It is important to clean the pump pot baskets regularly for maintaining the overall hygiene of your swimming pool. If the pomp pot basket becomes clogged, it might put pressure on the pump to work harder for cycling the water properly. It will not only reduce the life of the pump but it will also stress the seals in your pump. 

                                         

If the basket becomes full of debris, it impedes the flow of water and you will not get the proper turnover rate to filter the pool water appropriately while filtration is a significant part of your pool maintenance. The clogging of pump pot basket will not only affect the filtering and pumping abilities of the pump system, but it will negatively affect your pool maintenance.

 
Here are simple steps that can help you check and clean your pump pot basket regularly:

• Turn off the pump of your pool to stop the water flow through the pump.

• Turn the air relieve valve on the top of pool filter in counterclockwise direction to relieve the air pressure.
 
• For opening the pump pot, turn the two knobs of the pump pot basket lid counterclockwise and rotate the knobs away from the lid.

• Once the lid is open, check the O-ring for any debris because even a grass or a hair strand can cause the lid not to seal down properly.  

• Check the pump pot basket for any debris and if you see anything, make sure to take out the basket out of the pump pot to clean it. There is an opening on one side of the basket to maintain the flow of water.
 
• Clean the debris from the bottom of the basket with a help of a garden hose.
 
• Put the basket in the pump pot properly. The pump pot basket should be placed properly with the opening facing towards the suction pipe, which is in front of the pump in inward direction. If you will place the basket with the opening on other side, then the debris will not get into the basket but goes under the basket into the impeller clogging the pump pot. 

• Lubricate the O-ring with a good lubricant so that it could seal down properly  but don’t push lot of force in closing this lid because it might cause damage to the O-ring. Once, the pump is turned on, the lid will get sealed properly due to the pressure from the back.