How to clean a pool pump basket and the skimmer basket is something the swimming pool contractors from Advanced Pools, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee get asked all the time when they talk with new swimming pool owners. When you work with a pool contractor, he will perform these tasks for you. When you take on the maintenance and upkeep for your swimming pool, these are two of the many tasks you will need to add to your cleaning schedule.
It is important to clean the pump basket and skimmer regularly as a way to improve the overall funciton of your pool pump and skimmer basket. If the baskets are dirty and clogged, the pool pump will need to work harder to clean the water and that will cost more money and wear and tear on the equipment.
How to clean a pool pump basket
Any time water flow is impacted by a pump or skimmer basket that is full of debris like leaves, twigs and other debris that has fallen into the pool water the pool water will not turn over at the recommended rate and the water that is being filtered will not be as clean as it should be.
These baskets need to be cleaned at least once a week and need to be part of your overall pool maintenance and upkeep schedule.
How to clean a pump basket:
- Make certain the pool heater and pool cleaner pump have been turned off. If you’d been heating the water, give it about ten minutes before you turn off the pool pump
- Close the main drain valves and skimmer.
- A pool pump located below the pool’s water level will need to have the valve “closed” before cleaning
- Remove the lid from the pump
- Thoroughly wash the basket with a hose. Take care with removing the basket and debris, an older basket will be brittle and can easily break. If you have a spare pump basket it is quicker and easier to clean and remove the pump basket and clean and thoroughly dry it.
- Before you replace the basket with the spare one or after you’ve cleaned the basket, make sure there are no signs of damage. If there are, you will need to invest in a new one
- Put the pump basket back in taking care to not over-tighten it
- The equipment, including the pump lid and o-rings should be checked for damage and then if there are none, they should be lubricated and put back in place
- Once the basket is back in place, turn the filter valve to “filter”
- The main drain valve can now be opened fully
- The air relief valve on the pool filter can now be fully opened
- The pool pump can now be turned back on and after it’s primed, you can open the other skimmer valves, one at a time
- After you see a steady stream of water coming out of the air relief valve you can close it
How to clean a skimmer basket
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- Make sure the pool pump is turned off.
- Take the lid off the skimmer
- Take the skimmer basket out, remove debris
- Wash the skimmer basket with a hose to remove all debris, then put the basket back into the skimmer
- Put the skimmer lid back on and turn on the systemCleaning a skimmer basket is an easier task and takes much less time than cleaning a pool pump basket, but it is important that both of them are cleaned weekly.Even if you work with us to keep your pool cleaned and maintained, it is a good idea that every pool owner understands how to perform these tasks.
