Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Undisputed MVP of my pool equipment team. I have a 3000 gallon Intex 16'x8'x42" Rectangular Prism Frame Pool and a 2100gph Intex Sand Filter. I was vacuuming, filtering, and skimming with my net constantly and still my water was cloudy despite having good numbers all around. There was always a film of dust, and sunscreen sludge on the surface that no amount of filtering or skimming could remove. Swarms of gnats so small that the skim net couldn't retain them would litter the surface. When I mow the lawn, mountains of dust and tiny clippings would settle over the whole pool and the skimmer could do nothing. I'd have to wait for everything to sink and then vacuum. I would cringe when I mowed the lawn. I would cringe when the kids went in with sunscreen on. I would cringe when I saw the gnats swarming in the evenings. And then I bought the Intex Deluxe Wall Mount Surface Skimmer. I was skeptical. It just didn't look all that effective or reliable. When I opened the box, it was bigger than I expected. Installation was incredibly easy and quick. Within half an hour, the surface sludge was gone and before the day was over, my water was sparkling! I'd be remiss if I didn't say that a bit of care and thought goes into using the skimmer effectively. For starters, with my 2100gph pump, I have to install the white restrictor cap over my second outflow port in order to generate enough suction to operate the skimmer. The skimmer works best when blue sleeve floats about 2 to 3 inches above the white base cylinder that the hose attaches to. You get your best performance in calm water. I've left it in while the kids were swimming and it has been fine. But if the water gets too turbulent, you the sleeve could come out or, worse yet, bottom out and you could suck air into your lines. I also have an air leak at my restricted outflow port that causes air to slowly get sucked in to the line. Because of this, I have to shut the pump off for a few seconds every couple of hours to allow the air to escape back up the line. This may not be your experience, but it is something to watch out for. I frequently skim the layer of sludge off of the surface of the skimmer using a name brand paper towel. If you get too much sludge/oil buildup in the skimmer, it will actually float back up out of the skimmer. When I am finished using the skimmer, I detach the hose from the outflow port and I cover the end of the hose with a (you guessed it) name brand paper towel that has been folded in half. I then detach the skimmer and lift it slowly out of the water. The paper towel filters the water as it runs out of the hose and prevents small debris and sludge from flowing out into the pool. I am obsessed with keeping my pool clean and I was fighting a losing battle until I purchased the Intex Deluxe Wall Mount Surface Skimmer. Now I can't wipe the smile off of my face as I watch it devour mountains of bugs and sunscreen sludge.