Why do we need skimmer socks if we have a cartridge/Sand filter? I see lot of threads and people getting excited about seeing stuff that skimmer socks catch... But, isn't that the job of the filter?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Why do we need Skimmer socks if we have filter?
- Thread starter mmdhar
- Start date
I can only answer for ME, but my reasons are:
A. I use those disposable hair nets so they are very, very cheap.
B. Anything I can catch BEFORE it goes into my filter, I'll catch. ** straight to the trash can. **
C. Although I haven't had to do so yet, I understand that you'll need to backwash the filter from time to time. My hair nets should keep this to a minimum.
D. I've also read that hair nets can catch smaller particles than the sand is capable of catching.
A. I use those disposable hair nets so they are very, very cheap.
B. Anything I can catch BEFORE it goes into my filter, I'll catch. ** straight to the trash can. **
C. Although I haven't had to do so yet, I understand that you'll need to backwash the filter from time to time. My hair nets should keep this to a minimum.
D. I've also read that hair nets can catch smaller particles than the sand is capable of catching.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
Same here.
Even though pollen is tiny, the 1 gallon paint strainers from Home Depot that I use as a skimmer sock catch
most of the pollen somehow, like it's magnetically attracted. Actual skimmer socks like the kind sold on amazon
cost a lot more and I've had them clog. The hair nets / Paint strainers hardly ever clog.
I only need to backwash about 1 time per season. A slightly dirty sand filter cleans better than a freshly backwashed one.
Even though pollen is tiny, the 1 gallon paint strainers from Home Depot that I use as a skimmer sock catch
most of the pollen somehow, like it's magnetically attracted. Actual skimmer socks like the kind sold on amazon
cost a lot more and I've had them clog. The hair nets / Paint strainers hardly ever clog.
I only need to backwash about 1 time per season. A slightly dirty sand filter cleans better than a freshly backwashed one.
Cottonwood! If someone you don’t like has a pool and you want to be passively aggressively mean to them, plant a bunch of these things.
i use mine so i dont have to backwash as much. i clean my sock out about every other day. put a new one in and let the other one dry out.
Jive5877
0
Easier to replace a hairnet once a week than have to wash out my cartridge filter every few months, plus I don't have to deal with small ants, beetles, etc when washing it out.
$12.67 for 100 pack of hair nets comes out to roughly $0.13 each
https://www.amazon.ca/3M-Disposable-407-Polypropylene-Universal/dp/B00AFEDLBG
$12.67 for 100 pack of hair nets comes out to roughly $0.13 each
https://www.amazon.ca/3M-Disposable-407-Polypropylene-Universal/dp/B00AFEDLBG
Because I use hair nets on my skimmers and also use a Robot, very little stuff ends up in my filter. It has been a year since I last cleaned the filter (Pentair Quad 60) and the pressure has not risen since the last cleaning. I will soon do my yearly filter clean, but not required yet. I just like to keep things on a schedule.
Esloser
0
Not to mention cleaning out the stuff that gets caught in the tiny holes of the skimmer basket can be a huge pain. Much easier to just grab the hairnet full of stuff and chuck it and have a perfectly clean basket than trying to hose that thing out.
That's a big reason for me, even if it may not be as important as some of the other great reasons. But I tend to my skimmer baskets more often, so the ease of the hair net makes it a big deal for me.
for all of the above reasons.
i usually change mine once a day. have a long loop handle so i dont have to reach into a mess of spiders. use a toothbrush (old one, haha) to sweep any bugs off of the handle and top of basket rim, then stomp on the folded up bag once removed to kill any still living critters. a lot easier for me. i bought the 1000 box of hairnets so i'm good for a few years.
i usually change mine once a day. have a long loop handle so i dont have to reach into a mess of spiders. use a toothbrush (old one, haha) to sweep any bugs off of the handle and top of basket rim, then stomp on the folded up bag once removed to kill any still living critters. a lot easier for me. i bought the 1000 box of hairnets so i'm good for a few years.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,157
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I am the opposite to most and agree with the OP; let the filter do its job. It is an individual choice really but my skimmers collect a lot of stuff. Lots of leaves, beetles, etc. If it makes it through the holes in the skimmer basket, it is welcome to visit my filter until I clean it out. I prefer to quickly empty the filter basket over the fence rather than have the disgusting mess of cleaning filter socks/hairnets!
Hairnets are so cheap that you don't actually clean them - Just take them out of the basket and straight to the bin.
I actually find removing and replacing a hairnet easier than trying to clean/empty a basket without a hairnet as nothing gets caught in the small holes of your skimmer basket.
I suppose the only downside that one may have is that depending on how full it gets it may cause air bubbles to enter the system especially if its a single speed pump (father in law had this issue)
That is probably my biggest concern with using the hair nets. If I don't change it out every 2 or 3 days, mine gets so full of gunk I worry about the water flow being slowed down to the point that the pump may begin to suffer damage.
Totally not worth it to me to add a skimmer sock. I have a strainer at the pump and a sand filter that I can easily back flush. I have a pool sweep that brings debris to the pool pump strainer anyway so I wasn't saving any cleaning steps in emptying the pump strainer basket. My pool sweep picks up far more than my skimmer anyway.
What is worth it to me is one one of those pool devil skimming devices. That collects far more than my skimmer ever did. I use cheap leggings or stockings from the dollar store for filter tubes on those and can go about a month before it needs changed.
What is worth it to me is one one of those pool devil skimming devices. That collects far more than my skimmer ever did. I use cheap leggings or stockings from the dollar store for filter tubes on those and can go about a month before it needs changed.
I find that if I run my VSP on a lower speed I dont have this issue
