What Is A Skimmer Basket?

The Swimming Pool Skimmer basket is a very important piece of the swimming pool. The skimmer basket sits inside of the swimming pool skimmer and collects pieces of debris, bugs, pools toys and anything else that can harm or damage the pool pump or pool filter.

The Skimmer basket can be square or round depending on what type and brand of skimmer your swimming pool has. Most of the time skimmer baskets will not fit into each other unless they are the same brand and model. The skimmer basket should be emptied as needed, meaning that if you see that it is full, or nearly full you should empty it.

If the skimmer basket becomes full and you do not empty it for a long period of time then it can become clogged. When the skimmer basket becomes clogged it can slow the water flow down to the suction side of the swimming pool pump causing the filter system not to operate correctly. It is always very important to keep your skimmer basket as empty as possible to ensure the maximum flow to the swimming pool pump.

You can remove the skimmer basket from the skimmer by opening the lid that is on top of the skimmer. On some in ground swimming pools the skimmer lid may be screwed down for safety. You should be able to just open the skimmer cover most above ground pools. Once you open the skimmer cover you will be able to see the skimmer basket inside.

Most skimmer baskets will have either a metal or plastic handle in the middle of them so you can just grab and lift. This makes cleaning your skimmer basket easy and simple with no experience needed. Sometimes the skimmer basket can get stuck inside of the skimmer for a number of different reasons. Some of these reasons could be a broken skimmer basket, an overloaded skimmer basket, skimmer baskets with branches that are wrapped around leaves and also sticking through the skimmer door. It is always important to pull the skimmer basket slowly from the skimmer if you feel that it may be stuck. If you try to force the skimmer basket out you could wind up breaking it or worse.

In the winter time you will have to remove the skimmer basket so you can blow the water from the swimming pool lines. You will also have to insert a pool gizmo and plugs inside of the skimmer as well. If the basket was in the skimmer it would only be in the way. When storing your skimmer baskets for the winter you should put them in a place that they will be safe and not get broken. You also will want to put them in a place that you will remember as well, often many people put them in to good of a place.

If your skimmer basket has cracked and you can not get out to the store to get a new one, or possibly the swimming pool store happens to be out of skimmer baskets then there is good news. You can take an old pair of panty hose and stretch them over the skimmer basket and the betting from the panty hose will catch all the debris and such. This is only a quick fix but in will come in handy if you have to run your pool and you have damage to your skimmer basket.

If you are looking to replace your skimmer basket you can buy a new one at a local swimming pool supply store or even order one online. A new skimmer basket will cost you between $5.00 and $25.00 depending if you have an above ground pool or an in ground pool. If your skimmer is from an older pool it might be harder to find a replacement basket for your swimming pool skimmer.

If you are having a hard time finding a replacement skimmer basket for your pool then you can always but a universal skimmer basket. This type of basket won’t fit exactly in your skimmer but it will be close enough so that it does an effective job at removing whatever floats into the skimmer. Sometimes the universal skimmer basket will not work and you will have to replace your whole entire skimmer.