Astralpool / Hurlcon Skimmer & Leaf Basket 74577

Astralpool / Hurlcon Skimmer & Leaf Basket — 74577 (replaces 16125)

Genuine Astralpool part 74577 — the current skimmer and leaf basket for Hurlcon and Astralpool HSB and APA in-ground skimmer boxes. From September 2016 it superseded the older, deeper 16125 basket, so 74577 is the correct part to order whether your skimmer was originally fitted with 16125 or 74577.

Physically stocked, unlike most drop-shipping websites. Shipped from VIC, NSW, WA and QLD.

The HSB Four-Lug Rule (HSB-1.0)

1. Switch the filtration pump off and lift the skimmer lid.
2. Lift the old basket straight up and out of the skimmer throat.
3. Look at the rim. The Astralpool HSB and APA basket has four moulded lock-down lugs spaced evenly around the top edge, which locate the basket in the throat so it cannot lift or spin.
4. Measure straight across the top opening, outside edge to outside edge.
5. If it measures about 245 mm across the top, tapers to about 140 mm across the base, and has those four lugs, this is your basket.

The rule holds whether the basket you pull out is the current moulding or the older deep 16125 moulding. Both sit in the same skimmer throat.

Worked example

A 2011 Hurlcon HSB skimmer at a Mount Eliza property had a basket that had gone chalky and had lost two of its four lugs, so it lifted off its seat every time the pump started and let leaves straight through to the pump. The rim measured 244 mm and the base 140 mm. It was an original 16125 deep basket. The 74577 dropped straight in.

Old style and new style both take this basket

Astralpool discontinued the deeper 16125 basket and replaced it with 74577 in September 2016. 16125 is no longer manufactured. Astralpool now supplies 74577 against both part numbers, so there is nothing else to order and no adaptor is required.

Which part do I need?

What this basket does not fit

• Poolrite S2500, S2600 and S2700 skimmers — different rim diameter and lug pattern. Order the Poolrite Skimmer Basket S2500, 2600, 2700.
• Waterco and Nally skimmers — different moulding and rim. Order the Waterco / Nally Skimmer Basket.
• Quiptron skimmers — different basket. Order the Quiptron Skimmer Basket.
• Hayward skimmers — different basket. Order the Hayward Skimmer Basket SPX 1088/9.
• Filtrite SK950 skimmers — different basket. Order the SK950 Skimmer Basket Heavy Duty.
• Pump strainer housings — the pump basket is a different moulding that sits under the clear pump lid, not in the skimmer. Order the Astral / Hurlcon Skimmer Pump Basket.

Measurements and material

• Top opening: approx. 245 mm outside diameter
• Base: approx. 140 mm outside diameter
• Four moulded lock-down lugs around the top rim
• Material: UV and chemical resistant ABS

Signs your skimmer basket needs replacing

• Cracks or splits in the side wall, letting leaves and twigs through to the pump
• One or more of the four lugs broken off, so the basket lifts or spins when the pump starts
• The plastic has gone pale, chalky and brittle after years of UV and chlorine
• The handle has snapped, making the basket awkward to lift and empty
• The basket distorts or collapses under a full load of wet leaves
• The pump strainer keeps filling with debris the skimmer should have caught

When to replace

A skimmer basket is a consumable. In an exposed poolside position most last five to eight years before UV and chlorine make the ABS brittle. Replace it as soon as it cracks or loses a lug: a basket that is not doing its job sends leaf litter straight to the pump strainer, and once that fills, on to the impeller.

Replaces / may be stamped as

74577, 16125, HSP 74577

Frequently asked questions

Does the 74577 basket fit my older Hurlcon skimmer that came with part 16125?
Yes. Astralpool superseded 16125 with 74577 in September 2016. 16125 is no longer manufactured, and 74577 is the basket Astralpool now supplies against both part numbers.

How do I know whether I have an Astralpool HSB or APA skimmer?
Lift the skimmer lid and take the basket out. The HSB and APA basket is round and tapered, roughly 245 mm across the top and 140 mm across the base, with four moulded lock-down lugs spaced around the rim.

Is this a genuine Astralpool part?
Yes. Heater and Spa Parts is an authorised Fluidra dealer and warranty agent, and this is the genuine Astralpool moulding rather than a generic copy.

Is this the same as the strainer basket inside my pump?
No. The pump strainer basket is a different moulding that sits under the clear pump lid. The skimmer basket sits in the skimmer box in the pool surround.

What is the basket made from?
UV and chemical resistant ABS, which is why it holds its shape under a full load of wet leaves rather than collapsing.

Do I need to replace the weir door at the same time?
Not necessarily. The weir door is the hinged flap at the mouth of the skimmer and is a separate part, but because both are exposed to the same UV and chlorine they often reach the end of their life together.

Why do skimmer baskets keep cracking?
Years of direct sunlight and chlorinated water gradually embrittle the ABS. Forcing a lid down onto an overfull basket, or letting wet leaves pack solid, then finishes off a basket that has already gone brittle.

Do you actually hold stock of this basket?
Yes. It is physically stocked and shipped from VIC, NSW, WA and QLD, rather than drop-shipped from a supplier after you order.

Common search terms

Astralpool skimmer basket, Hurlcon skimmer basket, 74577, 16125, Hurlcon HSB skimmer basket, Astral APA skimmer basket, Hurlcon deep skimmer basket, Astralpool leaf basket, pool skimmer box basket, Hurlcon skimmer box leaf basket, new style Astral skimmer basket.