off. Pool was fixed and maintained within a week. Not sure what happened there.

Anyway, where did the OP go! I need to know if his skimmer doors are stuck shut or if his water level is just low :confused:
 
The lid was broken? Huh...

No weir door? I guess I've seen it before...

No skimmer basket? WHAT?

How does this get overlooked! :lol:

He didn't try to sell these items to you? Was he only managing the chemicals or was he doing more? We usually recommend our chemical service to a landlord to at least make sure that the homeowner knows what needs to be done (ie get leaves out of pool) and the landlord knows if the pool is being neglected. Even still, I'm AMAZED that this was not noticed!

Before I started working in the industry, our skimmers did not have weir doors. I never really paid any attention to it until I realized how much of a benefit they are. That said, I bet you're loving it. Highly effective items for sure.

My pool service didn't notice either. The float valve is missing and the weir cut/chopped in half. My hypothesis is the previous owners had an automatic cleaner from what I've read. When I discussed it with the pool cleaner they were convinced the skimmer was working properly. I'm not convinced and have those parts on order and I'm expecting improvement. Having said that, surface debris is not much of an issue as we have a screen cage of the pool area.

Update: Float valve assembly and weir door received and installed. Being pool newbies, it took us a bit of head scratching to figure out the O rings and then we had a problem installing the weir door. Try as we might we couldn't get one side in but You Tube helped by showing we needed a spring loaded type to replace the original. We just used a stubby Phillips screwdriver and removed the piece from the pool and it was easy from there. It was certainly working better after the upgrade!
 
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My pool service didn't notice either. The float valve is missing and the weir cut/chopped in half. My hypothesis is the previous owners had an automatic cleaner from what I've read. When I discussed it with the pool cleaner they were convinced the skimmer was working properly. I'm not convinced and have those parts on order and I'm expecting improvement. Having said that, surface debris is not much of an issue as we have a screen cage of the pool area.

Update: Float valve assembly and weir door received and installed. Being pool newbies, it took us a bit of head scratching to figure out the O rings and then we had a problem installing the weir door. Try as we might we couldn't get one side in but You Tube helped by showing we needed a spring loaded type to replace the original. We just used a stubby Phillips screwdriver and removed the piece from the pool and it was easy from there. It was certainly working better after the upgrade!

I can't recall any situation where I've ever seen that. Surprising they think half of a weir door is "functioning properly"???

Anyway, glad to hear that you got it fixed! Perhaps this will be a helpful thread to future visitors.

-Eric
 
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