When researching the installation of a swimming pool, many questions may run through your head. What’s a skimmer, why do I need two main drains, What is the difference between a cartridge filter and a sand filter, what is the purpose of a filter pump and so on. Today, we will begin our series of blogs answering all of those questions.

The function of the swimming pool skimmer is to pull water into the system from the pool’s surface with a skimming action, pulling in floating objects, such as leaves, before they sink to the bottom of the pool. Typically, a pool over 700 Square feet will be equipped with 2 skimmers. The water pours over the weir (pivoting flap) that allows water and debris to enter. The debris is caught in the skimmer basket and the water is sent through a pipe located at the bottom of the skimmer, through the filter pump. When the pool pump is turned off, the weir floats into closed position preventing debris from going back into the swimming pool.

A swimming pool skimmer, in a concrete in-ground swimming pool, is built into the deck, accessible through a cover of the deck to remove the skimmer basket and empty debris that has skimmed from the swimming pool.

A skimmer can also be used to vacuum the pool with a manual pool vacuum or suction side automatic pool cleaner. When the pool pump is on, the pipe below the skimmer basket creates a suction. It is best to keep small objects away from the skimmer when opening the skimmer to remove the basket. When the basket is removed, debris can be sucked into the filter system. Large debris can clog the pipe and pose a potential risk to your swimming pools filtration system.

We hope that this information was helpful. We realize that often times the purchase of an inground swimming pool can be very overwhelming. There are so many questions to ask. It is our true hope that we can educate consumers and arm them with the most information possible before they buy a swimming pool.