Helix Life Support Pond Skimmer Packages with Pump and Optional Auto Fill

The POND Trade Magazine 2012 Product of the Year, the Helix Pond Skimmer is our favorite choice in pond skimmer filters. Why? The Helix Pond Skimmer is rugged, compact, effective, fish-friendly, and versatile. This type of mechanical filter helps prevent leaves and other debris from decomposing and contributing to sludge, cloudy water, poor water quality or murky water.

Rugged Construction

The first thing you notice looking at the Helix Skimmer is its strong and extremely durable construction. Made in the USA from heavy-duty Rotational Molded HDPE, it holds 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 basket is 8" in diameter and 8" tall, but the helical flow compresses debris into the basket, giving it higher 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.

The Helix Skimmer can also come with a bulkhead included (but not drilled), to allow you to locate the 2" hole at the optimum spot for your installation. We also offer it with a pre-drilled 2" hole. The skimmer plate can be pre-notched (to run a cord out from a submersible pump) or without notch (for external pump applications).

All skimmer/pump packages now come with a FREE quick release discharge kit, which features a pitless adapter for instant installation and removal of pumps. This pre-assembled check valve and plumbing kit comes in the exact configuration to install select pumps inside the skimmer. We've tested this discharge kit with the following pumps with great results:

• ShinMaywa Submersible Pumps (3300gph, 4800gph, 5700gph and 7000gph models)
• Big Frog Pumps (3000, 4200, 5500 and 6300 models)
• Helix Submersible Pumps (3000gph, 4200gph, 5500gph, 6500gph models)
  
• Big Frog EcoDrive Pumps (3000, 4200, 5500 and 6500 models)

Instructions Manual Skimmer Hack