Helix Pond Skimmer - 15" Weir Skimmer with Four Configuration Options

Description

The POND Trade Magazine 2012 Product of the Year, the Helix Pond Skimmer is our favorite choice in pond skimmers. Why? The Helix Pond Skimmer is
rugged
,
compact
,
effective
,
fish-friendly
, and
versatile
.
Rugged Construction
The first thing you notice looking at the Helix Skimmer is the strong and extremely durable construction of the Helix Pond Skimmer.
Made in the USA
from heavy-duty Rotational Molded HDPE, and will hold up better than any other skimmer we have tried. Especially in regions with compacted soil and heavy freeze-thaw cycles, weaker skimmers can easily be crushed.
Compact Profile
The Helix Pond Skimmer is tall but not wide, giving it a very low profile around the pond and making it easier to hide with rocks around the edge of the pond. The Helix Skimmer also has an optimum fill height that is just 2" from the top of the skimmer, allowing you to have a clean pond edge and a fuller-looking pond. Since it doesn't require a lid, it can also be easily covered with a large stone or faux stone (such as the Atlantic Water Gardens RL30)
Effective Operation
The Helix Pond Skimmer has a round strainer basket that is modeled after swimming pool skimmer baskets. This time-tested, familiar technology creates a helical (spiral-shaped) flow that effectively traps debris. The rigid basket is tight-fitting, so that debris cannot bypass the basket. The default basket is 8" in diameter and 8" tall, but the helical flow compresses debris into the basket, giving it higher capacity. If you are using an external pump, we offer an upgrade to the 16" or 24" long leaf baskets for enormous capacity. The weir opening of the skimmer is 15", allowing for flow rates from 1500-8000gph.
Fish-Friendly Design
Most skimmers have a weir door at the entrance to the skimmer chamber. Once they slip past this skimmer door, fish can become trapped inside. The Helix Pond Skimmer does not have a weir door, making it safer for fish. The floating weir inside the leaf basket sits right at the top of the water level, helping prevent fish from getting inside.
Versatile Options
The Helix Pond Skimmer is 35” Tall x 19” Wide x 18” Long, so it can fit vertically-oriented submersible pumps as well as external pumps. It comes with a 2” Bulkhead and all Stainless Steel hardware. Its large,
flat side panels can easily support an autofill valve and/or an overflow pipe. Because of the design of the skimmer, neither the autofill valve or overflow pipe is likely to become encumbered with debris.
We offer this skimmer with a skimmer plate that is either pre-notched (to run a cord out from a submersible pump) or without notch (for external pump applications).   We also give you a choice between buying this skimmer with the water exit hole already drilled and the bulkhead fitting installed or with no hole and the bulkhead fitting included, but left for you to install.   On the installed version, the center of the hole is 1 and 3/4 inches below the top of the flat spot on the back of the skimmer (just below the shelf for the Blue Matala Pad) and 1 and 7/8 inches from the right side of the flat spot.    NOTE:  We recommend that you buy your skimmer already drilled (pre-drilled) as this is the optimum placement for most installations using 2" pipe whether you will be using a vertical submersible pump, or an external pump.