Difficulty with Thru-wall Skimmer install--screws won't tighten??

[TXHammy]

Hello Everyone, reading this forum has revolutionized my AGP life, thank you for all your advice and posts. Put up my 16x48 Intex Ultra-Frame last year just using the standard equipment. This year decided to partially hard-plumb, add a Hayward skimmer, and upgraded to a Sand filter. Got the pool up a few days ago and it's about 3/4 way full with water. I carefully followed the instructions on other posts and videos about installing the skimmer and I'm stuck...having extreme difficulty screwing it together, even outside of the pool the screws are extremely difficult to put in. Do I have to use a power drill? Do they need to be pre-drilled? Was just trying to hand tighten and I'm getting no where.

I split the butterfly gasket in half, I got in the pool and marked with a sharpie the holes for the screws inside the pool, used an awl to punch holes and got the screws through the liner. Lined up the faceplate, then gasket inside, aligned with gasket and skimmer on the outside and started to tighten the screws and I got nowhere! Would get 1 or 2 tightens of each screw and then met serious resistance. Screws going all sideways and un-aligned. I am using the flat head screws that came with the skimmer, but there are also 6 round-headed screws that came with the skimmer, do I use those somewhere? All the install videos and posts just say "then screw it together" and I can't figure out why I'm stuck at this step. It feels like the screws are a few MM too big for the skimmer??

Any advice appreciated
Thanks!
Sarah

Intex Ultra-Frame 16'x48" with SWG, Intex sand filter and partially installed Hayward standard mouth skimmer

 

[jeffchap]

I put a screwdriver bit into a socket wrench to tighten mine up. Those suckers are tight!

 

[Floorguy]

I just did mine today.. Drill.. Impact even.. they are tight.... Be sure to move around tightening them. Kind of like wheels on cars

 

[ike0069]

I'm not sure why it would come with flat head screws as those are very difficult to get tight. I put a thru wall in my previous pool and it came with Phillips that I had trouble getting tight. I used channel lock pliers on the screw driver to get tight and that worked.

 

[TXHammy]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement! I got myself a good ratcheting screw driver from Home Depot today and got in there and tightened those suckers up. Took a lot more effort that I thought it would! Haven't cut the liner yet, wanted to get the pool filled up to the proper level and make sure there were no leaks before I took a knife to the pool!

Connected my PVC fittings, but am still waiting for my Intex/PVC converter fittings to arrive in the mail before hooking it up. Justing running on the standard inlet/outflow right now and am really liking the power of the upgraded pump and filter.

Thanks!

 

[MarkLeavenworth]

Besides getting the screws in straight, I was surprised by the added torque I got from the correct size screwdriver, which was a lot larger than the screw drivers we keep in our 'junk drawer'. Also, I had a slow drip until I carefully aligned the gasket with a small plastic tool (a lego), fitting the edges into their correct positions.