Topping up your pool a thing of the past

Award-winning Ecoskim pool skimming device now available from Swimart

With water conservation now top of mind for many Aussie pool owners because of regular droughts and the ever-rising cost of water, a new Australian made device is set to change the way pools are managed.

The Ecoskim, which recently received the highly acclaimed Smart Approved Watermark Consumer Product of the Year for 2011, is an innovative pool cleaning device produced in Australia for Australian conditions. It will literally save pool owners tens of thousands of litres of water each year, not to mention hundreds of dollars in water rates.

The Ecoskim attaches to existing pool skimmer boxes to allow for greater fluctuations in pool water levels due to evaporation and heavy rainfall – without compromising on water quality.

"With the Ecoskim, topping up pool water is a thing of the past. And in times of heavy rainfall, rather than purge the excess water, the Ecoskim continues to ensure pool water is skimmed adequately," explains Chris Fitzmaurice, national manager of Swimart.

"This innovation is capable of skimming water and operating a suction cleaner concurrently. It means that the suction cleaner will clean the pool's floor and walls without impeding its skimming action. Without the Ecoskim, a suction cleaner would block off the skimmer and prevent it from skimming the surface of the pool."

Unlike the average skimmer box which operates within a maximum 70mm water level fluctuation window, the Ecoskim is capable of operating as water levels fluctuate up to 350mm. In fact, the Ecoskim can maintain water levels for up to six months of zero rainfall before topping up is necessary.

Developed in Brisbane at the height of recent water restrictions by Paul deGroot and Mark Davies, who both have expertise in pool installation and engineering, the Ecoskim represents the first new design in skimmer boxes in 35 years. Its enlarged weir holds more water than existing skimmer boxes and its flow strength is also much stronger.

"After many years of research and development, we are proud to have launched such an important, eco-friendly product for the pool industry," says Paul deGroot, Ecoskim co-inventor. "Not only is the Ecoskim easy to install, once fitted it's easy to maintain and enables relatively stress-free pool ownership.