Skimmer Flapper

[Phillbo]

I'm sure that is not what they are called but I'm looking to solve a problem I have. When my pump turns off, all the leaves etc.. that have been sucked into the skimmer area and are still floating will float right back out into the pool. I've seen skimmers set up with a flapper device that is hinged at the bottom and will lean in towards the skimmer when the pump is on to allow the debri to enter but stand up vertical once the water flow stops to block the debri from floating past and back out into the pool ...

Can my skimmer be retro fitted with a device like this and if so, where can I find one?


Thanks.

[waldreps]

It's called a weir. I believe you might be able to find one that is spring loaded that you could use as long as the dimensions are correct. I think it's pretty important for it to fit pretty exact. Check at any of the online pool stores.

[Poconos]

There are at least a couple types. One is the flap door that you mentioned and another is a cylindrical plastic device that fits inside a round skimmer basket. Hard to describe but the skimmer basket has slots vertically on the inside for tabs on the weir device to slide into. The slots and tabs keep it captive and allow it to float. There is an air pocket ring at the top to keep the top even with the water level. Does the same thing as the flap. When the pump stops the device floats and keeps crud in the skimmer basket from returning to the pool. When the pump is running the thing is sucked down a little to let water enter. If you need a pic I can do that too. The danger with either is the thing sticking and not letting water into the skimmer and the pump running dry. I have the basket kind and when the water level is high I've had it cock and stick high and water didn't flow. So...the fix, I don't use it unless the water level is below the middle of the skimmer opening.
Hope this helps.
Al

[salinda]

The floating weir that you can stick onto most skimmer baskets is made by PoolTool and can be found at their website: http://www.pooltool.com/ A pool guy installed one on my pool and removed the weir flap when they put in the variable speed pump. It is supposed to work better at lower speeds of the pump. From a physics/fluid dynamics standpoint, that makes sense, but I like my weir flap (which is a floating type with no springs) better. They never turned my pump off though. I think the basket popped up a little and water past that way, plus I have a suction cleaner to back me up. I mostly use lower speed in the winter when I am not running solar. The other problem with the circular weir is it cut down on the volume of leaves that could be trapped because the inside of the floating weir is a smaller space than the inside of the skimmer when using a flap-type of weir.

[matt4x4]

if you look in the skimmer opening right behind the front face plate on the skimmer body - lower sides, there should be a small hole in each side at the bottom corner, this is where the plate type clicks in - most pool stores sell replacements and all you have to do is get the right width. Most of these come with a piece of foam on the back of the weir which makes it stand up through foam's flotation.

[Phillbo]

Thanks all... I stopped by the pool store and they had just what I needed. I got the spring loaded one and it took less than a minute to install... not sure why I did not think of doing this earlier :confused:

[brittmer]

There are at least a couple types. One is the flap door that you mentioned and another is a cylindrical plastic device that fits inside a round skimmer basket. Hard to describe but the skimmer basket has slots vertically on the inside for tabs on the weir device to slide into. The slots and tabs keep it captive and allow it to float. There is an air pocket ring at the top to keep the top even with the water level. Does the same thing as the flap. When the pump stops the device floats and keeps crud in the skimmer basket from returning to the pool. When the pump is running the thing is sucked down a little to let water enter. If you need a pic I can do that too. The danger with either is the thing sticking and not letting water into the skimmer and the pump running dry. I have the basket kind and when the water level is high I've had it cock and stick high and water didn't flow. So...the fix, I don't use it unless the water level is below the middle of the skimmer opening.
Hope this helps.
Al

I have the round skimmer basket that you are talking about Poconos. I have had the same problem with it sticking so I cut a slot in the side of the smaller piece and put a pin and clip through both pieces so that it doesn't get high enough to get stuck. Here is a picture.
http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z265/brittmer/IMG_0727.jpg

[Poconos]

Thanks for the idea and the pic.
Al

[Dizzle]

I have a similiar problem. My skimmer does not have a weir. I have cleaned the skimmer area where i really expected to find two holes to mount the weir. There is nothing there. I believe I have a swimquip wc27-92. I have not had much luck finding info on this model. The swimquip site I found looked more like a service site than a product site. there is a stopper plate on the top off the skimmer oroface(?) where the weir is stopped.
any sugestions? I read a post about a pressure mounted weir, but i could not find any info on manufacturers or where to get one.
the young lady at leslies really gave it her best shot, but she insisted I must have holes or i would have to screw a weir in(didn"t like the sound of that.)
Sorry if I am wordy, just trying to give all available info.
Thanks everyone!

[Watermom]

I can't help you find a weir, but just wanted to say that it is OK if you don't have a weir. I don't. Mine broke several years ago and I just don't worry about it. The only thing is that when the pump shuts off and the suction is gone, any debris in the skimmer will float back out into the pool. My solution for that is to just dump the skimmer basket before shutting off the pump. Maybe somebody can suggest someplace to buy a replacement, but if you can't find one, don't sweat it.

Hope you enjoy being a part of our forum!

EDIT: By the way, it is usually best to start your own thread instead of tacking onto the end of somebody else's thread, especially if it is a really old one like this one is. Just an FYI.