Skimmer Opinions of BEST all around unit

[Bill Putnam]

Wondering what skimmers people like and why.... Things to consider are flow rates, basket design, overall size, quality and value when considering the price...

Here are some, please add others and comment on any of them with your experiences or opinions ..

OASE BIOsys OP-300
Large capacity, liner only design, so-so fake rock lid that is strong and paint able and a great flow through rate of 4500 gph that I know works fine at even 5000 gph. The basket design holds a ton of leaves and never seems to stop permitting the water to pass through, no mater how full of leaves it gets... Flapper Door

WATERWAY Renegade Skimmer;
Gunite only, available in Gray, Black and white. 4500 gph flow through works great and has a fine basket inside similar to that of many pump baskets. Flapper Door

Sacramento Koi's Floating Weir Skimmer
Gunite or Liner units available. Black. Has a good flow through of 4500 and a fine basket similar to that of many leaf baskets for pumps. NO Flapper door

I have tested and used all of the above skimmers and like them all and install them on ponds by determining the type of pond and filtering system.

[MCA]

Savio large skimmer with 16" weir. Can do up to 8000gph. I use it for 5000gph without any problem First stage filtration is the basket for the crude stuff. In the removeable cage in the back I remove the useless matting and replace with two layers of fiberglass screen. That gives two layers of 1000micron filtration that are easy to hose off. Not aware of other skimmer that can do that. You can put at least a 3" bulkhead in the back bottom ...maybe 4".

As for the UVs in the savio...I think they are way too low power for pulling serious flow rates. So I do UV with a Zappure unit in the filter pit.

[simon]

I'm pretty keen on the Oase skimmer as well. They have the best weir for true skimming action due to the neoprene side flaps. Water can only get into the skimmer over the edge & not through the sides for maximum velocity.

The drawback on the units is the potential bowing of the sides.

Oase has a new/bigger version (31L x 23W x 32H) that is amongst the sturdiest material on the market but has a poor basket configuration.

[Birdman]

I really love the LG Savio skimmer. I think it's well made, has a nice ridged leaf basket, 16" Wier, and plenty of room for a 4" outlet out the bottom center. I have flown as much as 8500 gph through mine. I have had no trouble with two of the 50 watt UVs keeping our 12,500 gal pond clear here in the Central Oregon Desert sun.

I am also using the skimmer that Bill sells, I think it's the water way, correct me if I'm wrong Bill. It has worked great also.

[Bill Putnam]

Correct you are Steve, it is the Waterway skimmer...

As for the Savio units with UV, I too have had customers indicate that using the UV feature is not as good as having a regular type separate UV unit for controlling Algae. They were wishing they spent money on the separate unit.