Skim-a-round purchase

[JSchan]

Hello all. Purchased a skim-a-round for my new pool to keep the surface debris-free but noticed it doesn’t perform quite as advertised. I see now that this is because of my Waterway skimmer float valve. What is the drawback of removing the float valve? Thanks in advance!

 

[mknauss]

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com

Not a lot of good statements on that product. I believe to make it work you must run your pump at a much higher RPM, which pretty much defeats a VS pump cost savings.

Good luck.

 

[Jimrahbe]

JS,

I can't see how the float valve would have any effect, but removing it should not cause any problems.. The only time a float valve is needed is if you let the water drop below the mouth of the skimmer.. If you do that, you probably should not have a pool anyway..

There is just never a good reason to use the "scam-around".. The main reason for a poorly working skimmer, is that the weir door is missing or stuck down.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JSchan]

Google search results

www.troublefreepool.com

Not a lot of good statements on that product. I believe to make it work you must run your pump at a much higher RPM, which pretty much defeats a VS pump cost savings.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info. My pump runs on a timer that is set for 60GPM (1800 RPM) for a chunk in the morning and will drop to 30 for a few hours and eventually shut off in the afternoon per the Pentair recommendation. During the highest setting, the skimmer creates a decent amount of pull for nearby debris.

 

[JSchan]

JS,

I can't see how the float valve would have any effect, but removing it should not cause any problems.. The only time a float valve is needed is if you let the water drop below the mouth of the skimmer.. If you do that, you probably should not have a pool anyway..

There is just never a good reason to use the "scam-around".. The main reason for a poorly working skimmer, is that the weir door is missing or stuck down.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Haha that’s what all the articles say that I’ve read too. My weir door did actually come off. I have this (see picture) and it was my understanding that the function was to maintain the water level automatically. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[mknauss]

That is not the float valve Jim was speaking of.

That is your autofill. You want to leave that. Your evaporation over the summer will have you adding water every day unless you have the autofill.

You are running your pump really quite fast. But up to you.

 

[Jimrahbe]

it was my understanding that the function was to maintain the water level automatically. Correct me if I’m wrong.

JS,

Ok, no problem... You are wrong..

Not really sure if you are wrong, but I don't follow the logic.. Your pic shows an autofill, not a skimmer.. The autofill's job is to maintain a constant water level. A weir door in a skimmer, has nothing to do with the water level.

A weir door is between the mouth of the skimmer and the skimmer basket. It is connected at the bottom and kind of bobs up and down with the flow of water into the skimmer basket. The main purpose of a weir door is to make your skimmer... well, skim! The weir door makes the skimmer draw water from the surface of the pool rather than the bottom of the skimmer..

You can easily see this, if you hold the door down. You will see all the skimming action just stop.. Basically, the weir door makes it appear that the water in the skimmer is lower than in the pool. This causes the surface water in the pool to flow "down hill" into the skimmer...

Another thing that can make your skimming action weak, is to set your water level too high.. Your water level should be in the middle of the skimmer and not higher..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JSchan]

That is not the float valve Jim was speaking of.

That is your autofill. You want to leave that. Your evaporation over the summer will have you adding water every day unless you have the autofill.

You are running your pump really quite fast. But up to you.

@Jimrahbe sorry, should have been more clear. I was saying that the picture (apparently known as the auto fulfill) was the device keeping the pool full, in theory eliminating the need for the float valve.

 

[JSchan]

That is not the float valve Jim was speaking of.

That is your autofill. You want to leave that. Your evaporation over the summer will have you adding water every day unless you have the autofill.

You are running your pump really quite fast. But up to you.

Pentair recommended cycling all 20K gallons every 24 hours which they calculated out to be the above settings. Wish I could run it lower, personally.

 

[mknauss]

You are speaking of 'Turnover'. That is a myth.
Read Determine Pump Run Time - Trouble Free Pool

 

[Jimrahbe]

JS,

The question is.. Do you have a weir door or not?????

Without a weir door, your skimmer will never skim well.

And... because you have an autofill, there is just no reason that you would need to have a floating valve.. Just to be clear, the floating valve is under the skimmer basket and the weir door is something completely different, and is between the mouth of the skimmer and the skimmer basket..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JSchan]

You are speaking of 'Turnover'. That is a myth.
Read Determine Pump Run Time - Trouble Free Pool

I see.

JS,

The question is.. Do you have a weir door or not?????

Without a weir door, your skimmer will never skim well.

And... because you have an autofill, there is just no reason that you would need to have a floating valve.. Just to be clear, the floating valve is under the skimmer basket and the weir door is something completely different, and is between the mouth of the skimmer and the skimmer basket..

Thanks,

Jim R.

JS,

The question is.. Do you have a weir door or not?????

Without a weir door, your skimmer will never skim well.

And... because you have an autofill, there is just no reason that you would need to have a floating valve.. Just to be clear, the floating valve is under the skimmer basket and the weir door is something completely different, and is between the mouth of the skimmer and the skimmer basket..

Thanks,

Jim R.

I have a weir door. I did find it unattached in the skimmer the other day and have not gone back out to re-install because at first glance, I was unsure out to do so. I didn’t know it had such a large impact on clearing surface debris. We are on the same page as far as the difference between the door and the autofill thanks!
Now knowing that autofill renders the floating valve useless, I will remove because it blocks the skim-around from what I’ve seen. I appreciate your help!

 

[Jimrahbe]

JS,

It is your pool and you can run it anyway you want... That said, the idea that you have to "turnover" X amount of water per day is total Bull Feathers...

It is based on the idea that passing water through the filter is what keeps your pool clear and algae free.. But, it fact, the filter is only designed to capture things that fall into your pool like leaves and bugs, etc.. What keeps you pool clear and algae fee are the chemicals you use, mainly your Free Chlorine..

Not sure how many returns you have, but using one for the Skim-around, takes away from how your skimmers work.. The basic idea being the return eyeballs should be positioned so that they cause the water in the pool to rotate like a very, very slow moving toilet bowl.. Removing one of the returns just causes less rotation.

Good luck with your new pool,

Jim R.

 

[JSchan]

You are speaking of 'Turnover'. That is a myth.
Read Determine Pump Run Time - Trouble Free Pool

That’s some really good information. I wish there was a chart to show exactly what was needed for run times. I’ll have lots of experimenting to figure out once the water warms up enough to run my SWG. Thanks for all the help.

 

[mknauss]

There are some members that run their pool 2 hours or less per day. They have minimal skimming and add liquid chlorine. Covered pools can be very low hours. Once your SWCG creates the chlorine you need each day, and the pool is skimmed to your desire, any longer pump times are your choice.