Crystal Falls Skimmer W/Natural Lid

Professional pond skimmer filter designed for easy home installation. PondBuilder Crystal Falls Skimmer belongs to the next generation of quality pond equipment that allows do-it-yourself pond builders to successfully tackle larger pond installation projects while staying within budget. Enjoy quality features including effective dual-stage mechanical and biological filtration. Mesh Leaf Net traps floating pond debris for easy removal while Matala Filter Pad provides the perfect environment for beneficial bacteria that break down harmful pond pollutants. Great for new or existing ponds and water gardens. Houses and protects most pumps up to 4,200 gph. The PondBuilder Crystal Falls Skimmer measures 22" x 14-1/2" x 19-1/2" high and is recommended for ponds and water gardens up to 11 ft x 16 ft or similar.

Includes: Skimmer Unit, Detachable Snout/Door, Natural Cover Lid, Filter Mat, Mesh Leaf Net, Stainless Screws, Screw Caps, Liner Clips, Silicone And Installation Instructions.

Please click on "More Information" for installation instructions.

Step 1
Choose Skimmer Location

1. The Skimmer should be positioned at the pond edge, opposite the waterfall, to circulate the water properly.

Step 2
Excavation of Skimmer Area

1. Set Skimmer Box in intended area and spray outline of Skimmer for area to be excavated.
2. The Skimmer should be positioned so that the face of the Skimmer will meet with the pond liner at the side of the pond. Excavate the hole a few inches larger than the width and length of the Skimmer Box.
3. The Skimmer should be set at a depth that positions the top of the Skimmer Box approximately 4.5" above your desired pond water level. This will set your water level 1" below the top edge of the snout opening allowing clearance for surface debris to flow into the Skimmer during normal operation.

Step 3
Position & Backfill Skimmer

1. Your skimmer should be level from front to back and side to side.
2. Make sure the base below your Skimmer is compacted well to prevent settling in the future.
3. Once the Skimmer is properly positioned insert the support pipe and begin filling the soil in around the back and sides. Be sure to pack the soil as you go to help keep the Skimmer in position and to limit any settling around the Skimmer. You should pack the soil tight enough so that the Skimmer is held in position tightly but not so much as to distort the sides of the Skimmer.

1. Bring the liner up to the Skimmer and check the positioning of the liner against the Skimmer. Use the liner clips to temporarily hold the liner to the face of the Skimmer. Be sure the liner follows the contours of the pond and the face of the Skimmer. It is a good idea to leave a little slack in the liner where it transitions from the pond ledge to the face of the Skimmer. This will ensure that the weight of any rockwork and water in the pond does not pull down on the liner where it is attached to the Skimmer.
2. Kneel in front of the Skimmer and have the following within reach: cordless screwdriver (set to lowest torque), 5/16" nut driver bit, plastic nail (included), skimmer snout (included), silicone (included), stainless steel self-drilling screws (included), black vinyl screw caps (included), utility knife (with new blade), and a clean rag.
3. While kneeling in front of the Skimmer, remove the liner clips and fold the liner back toward you leaving it rest on your lap. Using the clean rag, wipe down the face of the Skimmer. Also, wipe the surface of the liner that will be coming in contact with the area you cleaned on the Skimmer Box.
4. Apply a bead of silicone along the sides and bottom of the opening of the face of the Skimmer. Use one of the two guide holes at the top corners of the opening as the starting point and begin by running your bead straight down from that point. The bead of silicone should be about an inch out from the edge of the opening; this will position it in-line with the screws when you attach the Skimmer Snout.
5. Bring the liner back up into position against the face of the Skimmer. Hold the liner in place again with the liner clips to help keep it from moving around as you prepare to attach the snout. Gently run your fingers along the liner over the area you applied the silicone and flatten the bead out slightly. This will help ensure a more even distribution of the silicone as you compress it while screwing down the snout.
6. Push the guide-nails through the guide-holes and liner from the inside of the skimmer (this will puncture a small hole in the liner). Place the snout into position by sliding the top corner holes of the snout over the guide nails. (The snout should be installed so that the snout door hinges at the bottom). While holding the snout in position, remove one of the guide-nails and drive the first screw into that hole. Keeping the snout in position, remove the other guide-nail and drive a screw into the second guide hole. With the snout held into position with the first two screws, continue driving the remaining screws into the pre-drilled holes around the snout. Be sure to install screws into all pre-drilled holes to prevent water from leaking around the snout.
7. From inside the Skimmer, use your utility knife to cut out the liner in the snout area so water can flow from the pond into the Skimmer. Simply follow the edge of the Skimmer opening with your knife to cut away liner. This works best with a new, sharp blade.
8. At this time, you can also trim away any excess liner that extends above the front top edge of the Skimmer Box.
9. Use your remaining silicone to run an additional bead along the joint inside of the snout where the Skimmer, liner, and snout come together. Use your finger to smooth out the excess silicone.

Step 5
Install Black Screw Caps

1. Push the Black Screw Caps onto each of the screw tips on the inside of the Skimmer Box. We recommend placing a small dab of silicone on the end of the screw first before pushing the Black Cap over the screw. This will help keep the screw caps in place.

1. Screw your pre-assembled pump discharge assembly into your pump.
2. Position your pump and discharge assembly in the back chamber of the Skimmer so that the top of the discharge assembly faces the discharge hole.
3. Bring the flexible pipe into the Skimmer through the discharge hole and attach it to your discharge assembly.
4. Run the pump power cord over to the power source and position the cord so that it transitions out of the Skimmer at the cord notch; this will allow the Natural Landscape Lid to sit flush on the Skimmer.

Step 7
Finishing Touches

1. Slide the White Skimmer Mat into position.
2. Slide the Black Mesh Skimmer Net into position.
3. During normal operation, the skimmer net will remove larger leaves and debris while the mat will remove the smaller particles allowing the clean water to flow into the pump chamber area where it can be re-circulated back to the pond, preferably via the appropriately sized PondBuilder Biological Waterfall Filter (#71891 or #71892).
4. Place Natural Landscape Lid on top of Skimmer to disguise the Skimmer within the landscape.