Here are the most common types of skimmers, if you do not see yours; read the general instructions below for all skimmers. Click on the one you are interested in.

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Baker Hydro............................................ American Products......................... Swimquip w/black bottom

 Hayward (big) ...................................Hayward (small) ...............................Large copper skimmer

Tips for all skimmers: Letting the pool level drain down below the skimmer mouth is a good plan, but be aware that the bottom drain pipe of many pools runs to the skimmer, and will cause the skimmer to equalize with the pool even below the tile line. Plug off the bottom drain (in the skimmer it is the pipe closest to the pool) and fill the skimmer with a hose and see if it holds water.

A leak can exist in any screw hole in the bottom of the skimmer, or between the threads of the fittings. If you suspect a broken suction line, air will cause the pump to loose prime. The most common place a suction line will break is in the first elbow under the skimmer or in the first 2" of pipe leading down from the bottom of the skimmer. This can be seen with a small mirror inserted into the pipe. Or the dye will be drawn down the pipe. These pipes break between the fittings because the weight of the dirt pushes down on the pipe and the pipe is only supported by the connection under the skimmer.

The BAKER HYDRO skimmer cracks in a glue seam where the vacuum plate rests. This leak is extremely common and it should be the first place you check. The only trick is a mirror is needed to view the crack because it is hidden from view by the rib that holds vac plate in place( below right). Once this crack develops, epoxy will not be strong enough to hold it more than 2 weeks. I suggest filling in the gap and smoothing the entire corner with epoxy and fiberglassing over it. This leak is accelerated by the use of automatic pool cleaners that vibrate the vacuum plate.

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 The American Products skimmer has a weak spot on the very bottom of the skimmer where the walls meet the flat bottom. The crack can be hard to see if you don't look closely. This skimmer only has 1 pipe leading to the pump; therefore the water level will not equalize with the pool past the level of the skimmer mouth. So if this skimmer does not hold water, then look for this crack The crack can be anywhere under the ring, and in some cases can run vertically down where the basket sits. This crack is caused by the weight of the dirt settling down on the piping, stressing the skimmer on the bottom. Variations of this crack can appear anywhere under the support ring, and you should use the mirror to inspect this area. This skimmer is easily repaired (below) by threading a male adapter into the existing threads and extending the piping from the bottom to slightly above the brace ring, then filling in the bottom with cement. These items are common at all hardware stores.

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Old Style SWIMQUIP with the black bottom and green sides is an old popular skimmer that is reaching the end of its service life. The difficulty in seeing this leak is that the black bottom hides the flow of the red dye. If you have this skimmer do not bother looking for the leak, you may miss it! Do the repair to eliminate this problem. This skimmer tends to break in the bottom in 3 places. 1) Behind each individual bolt holding the bottom to the sides. This is usually not a

continuous crack, but segmented behind each screw head. Use the mirror to see these cracks. 2) Leaks in the seal between the black bottom and the green sides. 3) The threads between the fittings of the plumbing in the bottom of the skimmer.

Repairing these leaks is easy with the help of a PVC sink drainpipe (1.495" dia., almost 1.5") available at hardware stores, test fit it with a 1.5" PVC male adapter. Usually the bottom drain is plugged off, and an extension is glued into the suction pipe. The bottom of the skimmer is then filled with cement. You can find these items at the hardware store.

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The Hayward skimmer (big and small) are usually not prone to leakage, but can be confusing because both have a seam that looks as if it is broken, but it is usually not the leak. It can crack at the corners. Check it quickly and move on. Remember to check the first elbow, the threads, and the skimmer mouth.

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 Large copper pot skimmers tend to corrode and pit on the bottom of the pot. These are also repaired by extending a pipe from the bottom about 9 inches and filling the bottom of the skimmer with cement. These skimmers will also leak in the edge seams in the throat of the skimmer.

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