Skimmers

Having falling leaves, bugs, rubbish, and tiny debris floating on the pool water is part of your swimming pool's life. However, you don't need to put up with all these contaminants while you're swimming. Pool skimmers or leaf rakes are built with designs that let's you remove floating particles off the water.

Swimming pool skimmers are either hand-held or automatic – either of the two is an indispensable piece of poolside equipment since you can instantly grab them when a floating particle is spotted on the surface, preventing it from reaching the bottom and further causing a problem.

Hand skimmers are what you use to remove large debris floating in the pool. They are similar to nets that require long poles or handles attached to them so it can be easier to grab large particles like insects and leaves. Sometimes, poles like telescoping poles are purchased separately and fitted at the heads of hand skimmers or rakes, making it necessary to ensure the poles can fit in the skimmer head and is long enough to be usable.

Skimmers with nets made of nylon are not very reliable while hand skimmers meshed using thin metals are the sturdy kind. The latter might be more expensive than the nylon versions but are more heavy-duty and efficient to use in pool upkeep, giving you more savings in the run.

Leaf rakes have deeper nets than the typical pool hand skimmers and, therefore, are more effective in grabbing and collecting debris. Pools need regular skimming because large debris, if left untreated, can pose damage to your pool filter system, and often leads you to decide on adding more chlorine in the water to keep it sanitized. Very strong water chemical treatments can damage pool walls as well as the pool's internal equipment.

Hand skimmers are relatively cheaper than the other pool cleaners – you can buy them at a price range between $8.00 and $30. There are several manufacturers that offer different types of skimmers such as the Olympic pool skimmer, or over the wall pool skimmers. Swimming pool skimmers are reliable in grabbing debris and are, in fact, very popular among residential pools.

Besides the ease of use, pool skimmers are not complicated and require only a short time to install. They help keep the pool water clean and crystal clear and keep the pump and filter system to operate at their optimum and last longer. Automatic pool skimmers, such as a remote control boat pool skimmer, adjust by themselves at the water level and require minimal monitoring from the pool owners.

When replacing or installing a new pool skimmer gasket, wait until the water level is immediately below the wall cutouts before attaching the gasket and faceplate. Also ensure that the liner is fitted into its final position to help keep the liner within the skimmer fittings and prevent water pressure from dragging down the liner.

For above ground swimming pools, each skimmer fitting requires three new gaskets. The first pool skimmer gasket is inserted on the skimmer and outside of the pool wall. The second one is positioned between the wall and the liner and the third one is between the wall and the skimmer faceplate. Replacement skimmer gaskets can be bought in sets of two or three, available in the following brands: Hayward, Aqualeader, Olympic, Waterpik, etc.) at around $10.

Pool skimmers not only keep your pool free of floating debris but they also prevent contaminants from reaching the bottom, which are harder to clean around that area. This pool equipment can be deemed as preventive maintenance and is more cost-effective than using chemical pool water treatments, as well as saves the pump and filter system the hard work.

Pool maintenance is easier nowadays, but with pool skimmers, things can become a whole lot easier.