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About Swimming Pool Skimmers

Pool skimmers are an important part of your swimming pool's design. The water flow in a pool is drawn in through inlets, then out through skimmers where it hits the filtering system and is cleaned. Skimmers also serve the purpose of catching large debris such as leaves and pine needles that land on the water's surface.

The number of skimmers you need depends on the size of the swimming pool. For average sized pools, they should be installed at both ends. For smaller pools, you can usually get away with one skimmer; this should be installed on the downwind side. In larger swimming pools, or pools with vacuuming systems, you will probably want to add a third skimmer in a centrally located position.

Wise placement of pool skimmers helps with maintenance, but also think about placement of the inlets. Using several inlets and evenly spacing them will help prevent the growth of algae and bacteria.

Source: Swimming Pool Idea Book