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Skimmer covers can be round or square. There are decorative skimmer covers that can blend in with the deck. | Skimmer covers can be round or square. There are decorative skimmer covers that can blend in with the deck. | ||
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A skimmer should have a strainer basket to capture large debris and prevent debris from getting stuck in the pipes. There are weighted skimmer baskets to prevent them from floating. Some folks put a rock in the skimmer basket to prevent floating. Be careful using a rock as folks have accidentally dropped the rock into the skimmer and down the pipe. | A skimmer should have a strainer basket to capture large debris and prevent debris from getting stuck in the pipes. There are weighted skimmer baskets to prevent them from floating. Some folks put a rock in the skimmer basket to prevent floating. Be careful using a rock as folks have accidentally dropped the rock into the skimmer and down the pipe. | ||
Revision as of 22:17, 4 December 2022
Skimmers
Use the right type of skimmers for your type of pool. Gunite/plaster, vinyl liner, fiberglass, above ground liner, steel walled liner, each require a specific type of skimmer with any gaskets for the proper installation. There are many models of skimmers available and the correct ones should be used for your type of pool.
A skimmer consists of the following components:
- An access cover on the deck to get into the skimmer
- Floating weir door
- Strainer basket
- Suction line to the pump
- Optional equalizer line or to main drain
Skimmer covers can be round or square. There are decorative skimmer covers that can blend in with the deck.
A skimmer should have a strainer basket to capture large debris and prevent debris from getting stuck in the pipes. There are weighted skimmer baskets to prevent them from floating. Some folks put a rock in the skimmer basket to prevent floating. Be careful using a rock as folks have accidentally dropped the rock into the skimmer and down the pipe.
Skimmer Weir Doors
A weir door is a part of a swimming pool skimmer that helps to control the flow of water through the skimmer. The weir door is typically located near the top of the skimmer and is attached to a hinge or pivot. The weir door is an important part of a pool's filtration system and helps to keep the water clean and clear.
Skimmers need a weir door to do their skimming function.
The weir door should swing freely with the water level anywhere along the skimmer mouth. The top of the weir door should follow the water level. The weir door should not move toward the pool itself. There should be a stop that prevents it from moving toward the pool.
A skimmer will draw in water just fine without a weir door, but it won't skim debris off the surface any where near as well.
The door is to increase the amount of water taken from the top of the water where the floating debris are. Without the door on, most of the water is taken to the filter from beneath the surface and would leave a lot of the floating stuff on your water.
The skimmer weir limits the flow coming in to maybe the top 1/2" of water.[1] If the cross section area of the skimmer throat is 3"X12", that's .25 sq ft. Let's say the skimmer is pulling a measly 10 gallons per minute. That's 1.3 cubic feet per minute. That means the flow coming through the skimmer throat will have a velocity of 5.2 ft/minute or .087 feet per second to maintain the water level. Now reduce that opening to 1/2"X 12". That's 1/6 the area so to maintain the water level - and water will seek its own level - that water is moving six times as fast or 5.2 feet per second. That's a pretty good clip - 3.5 miles per hour - enough to overcome slight breezes and currents and pull water into the opening. Unless you have a return jet pointing straight at the skimmer throat, any surface debris being shoved along by the return flow will just go right on past the skimmer otherwise.
Skimmer Crack Repairs
Skimmer cracks are generally the result of settling/movement around and underneath. Ideally it's best to dig up the area, replace any bad items, and re-pack to prevent further movement. It can be worthwhile trying to fix a skimmer crack with epoxy and seeing if it holds.
Repair products members have used include[2]:
Why Are There Two Holes in The Bottom of my Skimmer?
When you look in the bottom of many skimmers you see two holes. Those skimmers are manufactured with pipe connections on the bottom for two lines. One line will run to the pump suction. The other line may or may not be used.
If the second pipe is not used then you will see a white plug with a raised square screwed into the hole. If the hole is open then the main drain on the bottom of the pool is probably connected to it.
Are Main Drains Connected to the Skimmer?
In most old pools the main drain was tied into the bottom of the skimmer. For the main drain to work at all you needed a floating diverter valve (or some type of device inside the skimmer to turn on the main drain).
In most newer pools, the main drain(s) are plumbed back to the equipment pad with a valve to shut off or control the amount of flow. The skimmer(s) are also individually plumbed back to the equipment with associated valve(s).
The hole that is away from the water is normally the one that is plumbed back to the equipment pad.
The hole that is next to the water is normally connected to the main drain.
When the main drain(s) are plumbed back to the equipment pad, the skimmer hole closest to the water is normally plugged.
What is a Skimmer Float Valve
When a skimmer is connected using both bottom holes to the pump suction and to a main drain or equalizer line a float valve (also called a diverter) is necessary over the holes to cause water flow from the main drain/equalizer pipe into the pump suction. Without the float valve the main drain/equalizer cannot operate.
A skimmer may use a round float valve or an oval float valve. They are not interchangeable and a skimmer will use one type or the other.
When there is water in the skimmer from the pool the float valve "floats" above the holes and the pump pulls water in from the skimmer basket.
If the skimmer water level drops the float valve drops down on the two holes and creates a seal that should cause the pump suction to then pull water from the other hole. This ensures the pool pump does not run dry when the pool water level and thus skimmer water level drops.
Float valves never work well and modern pools rarely use them. It is better to plumb the skimmer suction line and the main drain line to the equipment pad and combine them using a 3-way diverter valve.
How to Adjust Pool Skimmer Suction
In normal operation you should see little or no water movement if you look down at the water in the skimmer. You should not see a vortex or waterfall of water flowing through your skimmer. If you do then check that the water level is at least halfway up the skimmer mouth and the weir door is swinging freely.
If you vacuum the pool through the skimmer or use a vacuum powered pool cleaner you may want to increase pool suction. Some things to try are:
- Check that the skimmer basket is clean and has no leaves or debris in it
- If you have a Variable Speed pump you can increase the pump RPMs
- You may have one or more valves in front of your pump that can be adjusted to increase skimmer suction
- If you have a valve to balance main drain suction and skimmer suction it is best to run the skimmer 100% open the main drain about 10% open.
For more help with your pool equipment start a thread in the TFP Forum and you will find a lot of personalized help.
Skimmers for An Above Ground Pool
Many above ground pools do not come with skimmers. They come from the manufacturer with one or more round holes in the side of the liner which connect a hose to the pump suction. With this type of suction system on an above ground pool debris, such as leaves and insects, from the surface of the pool water is not automatically cleaned as the pump runs.
Intex Skimmer Install shows how a skimmer is installed. Make sure you buy a skimmer for an above ground pool like the Hayward SP1091LX. A skimmer for an above ground pool comes with gaskets to seal the hole you will be cutting in the liner.
Should a Piece of Copper be put in a Skimmer to Control Algae?
Just dropping a copper pipe in the pool is not going to kill algae. There either needs to be some sort of mechanism that releases copper from its solid state and puts it into solution in the pool, such as electrical current in a copper ionizer, liquefied copper in copper algaecide, or super aggressive low pH water that destroys copper (and other things you don't want destroyed) in heat exchangers or old copper plumbing.[3]
Copper in the water can cause unsightly stains that are difficult (sometimes impossible) to remove, which is why we never recommend the use of copper. While copper can help slow down algae growth, chlorine alone is sufficient if you maintain an appropriate Free Chlorine level. Simply putting a piece of solid copper in the skimmer does not give you any meaningful control over the copper level in the water.
For more read Copper in Pool Water
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