How do I remove these covers?!?

[wahhutch9]

Our inground pool is 3 years old. We had our builder put these sleeves on for a future basketball hoop. I'm now trying to remove the covers and have no clue how to do it. I put a screw driver in hoping it would just pop out, but it's cracking. Please see attached pic for a better idea what I'm talking about.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

 

[flyweed]

something a little larger diameter than a screw driver will help you from cracking it...like a wooden dowel. Put it into the hole, angle it sideways a bit and pop the lid up.

 

[MarianParoo]

Splash water around the outer seams. That will help loosen the bond. I have to do that with my skimmer covers all the time.

 

[Jamison04]

Maybe find something that had a 90 degree bend to it so it applies pressure to the underside of the cap as you pull straight up instead of trying to pry it at an angle. Maybe bend the first inch of a flat screwdriver, making a custom cover remover. I'm sure there is a proper tool similar to that for just this purpose.