Vent & plumbing

A skimmer basket that fits your skimmer housing

This page generates a replacement basket for a pool skimmer and exports it as an STL. Enter the basket diameter, height and wall thickness in millimetres, pick the floor and side hole patterns and the handle type, and the model is recalculated in the browser.

Skimmer baskets crack after a few seasons of sun and chlorinated water, and replacements come in a different size for every brand. Here you set the basket diameter and the width of the seating lip yourself, so the part sits on the step in the housing and holds leaves back before they reach the pump.

Open in editor See the sizes

Free, no sign-up. Change the sizes in millimetres and download the STL.

Ready-made variants

Each variant is the same template with different settings. Follow the link and the editor opens with those values.

Finger-hole tabs, round holes

Handle: Tabs · Basket diameter: 180 mm · Basket height: 130 mm +11
Open this variant: Finger-hole tabs, round holes
Bail handle, honeycomb

Handle: Bail · Basket diameter: 160 mm · Basket height: 100 mm +11
Open this variant: Bail handle, honeycomb
Wide basket, vertical slots

Handle: Tabs · Basket diameter: 200 mm · Basket height: 150 mm +11
Open this variant: Wide basket, vertical slots
No handle, bar grid floor

Handle: None · Basket diameter: 140 mm · Basket height: 90 mm +12
Open this variant: No handle, bar grid floor

Adjustable sizes

These values are edited in the editor's template panel. A number outside the range is clamped to the nearest limit automatically.

Size	Range	Default
Shape
Handle	None, Bail, Tabs	Tabs
Dimensions
Basket diameter	120–220 mm	180 mm
Basket height	80–180 mm	130 mm
Wall thickness	1.6–5 mm	2.4 mm
Floor pattern
Floor pattern	Round holes, Honeycomb, Square grid, Parallel lines, Bar grid, None	Round holes
Floor thickness	1.6–8 mm	3 mm
Opening / gap *	1.5–15 mm	5 mm
Rib / bar *	0.8–8 mm	2 mm
Bar angle *	0–90 °	0 °
Side pattern
Side pattern	None, Round, Honeycomb, Square, Vertical slots, Spiral (slanted slots)	Round
Side opening *	2–20 mm	6 mm
Side rib *	0.8–10 mm	2 mm
Solid top/bottom band *	1–30 mm	4 mm
Slant (from vertical) *	0–45 °	30 °
Mounting
Lip width	3–20 mm	8 mm
Lip thickness	2–8 mm	3 mm

Sizes marked with a star appear in the panel only when the related shape, style or option is active.

What it is used for

Replacement for a cracked or broken skimmer basket
Basket for older skimmer models with no spare parts
Pre-strainer for a hot tub or small pool filter

Printing tips

Orientation: Prints with the perforated floor on the bed and the lip on top. The underside of the lip is modelled as a 45° cone.
Layer height: Use 0.2 mm; 0.24 mm also works, with slightly rougher hole edges.
Infill: 20% infill, 3 perimeters; the thin wall prints mostly solid.
Supports: None needed. The lip uses a 45° cone, the finger holes are teardrop shaped and the bail has a 45° underside.
Material: Use PETG or ASA. If the skimmer lid gets sun, ASA lasts longer; PLA softens quickly in warm chlorinated water.

Tips

The footprint is the diameter plus two lip widths; the panel warns above 220 mm.
Make the basket 2-4 mm smaller than the housing bore so it lifts out easily.

Measuring the housing, step and height

If you still have the old basket, measure its outer diameter, overall height and lip width with a caliper. Otherwise measure the inside diameter of the housing and the depth of the step the basket rests on. The lip sits on that step and the body must hang free below it; the floor should not touch the bottom of the housing, or water will flow around the basket instead of through it.

Basket diameter: 120-220 mm
Height: 80-180 mm
Lip width: 3-20 mm, as wide as the step

Handle type and bail height

The default tabs are two upright pieces with finger holes that continue the wall, adding about 36 mm to the print height. The bail is a triangular bridge over the top of the basket; its peak rises by the basket height plus the inner radius plus the bail thickness. On a 180 mm wide, 130 mm tall basket that is about 225 mm, which is more than the Z height of most printers.

The panel shows the bail peak height as a note. If your printer is too short, choose the tabs or lower the basket; the skimmer lid also has to leave room for the bail.

Frequently asked questions

Which floor pattern should I use?

For leaves, 5 mm round holes or 6 mm honeycomb work well. For fine debris such as pine needles, 4 mm parallel slots catch more but need emptying more often.

Do I need side holes?

They are optional, but when leaves cover the floor they let water pass through the side, so the pump does not run dry. Setting the side pattern to None makes the basket stiffer.

The basket floats or lifts out of place. What can I change?

PETG and ASA are slightly denser than water, but an empty basket can still lift in the flow. Increase the lip thickness or the infill; the extra weight helps the lip sit firmly on the step.

Similar templates

Set the sizes to fit your part

Open the template in the editor, enter your values and download a print-ready STL. No account needed.

Open in editor

Ready-made variants

Finger-hole tabs, round holes

Bail handle, honeycomb

Wide basket, vertical slots

No handle, bar grid floor