Wouldn’t it be great if you have an in-house pool cleaner working whenever necessary? That is exactly what a pool skimmer does. It helps skim the surface of the water. As it does, it catches debris such as dead insects, leaves, petals, oil, and twigs before they reach the bottom of the pool.

For In-ground Pools

Surface skimmers are usually made of pre-cast concrete or PVC with a tank, equipped with a protruding piece on its dorsal area. Its weir skims and regulates the water which enters the skimmer. The thin layer of surface water, containing the impurities, spills into it. Positioned correctly, it can keep almost 500 square feet of pool surface pristine.

Surface skimmer’s baskets should be cleared of debris because if impurities are left to gather in there, it will strain the pump. You should always clear it out regularly during summer or spring if you have this installed in your pool.

An equalizer line should be installed with the skimmer. It prevents air from entering the system if the water level drops below the level of the weir.

Evaporation usually causes this. You should prevent air from getting into the skimmer’s system. Modern skimmers already have automatic chlorinators and water level controls.

Robots Doing the Job

This is a great alternative for the fixed pool skimmers. These robotic pool skimmers are solar- or battery-powered helpers. They float on the surface of your pool as they collect debris on the surface of the water. These are more efficient in collecting sediments, especially when no one is using the pool yet.

For Above-Ground Skimmers

Skimmers for above-ground pools are the robotic ones as well. Others prefer units that hand on the edge of the pool since above-ground pools have thin walls. Like skimmers for in-ground pools, their baskets should always be cleared out regularly.

For Hot Tubs and Spas

Hot tubs and spas have a different kind of skimmer. Theirs have cartridges catch the debris collected. You can just dispose of the used cartridges and replace them.