+1 (314) 579-9755

Sales@skimoil.com

Floating Weir Oil Skimmer

Industrial grade floating surface
skimmer and decanter

Our Floating Weir Skimmer (FWS) is a simple well-proven industrial oil skimmer or surface decanter that works with any pump that can pull suction. The FWS is automatically self adjusting and flow controlled, meaning that by controlling your pump’s flow rate, you can adjust the skim or cut coming off the surface, from 1/8″ to over 1-1/4″ automatically. The FWS never needs manual adjustment- EVER !
Along with oil, the floating weir skimmers (FWS) is used for skimming or decanting floating ash, plastic pellets – nurdles, parts and scraps, scum, floc, duck weed, algae and water meal from water impoundments, pits, tanks, pools, evaporation ponds, lakes, rivers and even moon pools on oil rigs. The floating weir skimmer / decanter self adjusts instantly and automatically to pump flow rate and any wave action. Works great with any vacuum truck!
This non-selective floating weir skimmer creates a floating waterfall in the water. Everything flow-able on the surface near it, is attracted by the waterfall flow across the weir and flows or drops into the sump and then needs to be pumped out by an external pump (by others) or gravity drained. These are deadly effective as long as you can handle the water that actually carries the oil and floating stuff to it. Used properly it can influence (skim) a large area–fast. Works great with a vac-truck and makes it much more effective. With a control wand or by using guide ropes tied to the handles, you can move it across the surface right to the oil or other floating stuff you want to remove. It acts almost like an upside down vacuum cleaner head. Control your pumps flow rate and the FWS is automatically self adjusting. ! Want to take 1/8″ off the top? No problemo! Can do. Need more off the top ? Simply pump faster or open the gravity drain valve.
Oil Skimming Application Questionnaire
Request a quote or more information

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Our Floating Weir Skimmer (FWS) is often used to skim or remove floating stuff from the waters surface. The FWS acts like a waterfall and anything floating and flow-able on the surface gets caught in the current going across the weir or waterfall. The current or flow is created by your pump removing the fluid (water or oil or?) from the skimmers built in sump. The faster the water is moving across the weir the more and heavier stuff it can carry. You can adjust that speed or velocity by controlling your pumps flow rate.

The floating weir skimmer is automatically self adjusting and flow controlled and works with any pump that can pull suction. You can adjust / control the cut or skim coming off the surface (from 1/8″ to 1.5″) by simply adjusting your pumps flow rate. No manual adjustment needed—ever

request a quote / more information

Oil skimmers in stock now!

(314) 579-9755

Paper mills and cardboard manufacturers use the FWS for cleaning pulp scraps and other floaters out of their wash or process waters. Dairy oporations use the FWS for cleaning floating whey and cheese and fat off their process water. Animal butchering operations have used the floating weir skimmers for removing floating body parts and feathers. Cereal manufacturers use the FWS for removing those floaters from their processing waters. POTW’s use the FWS for removing floating scum or sludge off the surface of their treatment poonds or clarifiers. Steel Mills use the FWS for removing floating grease squiggles from their caster water after an auto grease injector goes crazy.

Model No.
(Material)
Flow Rate (Maximum)
Outlet Size (Camlock)
Weir Width
Dimensions
Weight
FWS00A56
(STAINLESS STEEL)
1-10 GPM
1"
4"
9"X 7" X 4.5"
4 LBS
FWS00A32
(ABS IND. POLYMER)
5-58 GPM
1.5"
8"
20"X 12" X 6"
8 LBS
FWS00A52
(STAINLESS STEEL)
5-38 GPM
1.5"
7"
21"X 15.5" X 9"
25 LBS
FWS00A34
(ABS IND. POLYMER)
5-95 GPM
2" IN BACK
1.5" IN TOP
12"
28"X 21" X 8.25"
17 LBS
FWS00A54
(STAINLESS STEEL)
5-68 GPM
2"
12"
27"X 18.5" X 11"
30 LBS
FWS00A381
(ABS IND. POLYMER)
10-250 GPM
3" IN BAC
1.5" IN TOP
23"
33"X 22" X 12"
27 LBS
FWS00A581
(STAINLESS STEEL)
10-200 GPM
3"
22.5"
43"X 30.5" X 13"
57 LBS
FWS00A811
(STAINLESS STEEL)
10-500 GPM
4"
40"
56"X 32" X 11"
79 LBS
FWS00A3204
(ABS IND. POLYMER)
10-500 GPM
4"
35"
42"X 38" X 18"
75 LBS
FWS00A3208
(ABS IND. POLYMER)
10-1200 GPM
8"
35"
42"X 38" X 18"
75 LBS

BOTTOM LINE: The floating weir skimmer or FWS can be used to clean lots of junk and other stuff off the surface of water, so long as this stuff can flow with the water across the weir or waterfall of our skimmer. Give us a call if you need to remove some floaters. You may not have to be a pioneer since the chances are good we’ve already had some experience with that. It’s what we do, every day.

All FWS have rear (horizontal) male camlock couplers, but our FWS00A34 and FWS00A381 ABS skimmers also have a top (vertical) 1.5″ outlet that makes skimming easier when working the skimmer from above. The optional controller package (extension pole set) with suction wand hooks right to the top outlet and let’s you move the FWS right into the oil with the extension. The controller package hooks right to your pump suction and the suction valve is in your hands.

Sometimes the hardest part of skimming , especially in closed top tanks is getting the skimmer to follow the vertical travel that changing water levels present. Our floating weir skimmers are great inside closed tanks simply because they have only one moving part-the hinged weir. We like simple. Hose deployments work GREAT in most but not all applications. The problem is that the weight of the hose can weight down the back of skimmer. On some jobs we put a tailpipe (stinger) on the skimmer with back floats to provide a bigger footprint for stability. If you have a lot of hose hanging on the back of the FWS—-you have to counteract that weight with more flotation. We can help with special back and hose floats. Sometimes there is not room for the hose length that’s required to accommodate that travel and sometimes there just to much other stuff (pipes, mixers etc.) in the tank, that the hose can get caught up in. ENTER: THE SWINGARM SYSTEM

In Tank Skimmer Installations

The Swingarm System is a hard piped skimmer drain system to replace hoses. The Swingarm can have swivels on it to allow the skimmer to follow the water level and keep it in the desired position. The Swingarms do of course cost more, but if you need reliability and an almost bullet proof installation, this is the way to go. If you are going to be skimming in a closed top tank we always prefer the Swingarm if there is vertical travel to follow. It’s almost Bubba Proof and drop dead reliable. Here are pics of a few Swingarm installations—-you can see here that some of the Swingarm systems can actually unfold inside the tank-where we have a lot of travel involved.

​We build systems to specifically address your problem through the use of our specialty, existing, unique and innovative industrial technologies or equipment that can be used off the shelf or modified, configured or otherwise packaged, to fit your specific needs. Give SkimOIL a call and let us build a system for your application! (Pictured Below: FWS00A381 X 3 with a custom made 8″ manifold to achieve a 900GPM flow rate for dewatering an ash pond.)

See the FWS in action below:

See our new Big Boy Surface Skimmer for Ash Pond Dewatering >
Duck weed or water meal can be removed with the Floating Weir Skimmer (FWS) which is a floating surface skimmer. If it floats freely and can move across the surface on a flow of water, the FWS is a great tool for water meal and duck weed removal. Pumping water from the FWS sump creates an equal flow into the skimmer mouth or waterfall / weir of the skimmer and into the sump. This skim or waterfall of fluid entering the skimmer carries loose floating materials (duckweed) or algae or weed into the skimmer.​We find the largest skimmers (Model #FWS00A381 pictured left) are most effective since they have a 23” wide weir which acts as a mouth to open and allow the flow of water and duckweed into it. Big mouths can take big bites!
The FWS can also be used for NURDLES Removal
​COMING SOON:
SkimOil’s newest Floating Weir Skimmer Module (FWSM) is almost ready .We’ve been working on the FWSM for two years and we’re almost done with the skimmer system that can grow or be adjusted to better dialed into your needs. No more of the 4 sizes fits all.

With the modular inflatable or universal Pontoon flotation system we can NOW adjust the variable skimmer weir width and depth and YES…..the flow range as well as flow rate is now going to be easily field adjustable with simple hand-tools in just a few minutes.

Changing the Floating weir skimmer with the adjustable flotation module and self adjusting removable automatic weir and sump assembly is a game changer for our industry. We’ve been trying for 5 years…to accomplish what we’ve been able to get simply changed in just 2 months. We’ve got it NOW!Overnight success….this is NOT! Worth the wait……….YEP you’re gonna’ love this one.