Need advice about replacing skimmer

[tkakt]

We were checking over our pool (just installed July 2013) to get ready for opening and discovered a large crack in our Pentair Admiral S15 skimmer. There was no water in the skimmer or tubes. So, I assume it was just defective.

The pool company is going to send us a new skimmer but told us that installing the skimmer is "easy" and that we can do it ourselves. I looked on the web and found some warnings about not letting the liner pull itself down from the opening while installing the new skimmer. So, before we get ourselves in trouble, I was wondering if anybody had any tips for this that they could share.

Also, any thoughts on why the skimmer would crack like this after only 3 months of use? We're in upstate NY and it was a nasty winter, but I would expect this thing would be built to withstand the cold. Is there something else we could have done (other than draining it) to prevent this from happening?

Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

Large cracks over the winter are usually either going to be from ice damage or physical impact. The plastic is more brittle when cold, so it doesn't take as large an impact as it would during the summer, but still something fairly significant.

Ice damage is remotely possible even if it was dry when opened in the spring. If water was getting in over the winter, that water could have blocked the drain, potentially allowing enough water to accumulate to damage the skimmer. But a fair bit of water has to get in over an extended period before that can happen.

The alternative explanation is that the crack was already there from the start, and just spread with the temperature changes over the winter.

Replacement isn't that difficult. Lower the pool water level only enough to have room to work. The water will help hold the liner in place. Be careful to not pull the liner out of place yourself and you should be fine.