PoolSkim is great!

[newtopools]

It works a whole lot better than just the skimmer. Although the skimmer does well. It just creates this stronge vacume that sucks everything on top of the pool. I live in the Country and we seem to have alot of bugs and after a mow alot of grass ends up floating on the top of the pool. The poolskim just sucks it all in the net that attaches and you can just empty it. I empty mine just about everyday and there is always stuff in there. You may not need one if you do not have alot of things get in your pool. I have a 33 ft round and I love the poolskim.

[ryguy]

I have to concur with everyone on this device. It really is great. I bought mine 1 year ago and have been totally pleased with it. It works better than I even imagined. Sure, not everyone would need this thing, but if you've spent countless days wondering what you could do to keep your pool surface cleaner, then this may be the inexpensive answer to your problems. My pool was built in the 1950's and even though it has been totally renovated recently, it still has only the (one) original skimmer. It's never been enough to keep the pool surface clean. I have 1.5" pvc piping, so maybe those using 2" piping or multiple skimmers don't have problems. Also, the way my pool renovater installed the new skimmer, it has probably less than 2" of "ideal water level" to pull stuff effectively off the surface. I considered the "pool skimmer lever/stick" that they sell, but wasn't so sure it would do anything. I also considered replacing my Polaris with a Hayward Phantom, which rises to the surface to skim also, but it's very expensive. So I thought I'd start with the PoolSkim first, then see if I needed anything else.

Well, it was an easy install and the darn thing works! Don't really have to worry about it breaking because there are so few parts and it's a very simple design. A few of you asked about using it with a solar cover. Yes, you can do that. I've done it every day for a year now. It doesn't hurt the Poolskim or the solar cover. However, it won't effectively do anything when the cover is on. Who cares though? Nothings getting in with the cover in place anyway. So when the cover is one, it's simply acts as a pool return jet only, until the cover is removed.

There is only one negative that I can think of to the device. It doesn't bother me, but could be a concern for others. If you have younger kids swimming a lot, they'll probably knock it off over and over again. Just put it back on when they're out. Could get tiring I suppose, but I rarely have kids swimming in my pool (but when they do, they always seem to knock it off). It protrudes into the pool about 8-10". I have mine in the shallow end, so I'm sure if I moved it to the deep end, that would be less of a problem.

My Polaris rarely ever gets tangled in the PoolSkim either, so that hasn't been an issue. The bag that comes with it is durable and large enough that I don't have to empty it daily. I empty it maybe once a week at most, and far less during the summer. It will automatically adjust to varying pool levels up to a few inches (as much as you'd ever need). This thing has much stronger suction than my regular skimmer, so it is very quick to clear the surface. Typically, when I pull the solar cover off during spring or fall, all the pollen and seedlings and junk fall off the cover onto the surface. The poolskim will suck it all up pretty quickly, however, if I want to swim right away, I just use pole skimmer to move the debris toward the Poolskim. Once it gets close it is sucked up immediately and it's pretty much clear in 2-3 minutes using that method. If you've ever wished for a cleaner surface, do yourself a favor and try this thing out. I ordered mine directly from the manufacturer and it was received in less than a week from ordering. They were very good to deal with. Can't praise this thing enough. It has saved me so much time over the past year, and the pool is ALWAYS clear when I look out on it any time of day.

[conductor500]

well after reading all the talk of this thing I also ordered one from intheswim.com
and hooked it up today. At firdt I didn't put the screws in because it fit together really tight. After I turned on the pump it blew the basket off after about 30 seconds ,so I had to put the screw in. The thing works great. I really wanted to believe everyone about this thing but had my doubts. It really works well because of the floating head. I also run my water deeper than normal I guess because my skimmer doesn't do a great job alone.

I have one question for all the users here about this poolskim. Do you have alot of air bubbles coming through the net on the return? Just wondering if that was normal.

Now someone tell me the best way to put on and take off my solar cover from my 27' AG pool. I also ordered the saddles for the cover but they have not arrived yet. I have 2 teenage daughters 19,17 and they hate putting the cover on and off.

anyway I am now a believer.

[rnmuth]

Sounds interesting, especially when I get a billion maple tree "helicopter" seeds in the pool.

One other question - how does it fair with rodents? I always seem to get a dozen or so of them in the skimmer during the course of a year. Does it pick them off and more importantly, do they damage the PoolSkim?

A potential new toy.....

Thanks
Bob

[Tredge]

I dont know how you could hurt it other than dropping a heavy object or person directly on it.

Rodents would likely get trapped in the bag and drown in a swirly vortex of death. I get frogs sometimes that way.

Bag couldnt be easier to clean and I expect its going to last as long as the device itself. Even if it didnt last I'd still buy a new one every year now that I cant live without it. Anyways....mine is as the day I bought it.

Ya I get the bubbles too. doesnt hurt anything as far as I can tell.

[ChuckD]

Argh, those damn helicopters.
We've got two otherwise beautiful maples, one at either end, and one of those is upwind. I opened the pool in early april this year and the water's gotten up to 72 now just from the sun. But I've essentially shut the pool down until the 'whirligigs' have stopped falling. They've overwhelmed my ambitions, and the poolskim's. Yup, the poolskim will suck 'em up, but you'll soon wish it had a bigger bag. Also I've found they don't all sink equally and many will float around the top, so I scoop them out with the pole skimmer.

I don't think a rodent will get into the poolskim unless it actually climbs in. They float too far below the surface.

C.

Originally Posted by rnmuth

Sounds interesting, especially when I get a billion maple tree "helicopter" seeds in the pool.

One other question - how does it fair with rodents? I always seem to get a dozen or so of them in the skimmer during the course of a year. Does it pick them off and more importantly, do they damage the PoolSkim?

A potential new toy.....

Thanks
Bob