As a swimming pool owner in Toledo, Ohio you don’t need to know the ins and outs of all the swimming pool equipment, but have you ever wondered, what does a pool skimmer do? The pool contractors from Bella Blue Pools believe that knowledge is power and that’s why they want to give you some information on the skimmer, what it does and why you need one.
What does a pool skimmer do?
The pool skimmer is a little basket into which debris is pulled when the water is circulated throughout the day and night. The skimmer captures debris and ensures it doesn’t get back into the water. If the skimmer basket gets full, it will make the pool pump work harder and the water won’t be as clean.
Swimming pool skimmers may seem rather boring — they aren’t electric, they don’t move. In fact, they just “sit there” but they do perform a great service to your pool.
- It helps with the filtration of the water. As mentioned, debris is pushed into the skimmer when the water is circulating, it is trapped there and stays out of the pool water.
- In addition to trapping small debris, the skimmer basket can capture items that could cause harm to your expensive pool equipment
- Your water will be cleaner if the skimmer is kept clean. Put a tennis ball or two into the skimmer basket to help capture sunscreen, oils, body lotions and other contaminants those who use your pool bring in with them.
- Pop chlorine tablets into the skimmer basket. The water is continually circulating through there and being inside the skimmer basket will ensure the chlorine tablets dissolve and are circulated throughout the water. Also, if you put the tablets in the basket you won’t have to worry about the tablets falling to the bottom of the pool and causing discoloration.
- Unless you have an automatic or robotic pool vaccum, you will need to access the skimmer to hook up the manual pool vacuum.
Clean the pool skimmer at least weekly. If you work with a swimming pool service contractor he or she will clean the skimmer basket as part of the service visit. If there are a lot of trees in your yard and you don’t use a pool cover, you will want to check and clean the skimmer basket more often. It’s easy to clean, reach into the skimmer area, pull out the mesh basket, dump up the debris, rinse it and put it back.
Give us a call if you’re looking for a pool service contractor this summer or if you want to remodel or renovate your family swimming pool.