What Is a Pool Skimmer?
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What Is a Pool Skimmer? The skimmer in your pool is the rectangle installed at the water line in your swimming pool. This is part of the filtration system of the pool and serves to draw water from the surface of your pool and pull it into the filtration pump. The reason that you need a pool skimmer is to help remove floating leaves and debris from the pool but there is another reason that you need a pool skimmer installed even if you have no trees or leaves in your area. Every pool will develop floating impurities from the swimmers including sweat, oils, make up, hair products, sun block lotions, dirt and scum. Without a skimmer to draw water from the surface of the pool you would have no method to remove the floating impurities and they would quickly build up to problematic levels.
All pool skimmers have a maximum designed flow rate which is almost always either 55 gpm (common) or 75 gpm (uncommon) for inground pools, where above ground pool skimmers commonly have a maximum designed flow rate of only 45 gpm. It is important to not exceed the maximum design flow rate for any part of your pool system but skimmers in general would be one of the most likely places that you might be exceeding these flow rates. Modern pool pumps will draw upwards of 120 GPM or more, which is supposed to be shared between multiple suction outles like main drains to additional skimmers. Pools which have minimal filtration system design, like a single skimmer with no main drains, are the most common to have problems with exceeding the maximum design flow rate for your skimmer.
If you are having problems with your skimmer failing to capture floating debris and leaves in your pool it is unlikely that you need to increase the flow rate. The flow rate needed for an average skimmer to function is actually quite low, close to 15 or 20 GPM only. More commonly pool skimmers are installed without a weir gate / weir door installed which limits teh functionality of the skimmer. Double check that your skimmer has a weir installed and it is functioning correctly and is not stuck in place as either of these can result in your skimmer failing to clear debris properly from your pool.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print. Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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www.PoolPartsToGo.com
New Black + Decker variable speed pumps are available online from www.PoolPartsToGo.com and they are a drop in replacement for many popular pump models including Pentair Superflo and Hayward Super Pumps. With an adjustable platform base, union connections included and a very strong warranty these pumps offer an impressive value to pool owners.
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