Inground Pool Skimmer Basket - Clayton Lambert by AGARubberDuck

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Update Summer 2019
I've modeled and printed a 2.0 version. The original works, but has two shortcomings.
It is noticeably harder to clean on a daily basis. Something about the smaller squared-off holes really holds on to the debris, which in my case is willow tree leaves and cottonwood seeds.
I had one break while banging it on the ground to dislodge debris. (shocker, I know)
The new version addresses both being much thicker in design, and using straight-line grid patterns that make cleaning significantly easier. The filter holes are bigger at 3/8", but still smaller than the metal basket design, and the connected corners allow you to hit the basket on the ground to knock debris loose and not break.
You need to be able to print bridges very well, or expect a lot of waste using supports. My prints take about 18hrs to complete.
Hopefully this new design is useful.
original description below
I have an in-ground pool built in the 70's. The skimmers are unusual by today's standards, being a rectangular box roughly 8" x 6". This style was made by a company called Clayton-Lambert. Finding replacement baskets is a chore, being special order and expensive. On top of that, they are very flimsy plastic (think strawberry crate) and last 1 or 2 seasons (sometime less if they get over stuffed with leaf debris) before becoming too brittle and splitting apart.
This is a 1st attempt at designing and printing a suitable replacement and it is working quite well. 1/8" bottom and side walls with 1/8" grid holes for filtration. This is substantially more robust than commercially available and provides slightly better filtration. I reused a handle from a broken basket and pop riveted it in place. I used white PETG as it has a little give, but is capable of being outside all summer.
Niche audience to say the least, but drop a comment if you find this useful.