Fill your pool halfway up the skimmer opening.

About halfway up the skimmer opening.

If the water is too low, the skimmer sucks air and loses prime. Too high, and debris just floats past the weir door. The sweet spot is roughly in the middle of the skimmer face—enough water to keep the pump happy, but low enough that surface debris actually gets pulled in.

Some people obsess over an exact inch mark. Don’t. If the weir door (that little flap inside) is floating freely and you see surface water moving into the skimmer, you’re good. Check it after heavy rain or a hot week of evaporation.

Your pump will thank you.