New liner install in 34 year old pool - skimmer question

[german_guy_in_ny]

Everyone,

I'm planing on installing a new vinyl liner this weekend. The steel walls around the skimmer opening are quite rusty. Now I'm wondering what the best way to seal around this opening is? First of all the inner gasket for the faceplate will be sitting on rusty metal, which is not a good precondition for a reliable seal. Secondly, the sides of the wall (along the wall thickness) would still be exposed to the water. One could try to wrap the liner around the wall when making the cutout? Would it help to use silicone to seal and also use it between the inner gasket and the steel wall? Any comments, ideas are appreciated.

Matt

 

[techguy]

Can you take a photo of the rusty opening? Inside and out so we really know what you are seeing.

I replaced my liner last year and had a small amount of rust on the inside and tiny bit on the outside where the bolt holes are. I sanded off all the rust and used a grey "rust" primer to paint over the areas I sanded (grey to match the wall color). On the outside, I masked off the "finished" areas of the pool.

I have seen the now offer a "butterfly" gasket. I don't remember it I had two gaskets or the butterfly. You can read this thread about the gaskets and someone's journey.

IIRC, I had two gaskets. I do know I installed the skimmer completely before cutting my liner. I cut the liner using the face frame and gaskets as my guide. 2nd season on new liner ...No leaks. No visible rust.

 

[german_guy_in_ny]

Thanks a lot, techguy. Didn't have a camera with flash handy last night, will try today. Taking a closer look at my skimmer and the new faceplate (Hayward 1084) I see that the liner will be forced over the edge of the metal walls by the face plate: There is a little "lip" on the face plate at a 90 degree angle wrt the face plate itself. Not sure how good of a seal this creates? I'm wondering if I should "support" this seal with silicone. How well will it hold up in the chlorinated water?

 

[techguy]

Mine also has a lip. I just looked online at the install instructions and they don't recommend a sealant between the gaskets and the liner. I am going to assume the is best. It also means if you need to remove or replace it, you can. If you glue/ sealant the gasket to the liner or pool, you may not be able to remove it without damaging the liner or skimmer.

 

[german_guy_in_ny]

Thanks again, yeah that's a good point. This essentially was my question. Does silicone hold up in the chorinated water? At 1...3ppm there is probably not much of an issue but how many algee treatments can you have before it gets oxidized such that it looses its flexibility etc. and worst case cannot be removed w/o damage.....