Swimming pool owners in Arizona who work with a pool service and maintenance contractor from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair understand the importance of between-service maintenance and light clean up of their pool. Why you should clean the skimmer basket and pump basket are two items that the pool service contractors can teach you how to do.

Knowing how to do tasks for your pool is ideal, but understanding the reasons why you need to clean the skimmer and pump basket make it more clear that it should be a task that doesn’t get forgotten.

Why you should clean the skimmer basket

If the pump and skimmer basket aren’t kept clean the flow of water through them will be impacted by built-up debris and dirt particles, will negatively impact the turnover of the water and can impact the quality of the water in the swimming pool.

In order for your pool water to stay clean and swimmable and bacteria-free the water needs to be filtered and the first line of defense are the pump and skimmer baskets. Keep them clean and the water will be cleaner and your equipment won’t have to work as hard.

How to clean a pool pump basket

  1. Turn off the electrivity to the pool.
  2. Close the main drain valve and skimmer
  3. If the pool pump is below water level, turn the valve to closed
  4. Take off the pump lid
  5. Grab your garden hose and wash the basket. If you have a spare pump basket on hand, rotate it out with the one you’re removing and cleaning.
  6. Check the basket for any damaged areas. Get a new one if necessary.
  7. Check the o-ring for damage, lubricate the pump’s lid o-ring if it looks dry
  8. Don’t over tighten when you install the pump lid and o-ring.
  9. The main drain valve woudl be reopened
  10. Open the air relief valve
  11. Turn the electricity back on
  12. Turn the pool pump on
  13. AFter the pump has primed, open the skimmer valves, one at a time
  14. When you see a steady stream of water from the air relief valve, you can close the valve
  15. Turn on the pool cleaner pump

To clean the pool skimmer basket

  1. Turn the pump off
  2. Take the skimmer lid off
  3. Remove the skimmer basket
  4. Thoroughly empty the skimmer basket
  5. Put the skimmer basket back in place
  6. Replace the skimmer lid
  7. Turn the pool pump system back on

If you’re new to pool ownership, ask us how often this should be done and ask for in-person pointers when we pay our next service visit.

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