Swimline HYDROTOOLS Standard ABS Thru-Wall Skimmer Kit, White - Includes Return Fitting and Vacuum Plate, Maintenance Accessories for Above Ground and Backyard Deck Swimming Pools

Very good product! I’ll try to keep this short and sweet as others have mentioned some of the most important things already. Firstly the instructions are pretty good however...BE SURE AND PRESCREW ALL THE SCREWS INTO THE HOUSINGS!!! I did this as well and it did make it much easier to get the screws in once you have your holes punched. You’ll need a heavy duty screwdriver though (not sure of the size but something like a #8 or #9 ((large headed)). This unit works perfectly with the Intex return hoses! No need for an adapter the return hose slides right into the lower fitting that comes with it and the clamp fits very secure just make sure the hose is all the way on and your clamp is above the divot ring so the hose gets a good seal and won’t slide off.Don’t cut your pool “opening” until after you’ve screwed in all the screws VERY TIGHT. Also, the main housing uses 6 screws! 4 of them are kinda hidden way down in the top and bottom. I used a long handle pair of pliers to pre-install them on my workbench then used a manual screwdriver to torque everything in place (DONT FORGET YOUR GASKETS) the only issue I had was the Teflon tape that comes with this is junk. Don’t use it. Get some good tape for the bottom fitting. Mine leaks a little but not too bad. I’ll fix that later.I’m using an Intex 16” sand filter with a 1/2 Hp motor. Let me tell you...this thing sucks HARD! Don’t stick your fingers down on the suction hole like I did and almost lost a finger! Otherwise it began sucking everything that approached it amazingly! The plastic looks kinda cheap but is thick and pretty durable only time will tell if this thing holds up to the West Texas sunshine and heat!

I bought at just under $28 so how could I go wrong? Whoops! The price has gone up.I had a similar skimmer on my previous above ground pool, but that skimmer had a smaller mouth. Because of the wider mouth on this one it works better. It narrows inside which causes the water to move faster as it enters the skimmer helping to pull in more floating debris. (My new Kholer toilets unique flush valve uses a similar design to give a fast flush with little water.)Installation was pretty intuitive, but difficult and tedious. Difficult because it took everything my old arthritic hands had to turn those screws. Thankfully, I had followed another reviewers suggestion to screw in then remove all the screws before installation. I had to use a drill to get them in because I just didn’t have the strength to do it. Even after taking this extra step it was still difficult for me to get the screws in by hand during installation resulting in blisters by the time I was done. Should have worn gloves. (The pool was almost full of water in order to have the wall tight and I wasn’t going to stand in the water and use an electric drill. I guess this was one of those rare times when I could have used a battery powered drill.) The tediousness comes in when trying to line up the holes and get the screws to bite - especially the first few. Be sure to get those screws TIGHT in order to avoid leaks. Have some patience here. It’s all worth it when you are done.It’s too bad above ground pools don’t come with such a skimmer. Just having an underwater hole in the side of the pool doesn’t do the job required. Between this skimmer and my Intex robot vacuum, I NEVER have to manually vacuum my pool. I just keep my filters clean.If there were any flaws with the skimmer it would be that the little basket inside is kind of flimsy. It certainly does the job, but it is just kind of light weight and feels kind of brittle. I’ll have to be careful with it.I do highly recommend this skimmer, but suggest waiting for a reasonable price.Unrelated tip for your pool: Add some Dawn dish soap to the water. You will never have any kind of bug living in your pool and wasps/yellow jackets can’t land on the surface of the water. They either give up and fly away or drown and get sucked into the skimmer.

This our 2nd skimmer we’re installing we got our 1st one a year ago and still working great just our pool is 24’ long and this 2nd one will help keep the pool cleaner

I was a little scared of cutting a hole in my pool like most. I did install it when the pool was full. If you install it when it's full use an ice pic to make the holes for the screws. Start by separating the two gaskets. Put one gasket on the inside frame and line it up on the inside of the pool where ever you wish so long as there will be water flow into the skimmer. I pushed the ice pic from the inside out. Please make sure YOU are not near the end of the pic or anyone else when piercing the pool. Install a screw so that you can move to the next corner making sure that the frame is level. Continue till all screws are installed. Once you have the frame screwed to the pool ,bring the skimmer to the outside of the pool. Back the screws out about half way. Match the the skimmer holes with the screws and start screwing them in loosely all the way around and the final tighten all the way around. Be careful as to not over tighten them and break the frame. There are two gaskets that will seal the water. Once you have completed the skimmer install, pipe up your skimmer back to to the pump. I used a 2" X 1 1/2" rubber coupling available at your choice of hardware store. You will need a valve to be able to work on the pump or remove for maintenance. Nows the time cut out that square you've been dreading to do. If it is leaking a little just tighten up around the frame until it stops. Periodically check to make sure all connection are tight. Good luck on your install, and happy swimming.