Should I surround my Hayward skimmers with concrete or 3/4 clean gravel before placing stone pavers on top?

[Bdolci]

We just had our pool remodeled. It's a 20x40 concrete pool that was converted over to a liner pool. They cut through the concrete walls of the pool to place the skimmers and I believe they were bolted on using tapcon screws (not 100% sure as I didn't watch the skimmer installation myself).

My question is whether or not I should fill in the space around the exposed plastic skimmer with hydraulic cement to encapsulate the skimmer before I put down the stone pavers on top? Or, should I just fill around it with 3/4 clean gravel and compact it like the rest of the area around the pool before installing stone pavers?

The concern I have is the ability to troubleshoot a potential leak down the road. My logic is that potentially just surrounding the skimmer with clean gravel would allow me to better access that area should a future leak ever develop. On the other hand I get the benefits of reducing leaks by fully encasing the skimmer in hydraulic cement.

I attached a few photos for reference. Appreciate any advice.

 

[ajw22]

The skimmer should be surrounded by rebar attached to the pool structure and then concrete placed around the skimmer to make the skimmer part of the pool structure. This way the skimmer will move with the pool. Otherwise the pool structure can move independent of the ground and pull away from the skimmer.

 

[Bdolci]

The skimmer should be surrounded by rebar attached to the pool structure and then concrete placed around the skimmer to make the skimmer part of the pool structure. This way the skimmer will move with the pool. Otherwise the pool structure can move independent of the ground and pull away from the skimmer.

Thanks for the input. I get what you're saying, but what if they didn't do that? I believe what they did was cut a notch in the concrete wall and secured the plastic skimmer to the concrete pool wall using tapcon screws. Is there a way I can attach rebar to the pool wall now that everything is installed?

 

[ajw22]

Drill holes into the pool shell on the sides of the skimmer, bend a loop of rebar around the skimmer to fit into the holes, and epoxy the rebar into the holes. Epoxy is made to connect rebar to concrete. You only need two loops around the skimmer at least 1.5 - 2 inches from the skimmer.

 

[ajw22]

 

[Bdolci]

Drill holes into the pool shell on the sides of the skimmer, bend a loop of rebar around the skimmer to fit into the holes, and epoxy the rebar into the holes. Epoxy is made to connect rebar to concrete. You only need two loops around the skimmer at least 1.5 - 2 inches from the skimmer.

Awesome. That seems pretty straight forward to do. Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

You can see the form for the concrete block around the skimmer…

 

[TinFoilHat]

Why isn't the plumbing and proper installation of the skimmer part of your "remodel?"

 

[Bdolci]

Why isn't the plumbing and proper installation of the skimmer part of your "remodel?"

According to the pool builder who did the renovation work they install skimmers this way all the time and don’t have issues. You think I have a case to go back to them and demand they fix it?

 

[TinFoilHat]

Well, if the PB is a vinyl in-ground builder then maybe this is normally how they do it but yours was changed from a gunite pool to vinyl while reusing the gunite shell so the skimmer should be installed in the way shown for a gunite pool. I would think they would do that. As mentioned, the skimmer is fixed to the concrete shell so it moves with the shell. Since your pool is still inside that shell I would think the skimmer should still be fixed to it.

 

[ajw22]

According to the pool builder who did the renovation work they install skimmers this way all the time and don’t have issues.

The PB does it that way all the time with gunite shells or steel walled vinyl pools?

The two types of pools move very differently in the ground.

When I hear "we do it all the time and on;t have issues" it tells me the person is not thinking about what could be different and unique about your job. They just stamp out the same solution and hope for the best.

You think I have a case to go back to them and demand they fix it?

Yes, that is using steel wall installation techniques on a gunite shell. They may have never built a gunite/plaster pool to know the difference.