Parts of a Pool Skimmer – Labeled Cutaway Diagram

All 11 parts on the diagram

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At the deck 3

Lid (cover) It sits flush with the deck. Lift it off to reach the basket.
Collar The top ring of the skimmer, under the lid. An extension collar can be added to make it taller.
Vacuum plate To vacuum the pool it is set on top of the basket. The vacuum hose is pushed onto it.

Where the water comes in 5

Throat (mouth) Surface water is drawn in through it. The water carries floating leaves and other debris with it.
Faceplate It is screwed on round the throat. A cover fitted over it can hide the screws.
Weir Water is drawn in over it. When the pump stops it floats up like a gate and keeps the debris from drifting back into the pool.
Basket Leaves, bugs and other floating debris are trapped in it. The water then goes on to the pump. The basket is lifted out and emptied.
Water level The pool is kept filled to about halfway up the throat. The water can then flow in over the weir.

Body and plumbing 3

Skimmer body The housing of the skimmer, often molded in one piece. The throat, the well for the basket and the port are all part of it.
Float valve It closes if too little water comes through the skimmer. The pump then draws from a second line, so the pump does not lose its prime. Not every skimmer has one.
Port The pipe to the pump is joined to it. The suction of the pump pulls the water through the skimmer.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two independent sources use it: four skimmer makers (a commercial skimmer guide read as archive.org full text, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5985297, and the skimmer pages at https://www.c-m-p.com/pool-products/inground-skimmers/, https://carvinpool.com/produit/skimtech-500/ and https://www.aquastarpoolproducts.com/Skimmers), Wikipedia, Swimming pool sanitation (text only), and a pool care guide (https://www.swimuniversity.com/pool-skimmer/). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's product, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A pool skimmer built into the wall of an in-ground pool, cut through so you can follow the water: in through the throat, over the weir, down through the basket and out to the pump.

Read the full guide

The path of the water

The pump pulls water through the skimmer. Surface water enters at the throat, the opening in the pool wall, and flows over the weir, a floating flap. It drops through the basket, which traps leaves and bugs, and leaves by the port at the bottom of the skimmer body. When the pump stops, the weir floats up and keeps the debris from drifting back into the pool.

From the deck

All you see from above is the lid, sitting in its collar. Lift the lid to pull out the basket and empty it. To vacuum the pool, a vacuum plate goes on top of the basket and the hose connects to it.

Keep the water about halfway up the throat, so it can flow in over the weir.
Makers say lid or cover, and throat or mouth, for the same parts.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a pool skimmer called?

From the deck down: the lid, the collar and the skimmer body. On the pool side are the faceplate, the throat and the weir. Inside are the basket and, on some skimmers, a float valve. The port at the bottom takes the pump's pipe.

What is the flap in a pool skimmer called?

The weir, or weir door. It floats in the throat, and water is drawn in over it. When the pump is off it acts as a gate, keeping the collected debris from going back into the pool.

What does the float valve in a skimmer do?

It sits under the basket. If the skimmer clogs or too little water comes through, it closes and the pump draws water from a second line, so the pump does not lose its prime.

How do you clean a pool skimmer basket?

Take off the lid, reach in and lift the basket out. Tip out the debris well away from the pool, put the basket back and replace the lid.