What Faircloth Skimmer does

Faircloth Skimmer, operating under legal entity J.W. Faircloth & Son, Inc., designs and manufactures patented floating surface water skimmers used in sediment basin dewatering and post-construction stormwater management. Founded in 2000 by Warren Faircloth and Margaret Faircloth, the company is headquartered at 525 Dimmock's Mill Rd, Hillsborough, North Carolina, where it operates a single integrated design, manufacturing, and distribution facility. Its core technology releases the cleanest surface water from a basin or pond while regulating flow for optimal settling, using durable CPVC and HDPE construction across eight product sizes (1.5" to 8") with flow rates spanning up to 259,554 cubic feet per day.

The company's product line centers on two families: the Sediment Skimmer for temporary construction-phase sediment basins, and the SCM Skimmer for permanent post-construction stormwater control measures, supplemented by a patent-pending Adjustable Orifice Gate and an online sizing calculator. Differentiation rests on three pillars: (1) patented surface skimmer architecture backed by 25+ years of refinement; (2) DOT approvals in Tennessee, Nebraska, North Carolina, Alabama, and South Carolina, plus EPA compliance and a third-party Auburn University study validating >90% TSS reduction; and (3) deep regulatory and engineering-domain expertise inherited from the founder's 18 years overseeing erosion control ordinances.

Revenue is generated through direct, quote-based hardware sales supported by inside sales staff and a national logistics network offering same-day or next-day shipping. Customers include construction contractors (the primary volume base), municipal and government entities (including documented retrofits such as Howard County, MD), and industrial and agricultural operators requiring permanent stormwater management. Go-to-market combines phone-based direct sales with technical content on the company website, industry-association participation (IECA Gold Sponsor), and named territory sales managers covering the South, Midwest, and Northeast US. As of July 2025, Faircloth Skimmer operates as a subsidiary of StormTrap following an acquisition intended to expand StormTrap's stormwater management solutions portfolio.

Name

Faircloth Skimmer

Legal name

J.W. Faircloth & Son, Inc.

Website

https://fairclothskimmer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faircloth Skimmer manufactures patented floating surface water skimmers for sediment basin dewatering and post-construction stormwater management, serving construction contractors, municipalities, and industrial operators nationwide from its Hillsborough, North Carolina facility, now operating as a StormTrap subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stormwater Management Equipment

akta.pro primary industry

Pressure Washing & Jetting Equipment (IMAHALAB)

Keywords

• Sediment basin skimmer
• Stormwater management
• Surface water skimmer
• Erosion sediment control
• Post-construction stormwater

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsborough

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sediment Basin Skimmer Sales: Sale of sediment basin skimmers in eight sizes (1.5" to 8") for construction site sediment basins and traps. Units are nearly fully assembled upon delivery. Direct sales with quote-based pricing.
2. SCM Skimmer Sales: Sale of permanent post-construction stormwater control measure (SCM) skimmers. Built with durable CPVC and HDPE materials for long-term stormwater systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Faircloth Skimmer designs, manufactures, and distributes patented floating surface water skimmers for sediment basin dewatering and post-construction stormwater management. Its two core product lines are the Sediment Skimmer for construction site basins and the permanent SCM Skimmer built from CPVC and HDPE, available in eight sizes (1.5" to 8").

Product overview

Faircloth Skimmer offers a portfolio of surface drainage solutions centered on two core skimmer product lines: the Sediment Skimmer (for construction site sediment basins) and the SCM Skimmer (for permanent post-construction stormwater applications). Both products operate on the same principle of releasing clean surface water while regulating flow for optimal settling. The product line includes eight sizes ranging from 1.5" to 8" with corresponding flow capacities. Supporting tools include a sizing calculator for engineering design and the patent-pending Adjustable Orifice Gate technology. The company also provides technical documentation including installation manuals, cut sheets, and DOT approval certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Faircloth Sediment Skimmer The original sediment basin skimmer designed for construction site dewatering applications. It releases clean surface water while regulating flow to allow optimal settling, meeting EPA sediment dewatering requirements. Available in eight sizes (1.5" to 8") with adjustable flow rates.
• Faircloth SCM Skimmer A permanent floating stormwater surface device for post-construction stormwater control measures. Constructed of CPVC and HDPE, it delivers >90% TSS reduction by continuously dewatering from the cleanest water layer at the surface. Available in sizes 1.5" to 8" with flow rates from 0 to 259,554 cf/day.
• Adjustable Orifice Gate Patent-pending technology that replaces the traditional cut-to-fit plug with an adjustable design, making installation faster and more precise with tested, repeatable flow rates.
• Sediment Basin Skimmer Sizing Calculator Online engineering tool to calculate the correct skimmer size based on basin volume and days to drain. Includes option to generate PDF or PNG detail drawings for plan sets and supports multiple basin calculations.

Quantifiable outcome

• >90% TSS reduction in post-construction stormwater
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• StormTrapflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2025StormTrap announced acquisition of Faircloth Skimmer to expand its stormwater management solutions portfolio. This acquisition integrates Faircloth Skimmer's sediment basin and stormwater skimmer products into StormTrap's broader stormwater management offerings.
• Auburn University Stormwater Research FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Independent third-party research facility that conducted 2023 study validating SCM Skimmer performance (>90% TSS reduction). Study provides scientific validation of product claims and supports regulatory acceptance.
• International Erosion Control Association (IECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaircloth is a Gold Sponsor Supporter of IECA. The partnership provides industry leadership, standards development participation, and access to the professional community of erosion and sediment control practitioners including engineers, regulators, and contractors.
• State DOTs (Tennessee, Nebraska, North Carolina, Alabama, South Carolina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDOT approvals in multiple states confirm product meets state transportation agency standards for erosion and sediment control on construction projects. Approvals enable use on federally-funded transportation projects.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StormTrap: Stormwater management solutions provider that acquired Faircloth Skimmer in July 2025. Offers modular stormwater detention and treatment systems; now houses Faircloth's skimmer portfolio as part of an integrated stormwater platform — making it the most direct comparable and the closest view into the post-acquisition operating context.
• NDS: Manufacturer of drainage and stormwater management solutions including catch basins, channel drains, and flow management products. Directly comparable to Faircloth as a specialty stormwater hardware provider serving contractors and specifiers with engineered water management components.
• Hydro International: Specialist in stormwater treatment technologies including vortex separators, screening devices, and filtration systems. Competes directly with Faircloth SCM Skimmers in the post-construction water quality treatment market, targeting similar municipal and developer customers.
• Jensen Precast: Manufactures stormwater management products including precast structures, detention systems, and water quality units. Serves the same contractor and municipal infrastructure customers as Faircloth, with overlapping capabilities in stormwater treatment hardware.
• ACF Environmental: Manufacturer of erosion and sediment control products including silt fences, wattles, and inlet protection. Directly comparable to Faircloth's sediment basin focus, serving the same construction contractor and site compliance customer base with complementary erosion control solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Contech Engineered Solutions: Major manufacturer of stormwater management products including detention, filtration, and treatment systems. Competes with Faircloth across the broader stormwater value chain and serves the same civil engineer and municipal specifier base, though with a much wider portfolio and deeper distribution.
• Oldcastle Infrastructure: A CRH subsidiary providing stormwater management, drainage, and water infrastructure products to engineers, contractors, and municipalities. Competes with Faircloth in sediment control and stormwater treatment with broader product lines, larger sales coverage, and established DOT relationships.
• Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS): Leading manufacturer of stormwater and drainage products including pipe, chambers, and water quality units. Targets the same civil engineering and construction contractor customers as Faircloth with a substantially broader portfolio, providing bundled solutions that could pressure standalone skimmer sales.

Emerging players

• AquaShield: Specialty manufacturer of stormwater separation and treatment systems including vortex and filtration technologies. Competes with Faircloth in the post-construction SCM market with a narrower product focus but similar customer profile of engineers and municipalities seeking water quality credits.
• BaySaver: Manufacturer of stormwater treatment systems including oil/water separators and sediment removal devices. Targets the same post-construction SCM regulatory use cases as Faircloth, with comparable positioning as a specialty water quality treatment provider to engineers and developers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FairclothSkimmer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faircloth-skimmer
• Facebookfacebook.com/JW-Faircloth-Son-100063773446801

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Faircloth Skimmer