The use of an oil skimmer in the machine shop setting holds many benefits. Removing the oil from a machine coolant tank will initiate some esthetic benefits such as cutting down on the amount of smoke generated from the cutting tool coming into contact with oil laden coolant. 

“Rotten Egg” Smell in Coolant

When a machine is shut down for the weekend, oil has a chance to come to the surface of the coolant tank. Bacteria that are living in the coolant tank use up the dissolved oxygen in the coolant mix, a process that is sped up by having a layer of oil on the surface. This allows odor causing anaerobic bacteria to thrive, giving off that familiar “rotten egg” smell.

Contrary to popular belief the common types of bacteria found in metalworking fluids do not cause dermatitis. However, if the skin is broken, bacteria that normally inhabit the skin may enter and cause infection. The presence of phosphates and carbonates that increase alkalinity in the coolant, however, can cause dermatitis. These impurities are found in the water being used in the coolant mix.

Cost of Separating Oil from Coolant

Separating the oil from the coolant will also help reduce disposal costs. The cost of disposing of oil laden coolant is more expensive than disposing of oil. In fact, in some instances, companies may be able to re-use the oil elsewhere or sell it for recycling. Having oil free coolant can also extend its usefulness and effectiveness, reducing the expense on maintenance and coolant replacement. As the research on the different types of oil skimmers begins, a person will find that there are a variety of skimmers available to them. The most common types are the belt, disk, and tube skimmers. Each type of coolant skimmer has its advantages and disadvantages. 

Choosing the Correct Oil Skimmer

There are also many factors that need to be considered when choosing the correct type of oil skimmer to fit the appropriate application. Factors such as water level fluctuation, water temperature, pH level, the use of rust inhibitors, the amount of oil to be skimmed, quality, and cost, must all be considered when selecting an oil skimmer.

The use of rust inhibitors, high temperatures, and variable pH levels can affect the oil skimmer’s ability to pick up oil. Most skimmer manufacturers use a variety of materials for the skimming medium such as plastic, stainless steel, or poly blends to match the solution in which they will be used.

There are a multitude of oil skimmers on the market today. One of the most important things to be considered is the quality of the unit to be purchased. Points of interest should include construction materials, motor design, and the type of warranty that is offered. Is the skimmer housing made of metal or plastic? Is the motor fan-cooled? Does the motor use needle bearings or bronze bearings? How long does the warranty last and what does it cover? Most oil skimmers will perform as advertised, but remember the old adage that “you get what you pay for”.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

How To Tell What Skimmer You Need For Your Machine Coolant

Oil skimmer selection can be a very complex process. There are numerous factors that go into selecting the right oil skimmer for your particular application. If the oil skimmer vendor does not know what chemicals or heat you have in your application, the wrong oil skimmer and belt materials could be selected, and the job will not get done correctly.

It is important that you gather as much information about your application as possible when you’re ready to consult a vendor. Describing every component of your process and all the contents of the tanks is crucial. Tell us everything!

Consider:

• Temperature of the water
• pH level
• Area size being skimmed
• Type of oil being skimmed
• Water level
• Any turbulence
• Electric requirements

These are all conversation points that your vendor should inquire about and you should have answers to. Remember: in order to make the most out of your oil skimmer, the right skimmer and belt material needs to be selected to work perfectly with your application!

Remember…

Selecting an oil skimmer can be a complex decision-making process. There are various factors you have to consider about your application when choosing the right skimmer. Abanaki oil skimmers are durable and built to last, even in harsh applications. They have been proven in thousands of applications and are an environmental solution to unwanted oil in water. Abanaki sales reps have a vast knowledge on a wide variety of industrial applications. They are always available for phone calls, emails, or on-site consultations to help you find the right skimmer for your application.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Abanaki has a new reference that can help you choose the right skimmer and the right size to ensure years of worry-free operation.

Click button below to access our “How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers” webinar to learn how to get the most out of your skimmer.

Coolant skimmers typically don’t come attached to CNC machines when they are newly bought. This is because nobody wants to admit that the brand-new machine is eventually going to leak oil into the coolant. This looks good on paper, but there is a reason why so many coolant skimmers are bought annually. CNC machines are bound to have at least a small amount of oil leaking into the coolant at some point. The skimmer will remove this oil from the top of the coolant for disposal. Without some type of coolant skimmer, the coolant life will be dramatically decreased. These small coolant skimmers will save you money throughout the operational life of your CNC machine. 

Coolant skimmers can really help in extending the life of your costly coolant. Coolant skimmers help remove oils that leak from machines or parts to keep your coolant clean. By removing the oil with coolant skimmer, you can significantly increase the life of your coolant. 

So, is your product quality being affected by floating oil? Have you asked yourself how you remove oil from water effectively and efficiently?

Abanaki’s Oil Boss Oil Skimmer

One of the best coolant skimmers of Abanaki coolant maintenance line is Abanaki’s Oil Boss Oil Skimmer. This high-capacity unit constantly removes and discharges unwanted oil from the coolant that is compromising your product quality, reducing your coolant life, and stinking up the shop. The unit uses a specially designed “Constant Flow Facilitator” that automatically discharges the tramp oil skimmed from the coolant. The “Constant Flow Facilitator” eliminates the need to manually remove the collect oil. 

Benefits of Oil Boss Oil Skimmer

We have been providing oil skimmers for years to machine shops and manufacturers across the globe and they have proven to be both reliable and cost-effective. Abanaki's Oil Boss is an innovative tool for keeping coolant free of oil. The patent-pending design allows for easy visual inspection of your coolant’s condition; and will also help extend tool and coolant life. It will decrease loss of production and maintenance time. And it will allow for easy cleaning of various sumps or tanks around any plant or shop due to its portability and magnetic base. The Oil Boss has a small footprint that reduces the amount of clutter and equipment on the shop floor.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Watch this video to see how to remove a higher amount of tramp oil.

If you are running your skimmer 24/7 and the tank or pit runs out of oil, your skimmer will pick up whatever is remaining in the tank, and most of the time that will be water or coolant. There is a way to prevent this and that is by utilizing an oil water separator/concentrator in conjunction with your oil skimmer.

Oil Water Concentrator

The oil water concentrator attaches to the skimmer and helps in further separating the water/coolant from your oil. This unit is placed on the back of the skimmer. The skimmed material is drained into the concentrator and then it separates the water from oil. You can then drain the water back into the tank or well through one hose, and the oil drains from another. So, next time you’re wondering how to increase the efficiency of your oil skimmer, take a look at the oil water concentrator to help solve your dilemma. 

How Oil Water Concentrator works?

The Oil Concentrator is non-electrical and contains no moving parts — it simply receives liquid directly from the skimmer. Based on the principle of gravity separation, the Concentrator tank is sized so that there is adequate dwell time for the oil and water to separate. Water discharge is through a tube that has an open end near the bottom of the Concentrator, while oil flow is through a separate drain port near the top. As additional liquid enters the Concentrator, water and oil are forced out through their respective discharge tubes and ports. A sludge screen provides additional dwell time for separation while preventing debris from contaminating either the water or the oil.

Abanaki Oil Concentrator

Installed at the discharge end of the oil skimmer, the Concentrator comes complete with mounting bracket, removable sludge screen and drain plug for easy cleaning. An optional thermostatically controlled heater is available for use with thick oils, or when the application is in freezing temperatures. (A heater should not be used in environments where explosive fumes might be present.)

Abanaki recommends the use of the Concentrator with all oil skimmers. It increases the efficiency of the skimmer and reduces costs associated with oil disposal.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

HOW TO TELL WHAT SKIMMER YOU NEED FOR YOUR MACHINE COOLANT

Tramp oil got you down? Is your product quality being affected by floating oil? Have you asked yourself how you remove oil from water effectively and efficiently?

Coolant Maintenance

Coolant maintenance should always be a top priority in shops. Dirty machine coolant can cause a multitude of problems for manufacturing facilities and CNC machines. Not using clean coolant can cause health issues in the workplace, reduce the life of the equipment used, and can significantly slow a process down. All of these factors lead to loss in production which leads to loss in profit for companies. And while recycling steel, aluminum, paper, and glass is readily accessible, recycling coolant is not. Additionally, the cost of recycling used coolant can be very expensive.

Coolant Skimmers Help Reduce Costs for Machine Shops

Coolant skimmers typically don’t come attached to CNC machines when they are newly bought. This is because nobody wants to admit that the brand-new machine is eventually going to leak oil into the coolant. This looks good on paper, but there is a reason why so many coolant skimmers are bought annually. CNC machines are bound to have at least a small amount of oil leaking into the coolant at some point. The skimmer will remove this oil from the top of the coolant for disposal. Without some type of coolant skimmer, the coolant life will be dramatically decreased. These small coolant skimmers will save you money throughout the operational life of your CNC machine.

Coolant skimmers help machine shops extend the life of their coolant by removing free floating oils. In today’s economic conditions every company is trying to look at ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Coolant can be a major expense but is a necessary evil. Abanaki offers a complete line of coolant maintenance products that go beyond coolant skimmers to offer various solutions for other coolant problems. The coolant maintenance line addresses concerns about coolant life as well as that rotten egg smell and small spills. If you have coolant in your machine shop, you need a coolant skimmer. See our full line of coolant skimmers here.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Abanaki has a new reference that can help you choose the right skimmer and the right size to ensure years of worry-free operation.

Click button below to access our “How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers” webinar to learn how to get the most out of your skimmer.

Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital outlay and oil skimmer operating costs. There are 5 crucial steps that need to be considered when purchasing a skimmer for your application. Skipping one or any of these concepts can result in having zero success in removing oil from your waste water. So, let’s keep that from happening and go over these 5 simple steps!

Operating Conditions

The first step in choosing an oil skimmer is to define the operating conditions in which the skimmer will be operating. All oil skimmers have a moving medium, and possibly other parts, immersed in the liquid. The performance and life of the pick-up medium, wiper blades, pulleys, etc. are affected by different conditions. These conditions include temperatures in and out of the liquid, pH of the solution, and the presence of solvents or other reactive chemicals.

Removal Capacity

The second step in selecting an oil skimmer is to know what you need or expect your removal capacity to be. Capacity should be based on the maximum amount of oil to be removed within the shortest available time. For instance, total oil influx may be 200 gallons in a 24-hour period, which averages about 8.3 gallons per hour. But if most of it comes during a single eight-hour plant shift, you will probably need a removal rate that is three times as high, especially if you are trying to prevent an unwanted discharge of contaminated water to a sewer system. As a rule-of-thumb, specify approximately twice the maximum capacity you anticipate needing for normal conditions.

Sump’s Characteristics

Understanding your tank or sump’s characteristics is the third thing you will want to consider when choosing an oil skimmer for your process. The location, shape, and capacity of a tank or water impoundment are major factors in choosing the right oil skimmer. Also consider fluctuations in water level, turbulence and possible emulsions. Although oil skimmers do not cause emulsions, they can have trouble removing certain types.

Oil Skimmer Media

The next step is determining which belt, tube, or disk to select for your skimmer. Obviously, you need the proper media on your skimmer in order to ensure the best results. And if you think all belt types or materials operate the same or that simply picking the cheapest option will suffice, you’re wrong and you’d be setting yourself up for failure. You can have a skimmer that is top of the line, but if you have the wrong belt, tube, or disc material on it then it won’t matter how great of a skimmer you have in that tank. Your results will be less than stellar.

Belt performance and durability depends on the nature of the liquid, its chemical composition, temperature, etc. For instance, high temperature increases a belt’s sensitivity to pH levels. So if the temperature of your application is above 160°F and you’re thinking of using a Polymer belt, then I would suggest you think again. It’s always best to share your application’s temp and pH levels with your sales person so they can select the right belt material for you.

In the same vein, choosing the right wiper blade is important, too. You’ll want something that can endure the temperatures and pH levels of your application so they don’t melt or warp or completely break during operation.

Oil Skimmer Accessories

Accessories are a skimmer’s best friend! Or so they say. The fifth step in choosing an oil skimmer is determining if your application requires any additional add-ons, such as specific motor types or additional skimmer equipment. Most oil skimmers are designed with standard, industrially rated, continuous duty motors and fully enclosed speed reducing drives. Most of these oil skimmers can be specified with the following motor options:

- Any standard or exceptional electrical requirement
- Explosion proof
- Drip proof
- Tropicalized
- Dirty duty
- Food service
- Wash down duty
- DC motors
- ATEX/European motors

Oil skimmer accessories make it easy to customize your oil skimming system for quick installation and optimal performance. These are the most commonly requested items. More specialized accessories are typically available on request such as solar oil skimming system, transfer package and underground oil skimmer system, concentrators, fluid monitoring accessories, and many more.

Choosing the right oil skimmer doesn't have to be a disastrous process, but things can go sideways quickly if you don't address certain aspects of your application. As always, make sure you are dealing with a reputable vendor. Companies that really know and understand how oil skimmers work will ask you all about the content above, if they don't, RUN! Bottom line: know your application, choose a vendor you trust, and your oil skimming operation will be smooth sailing.

Video: How To Tell What Skimmer You Need For Your Machine Coolant

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

There is a skimming system for virtually any application. Simply fill up the form to your right or click at the button to get your ultimate guide now.

A coolant skimmer is a machine that removes floating oil and grease from liquid. The floating oil adheres to skimming media, such as a belt, tube, or disk. The media then runs back to the machine to be wiped clean.

Coolant skimmers are simple, dependable and effective tools for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water and coolants. Often, a coolant skimmer by itself can achieve the desired level of water purity.

In more demanding situations, coolant skimming is a cost-effective means of removing most of the oil before using more complicated and costly treatments such as coalescers, membrane filters and chemical processes.

Coolants And Cutting Fluids

When machine coolants become contaminated with tramp oils, four things usually occur:

• coolant life is reduced;
• quality of machined parts is reduced;
• in many cases, a smoke will begin to appear in the shop, causing irritation to the workers on the job; and
• the fluid takes on a “rotten egg” odor.

Oil skimmers that remove tramp oils solve these problems and typically pay for themselves within a few months. Therefore, these are the coolant skimmers you should remember to extend the life of your coolant.

Oil Boss (New Generation Oil Skimmer)

Abanaki's Oil Boss is an innovative tool for keeping coolant free of oil. The patent-pending design allows for easy visual inspection of your coolant’s condition; and will also help extend tool and coolant life. It will decrease loss of production and maintenance time. And it will allow for easy cleaning of various sumps or tanks around any plant or shop due to its portability and magnetic base. The Oil Boss has a small footprint that reduces the amount of clutter and equipment on the shop floor.

Mighty Disk (Disk oil Skimmer)

Mighty Disk is the inexpensive way to remove unwanted tramp oils from coolants and parts washers, but with all the quality that you expect from Abanaki! Removes up to 1 ½ gallons of oil or more of medium weight oil per hour. Use it almost anywhere a flat surface is available for mounting. Weighs less than 10 pounds, installs in no time, and runs on 110v power.

TubeTastic (Tube Oil Skimmer)

The Abanaki TubeTastic! oil skimmer can be used on machining centers with little or no access to the coolant sump from above. This unit can skim oil from chip conveyors or even totally enclosed machining centers. The TubeTastic! can be easily mounted on the side of virtually any machining center coolant sump. By use of an existing opening or by making a small access cutout, the collector tube runs through the surface of the coolant and collects the unwanted oils. The oil then flows out the discharge tube into any waste oil container for easy disposal.

Mighty Mini (Belt Oil Skimmer)

The stainless steel Mighty Mini is a compact belt skimmer designed for parts washers and machine tool coolant sumps. With its large discharge trough and small operating space, the Mighty Mini fits almost anywhere. The stainless steel construction resists rust and corrosion in harsh environments. It is lightweight and requires minimal assembly. With its durable stainless steel construction, it is built to give long lasting performance. The removable trough makes cleanup fast and easy.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

HOW TO TELL WHAT SKIMMER YOU NEED FOR YOUR MACHINE COOLANT

Have you ever looked at your coolant and wondered what type skimmer would work best in your machine sump? In this video, we talk about what oil skimmer works well in various coolant applications.

When properly selected and applied, oil skimmers are highly economical solutions for separating oil from water to allow its reuse or safe disposal. However, there are certain applications that can expect optimal results. Typical applications best suited for oil skimmers encompass:

Wastewater Sumps

Wastewater sumps where removing floating hydrocarbons can reduce the cost of disposal and lower the contingent liabilities of wastewater discharge.

Most manufacturing or processing facilities have water systems where waste oil collects in a central tank or sump. Skimming the floating oils with little water content can reduce the cost of disposal and lower the contingent liabilities of wastewater discharge.

Coolant and Cutting Fluids

Coolants and cutting fluids where skimming tramp oils extends coolant life, improves the quality of machined parts, reduces irritating smoke that forms during machining, lessens the chance of dermatitis and helps prevent the fluid from developing a "rotten egg" odor. 

Oil skimmers utilize the differing specific gravity between oil and coolant/water to remove tramp oils. A motor driven belt that is typically constructed of an oleophilic, or oil attractant material, is placed into a coolant sump or reservoir. As the belt moves through the coolant, it attracts tramp oils. The oil is scraped off by a wiper and deposited into a container.

Heat Treating

Heat treating operations where trench oils must be removed from heat-treated parts, and can be captured with a skimmer for re-use or disposal. This reduces oil purchases, prolongs wash water life and lowers disposal costs.

Parts Washers

Parts washers where removing floating oils from a wash tank prevents re-contamination of the parts as they are removed from the fluid and extends fluid life.

Industrial parts washers, paint lines, and machine shops all have a need to remove oil from water. Abanaki oil skimmers are trusted throughout the automotive industry to extend coolant life, reduce disposal costs, and avoid fines from municipal sewer districts.

Food Processing

Food processing facilities where the removal of vegetable oils, greases and animal fats from a plant's wastewater stream reduces processing and disposal costs.

Oil skimming is the most reliable and lowest cost method of removing food greases and oils from process wastewater. An oil skimmer uses the difference in specific gravity between oil and water, allowing the oil skimmer belt to attract frying oils, vegetable oils, greases, and animal fats as the belt passes through the surface of the water. The simple belt-and-motor approach is proven to operate unattended and reliably for decades with little maintenance.

Parking Lots, Garage and Service Facilities

Parking lots, garages and service facilities where waste oil from leaks, spills and other sources must be retrieved from sumps before water can be discharged to storm or sanitary sewers.

Outdoor Ponds, Lakes and Basins

Outdoor ponds, lakes and basins where floating oils are present, skimmers provide inexpensive and effective removal, solving a serious environmental problem.

Recovery/Monitoring Wells

Recovery/monitoring wells where a belt skimmer can be used instead of a down well pump to remove oil, fuel and other hydrocarbons. Generally, this is more cost-effective and reduces maintenance headaches. Skimmers can reach depths of 200 feet or more and remove floating products despite fluctuating water tables.

The PetroXtractor is a well oil skimmer that makes use of the differences in specific gravity and surface tension between oil and water. These physical characteristics allow the unit’s continuous belt to attract floating oil in the well. After picking up the oil, the belt travels over the head pulley on the drive unit and through tandem wiper blades. The oil is then scraped off both sides of the belt and discharged through a 1-1/4″ ID hose. The unique bearing-less design of the tail pulley (immersed in the well water) with its tethered frame allows it to perform three important functions: it keeps proper tension on the belt, prevents accidental loss down the well, and keeps the belt centered in the casing.

Remediation Processes

Remediation processes where skimmers can be used effectively in tandem with other means and reduce the overall cost and increase the speed of the cleanup. For example, when using bio-remediation techniques, skimmers can be used to first remove the bulk of the oil from the groundwater. Then more biological agents may be used to clean up the remaining contamination. The remaining oil will clean up faster, as there will be less of it.

Sometimes called pump-less groundwater remediation systems, oil skimming is the lowest cost way to remove hydrocarbon contamination from groundwater. Oil skimming alone may clean water to acceptable levels or be used as a pre-filter treatment. It is the most inexpensive way to remove LNAPLs or DNAPLs.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Oil Skimmers Get the Dirty Jobs Done

In the video, oil skimmer is shown removing spent lubricant from a collection tank in a steel production facility.  Due to the extreme heat resulting from the steel making process, lubricant used for conveyor bearings often leaks into the cooling water, creating a floating goop that can foul filters further upstream. 

All moving media skimmers use motors to move the belt, tube, disk, etc. While many are designed with standard, industrially rated, continuous-duty motors and also may use fully enclosed speed reducing drives, some can be specified with a number of motor options. These may include:

• Any common voltage or electrical requirement
• Explosion proof
• Drip proof
• Tropicalized
• Dirty conditions duty
• Food service duty
• Water wash-down duty

Consider also any optional equipment that may be available with the skimmer you are evaluating. Accessories allow customized systems that can ease installation and optimize performance. Some of the more common options include:

• Special Drive Components. Tail Pulleys can help improve removal rates by stabilizing belt assemblies in the fluid. Yoke-and tether assemblies help prevent pulley loss due to human error or belt breakage.
• Mounting Stands and Adapters. These include pre-engineered mounting stands for easier installation. Models also are available for pits, walls and free-standing units.
• Shelters/ Enclosures. Reinforced poly-shelters and below-grade enclosures provide protection from the elements.
• Controls/Accessories. A float switch and warning light can be used to monitor fluid level in the oil collection drum, which helps prevent overflow. Other options include a timer, control panel, variable speed drive and power packs. 
• Concentrator. Generally, the ratio of water to oil decreases with thicker films of floating oil and slower moving pick-up media. A concentrator or decanter installed at the skimmer discharge port provides secondary oil/water separation that can reduce water content to nearly zero.
• Heaters. Many skimmers can be ordered with heating devices to keep skimmed product fluid in cold environments.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

How to Skim Oil from Coolant Using Tube Skimmer

A tube oil skimmer can be used on machining centers with little or no access to the coolant sump from above. Plus, a tube oil skimmer can remove oil from chip conveyors or enclosed machining centers.

If you’re not reclaiming your used oil than you are awarded no points, may not collect $200, or pass Go. If you are, you get all of the points. However, if you are doing this but NOT taking care of the equipment that is helping you reclaim that used oil, then you are just as much a part of the losing team.

Maintenance Needed?

Just like any piece of equipment; cars, computers, those 5-in-1 breakfast sandwich maker machines, all of them need tinkering and routine maintenance in order to keep the gears turning and the eggs fluffy. With that being said, oil skimmer maintenance is crucial in not only ensuring proper waste oil recovery, but overall success of your entire operation.

Over the years we have seen some troubling scenes. The things people do to oil skimmers…it is horrific. Years upon years of oil and incalculable layers of gunk encrusted all over the machine. Discharge valves clogged to the point where the skimmed content barely drips out. THE ORIGINAL BELT. For shame. All of you.

Quick Overview of How Oil Skimmers Work

If you’re not familiar with how oil skimmers work, here’s a quick overview: Although designs vary, all oil skimmers rely on specific gravity, surface tension and a moving medium to remove floating oil from a fluid's surface.

Floating oil and grease cling to skimming media more readily than water, and water has little affinity for the media. This allows skimming media in the shape of a belt, disk, drum, etc. to pass through a fluid surface to pick up floating oil and grease with very little water. This oily material is subsequently removed from the media with wiper blades or pinch rollers.

Oil skimmers are simple, dependable and effective tools for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water and coolants. Often, an oil skimmer by itself can achieve the desired level of water purity. In more demanding situations, oil skimming is a cost-effective means of removing most of the oil before using more complicated and costly treatments such as coalescers, membrane filters and chemical processes.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Abanaki has a new reference that can help you choose the right skimmer and the right size to ensure years of worry-free operation.

Click button below to access our “How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers” webinar to learn how to get the most out of your skimmer.