Glossary
Freeboard
The gap between the pool's coping (edge) and the resting water level, which keeps splash-out contained and lets the skimmer weir do its job.
Freeboard is the vertical distance between the top of the pool's edge and the surface of the water when it's at its normal operating level. A few inches of freeboard keeps normal splashing and bather displacement from constantly overflowing the deck, and it's what allows the skimmer weir to function across a range of water levels. Too little freeboard, often from letting the water creep up over a season, can flood skimmers and drown out their intake; too much can leave the weir unable to reach the water at all.
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