Broken Weir Door Pin on Skimmer

[sbcpool]

While trying to snap on a new weir door one of the round pins broke off of the skimmer wall. I assume there's no viable way to fix this other than to jackhammer the concrete and coping to replace the skimmer box, but I'd sure love to be wrong. Anybody know what it generally costs to have a skimmer box replaced?

This pool is eating me alive and I've only had it for two weeks. The inspector gave the pool a good bill of health, but after purchasing the house it turns out that almost every aspect of the pool is not good and needs replacement very soon. I don't think I can afford everything that needs to be done, so some advice on how to go about filling in a pool the right way might be helpful too in the event that it comes to that (and it will only take another $1,000 to put me in that unfortunate position).


Thanks.

 

[Richard320]

Not sure if this helps, but it's recent: http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/90107-Weir-Door-problem

Try the search box above for weir repair. There are a lot of threads.

 

[sbcpool]

Thanks for that link. I only wish they were replaceable on mine. You'd think that design feature would be common sense, but if mine are the replaceable kind they've been welded in with no visible seam. I'm reluctant to pry and crack the box because that will mean I have to replace the skimmer box like tomorrow. It doesn't help that it's surrounded by 20 feet of concrete on all directions meaning it's going to be a super-ugly saw and patch job, or several grand in concrete work alone.

 

[Richard320]

Thanks for that link. I only wish they were replaceable on mine. You'd think that design feature would be common sense, but if mine are the replaceable kind they've been welded in with no visible seam. I'm reluctant to pry and crack the box because that will mean I have to replace the skimmer box like tomorrow. It doesn't help that it's surrounded by 20 feet of concrete on all directions meaning it's going to be a super-ugly saw and patch job, or several grand in concrete work alone.

I remember somebody drilling a hole and screwing a zerk fitting in to hold his weir.

 

[sbcpool]

I hadn't thought of that. I suppose draining about 1500 gallons to get the water out of the skimmer box so I can drill is less difficult than replacing the box. That the filter is frozen so I can't pump to waste will make it a siphon job or I'll have to get a sump pump.

 

[sbcpool]

I still can't figure out who to call for an estimate on filling the pool in or what is required. Can you just fill in with dirt, or do you have to at least jackhammer the bottom so rain water can drain and not create a stagnant bog?

Also, how do you get in there to drill it? The opening is only 8 inches wide. There's no way I could get even a Dremel in there, let alone a drill.

 

[Richard320]

I still can't figure out who to call for an estimate on filling the pool in or what is required. Can you just fill in with dirt, or do you have to at least jackhammer the bottom so rain water can drain and not create a stagnant bog?

Also, how do you get in there to drill it? The opening is only 8 inches wide. There's no way I could get even a Dremel in there, let alone a drill.

I'm not there, so I don't know. If I was staring at it, I might get inspired somehow.

As for filling in a pool, I expect someone at the city would know. 20,000 gallons is about 100 cubic yards of fill. How expensive is that? And do you have access for a dump truck, or will someone have to shovel and wheelbarrow that all?

 

[sbcpool]

I'm not there, so I don't know. If I was staring at it, I might get inspired somehow.

I'm trying to think of a way.

As for filling in a pool, I expect someone at the city would know. 20,000 gallons is about 100 cubic yards of fill. How expensive is that? And do you have access for a dump truck, or will someone have to shovel and wheelbarrow that all?

I hope I'm not coming across the wrong way. I really do appreciate the insight and assistance. The issue is that we were told the pool and equipment were fine by the inspector and the previous owner, so we went ahead with the purchase. If I had known we needed new plaster, new tile, new coping, new skimmer box, new pump, new filter, new heater, and the cost of removing the zip strips and filling the seams we would have never purchased this particular house. All of those repairs are beyond our means and will remain beyond our means for years to come. At this point I feel like I got swindled and there's really not a lot I can do unless I want to gamble a $10,000 retainer and try my hand at suing the inspector and/or former owner.

I can get 100 yards of screened dirt for $1,700. I don't think a dump truck would have access, but I could rent a small loader to transport it. I'm sure it would take a couple of days, but it's better than wheelbarrows. I'm just worried about drainage or other issues that might result from filling an intact pool shell. It seems like the water would collect until it was a stinky bog.

 

[Isaac-1]

You could drop in a replacement like this one http://www.aquapowerpool.com/ I think it is around $50 on Amazon, I am thinking about trying one, but have not broke down to spend the money yet. I think it is from the same people that have the Infusion venturi eyeballs, I have one of those and it does work well.

ps. here is an installation video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6Vaa8Osm_Q

 

[jblizzle]

You can get a spring loaded universal skimmer door for like <$15

You better check with your regulatory branch as it is not likely as simple as just filling it with dirt.

 

[zea3]

I can't help on filling in the pool, but I do know it is expensive too. As far as the weir goes, maybe try one of these .

 

[sbcpool]

I can't help on filling in the pool, but I do know it is expensive too. As far as the weir goes, maybe try one of these .

I'd hate to be forced into just having an empty pool sitting around collecting rain and mosquito larvae. I hope I can find a way out of this mess. I guess this is why so many people shy away from properties with pools. Lesson learned I guess.

I think the skimmer box has to be replaced anyway because it's extremely brittle and showing signs of cracks. It has a single hole at the bottom with a lever to adjust suction between it and the main drain and that lever broke off when I tried to turn it. The plastic is so brittle that you can snap it between your fingers.

 

[Propbndr]

Also, how do you get in there to drill it? The opening is only 8 inches wide. There's no way I could get even a Dremel in there, let alone a drill.

You might be able to use this right angle drill attachment:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milescraft-Drill-90-Right-Angle-Drill-Attachment-1390/100507163

I have one, it is good for light duty work.

 

[Swampwoman]

Hi SBC. Sorry you're having trouble, and I have a few questions about that.

But first, if you seriously want to nix the pool, this deckover product is a nice idea and costs roughly the same as a proper in filling as I understand it -- neither of which are particilarly cheap. What I like about the idea is the extra storage and the chance to change your mind one day if you wish to renovate the pool-- here's a link http://www.deckover.com

However, I think you have recourse if you had a licensed inspector and your sale was conditional upon inspection. Have you looked into that at all?

Further, who is telling you that you need all this stuff? Someone with a vested interest, eg. A pool repair tech? Eg. Maybe you can get by several years without a plaster job, for example, if you balance the water correctly etc.

I bought and recovered a foreclosure and was "told" a lot of things by vendors...I'm here to tell ya that there are often simple, effective, DIY solutions to problems that fit just about any budget. To date, for every $10k+ "must do" estimate and advice I got from a vendor I have instead cooked up my own solution which has proven adequate...and much more cost effective.

In the case of the pool, if you list what's wrong, who told you it was wrong/evidence, and post up some pics, there's a reasonable chance the volunteers on this forum might be able to help you. There are several posters whose mechanical aptitude far exceeds my own

Just a suggestion. I'm sure you bought the home to enjoy the pool. It would be a lovely thing if we could help get you there!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Listen to the Swamp Woman. If pool service or pool store people are telling you that you need all these repairs/replacements, take it with a 'block' of salt! Just because something looks bad doesn't mean that it won't last years. And just because they tell you that it needs replacing doesn't mean that you can't fix it yourself with a little studying.

 

[Beens]

Listen to the Swamp Woman. If pool service or pool store people are telling you that you need all these repairs/replacements, take it with a 'block' of salt! Just because something looks bad doesn't mean that it won't last years. And just because they tell you that it needs replacing doesn't mean that you can't fix it yourself with a little studying.

+1

Post pictures here. You'll get *free* help from people who really know what they're talking about and are not trying to make a living off of selling you things.

Pictures will help 1000 times over. There are a lot of people here with tons of experience with all sorts of pool setups and fixes and work-arounds.

To post a lot of pictures I'd suggest uploading them to photobucket and using the links they provide to share them here on the thread.

Let's see some pictures before you order that dump truck of dirt!

 

[sbcpool]

Hi SBC. Sorry you're having trouble, and I have a few questions about that.

But first, if you seriously want to nix the pool, this deckover product is a nice idea and costs roughly the same as a proper in filling as I understand it -- neither of which are particilarly cheap. What I like about the idea is the extra storage and the chance to change your mind one day if you wish to renovate the pool-- here's a link http://www.deckover.com

However, I think you have recourse if you had a licensed inspector and your sale was conditional upon inspection. Have you looked into that at all?

Further, who is telling you that you need all this stuff? Someone with a vested interest, eg. A pool repair tech? Eg. Maybe you can get by several years without a plaster job, for example, if you balance the water correctly etc.

I bought and recovered a foreclosure and was "told" a lot of things by vendors...I'm here to tell ya that there are often simple, effective, DIY solutions to problems that fit just about any budget. To date, for every $10k+ "must do" estimate and advice I got from a vendor I have instead cooked up my own solution which has proven adequate...and much more cost effective.

In the case of the pool, if you list what's wrong, who told you it was wrong/evidence, and post up some pics, there's a reasonable chance the volunteers on this forum might be able to help you. There are several posters whose mechanical aptitude far exceeds my own

Just a suggestion. I'm sure you bought the home to enjoy the pool. It would be a lovely thing if we could help get you there!

The plaster is delaminating all over the pool. The pump barely runs (but enough to fool someone who doesn't know what's going on). The previous owner broke one of the screw handles on the pump basket lid so it has to be c-clamped on (leaking some air). The three-way valves leak air. The filter's backwash valve is permanently frozen closed. The heater is about 35 years old with copper plumbing and making copper stains on the plaster below the returns in the pool and spa. Some of the returns don't operate no matter which position the three-way valve is adjusted on the pump output. The lever to adjust suction between main drain and skimmer box and the weir door pegs snapped off the skimmer box. The skimmer box is also cracked at the top and the crack looks to be slowly advancing down the body. The coping and tile are cracking in many places. The zip strips have disintegrated and left sharp edges sticking up.

Most of this stuff I only learned to notice after purchasing the house. When we were looking at the house I just saw a pool that looked a little old and might need a good cleaning and a better pool boy (me). I expressed concern about the pool and equipment more than once and the inspector assured me that it was 'serviceable'. I have three different bids on the repairs and if I go with the cheapest everything - white plaster, cheap tile, cheap coping, getting the equipment online, etc., I'm still looking at somewhere between $15,000 - $20,000. That's not really feasible.

I really appreciate this resource, but most of these issues don't lend themselves to workarounds as far as I know. Unfortunately there's a lot of other work urgently needed that prevents me from spending the time to DIY most of the pool stuff. It's as much a time issue as a budget issue.

 

[kimkats]

You know what is important to you. You know how much time and/or money you have.

We can and will help you list the priority for getting it at least useable and how to do it or what kind of service person you would need to call.

Kim

 

[borjis]

I would bet you could "get by" without spending a ton of dough on the pool.

Just ask here and we'll help. I know it seems overwhelming at the moment.

When my pool was inspected before purchase, the pool company said I had to spend about a thousand
bucks to get it just right. Turns out that was a load of bull and from the advice I was given here I
spent $ 275 total to get it right.

As long as the skimmer crack is above the water it won't leak. Mine is cracked no doubt from a winter freeze but its well above the water line.
and I am not replacing it. I had no weir door but got a generic 15 dollar door and popped it in place. maybe just pry yours out carefully.
then put in a generic one.

You could probably just remove the pump motor and have it reconditioned...way cheaper than a new motor.

 

[kcindc]

I purchased a foreclosed pool and it needed a lot of work and it still needs a lot of work. My inspector was honest and said he couldn't give an opinion on the pool, so I hired a pool company to inspect the pool. The pool company was honest and gave an initial assessment, but said it was difficult to know all of the issues until some problems were fixed first.

I've hired out of work, some I did on my own and some defects, I live with. I've replaced most of the things above ground as time and expenses allowed. Pools can be expensive, but you've come the right place to get help.

My pool plaster is almost non-existent and is ugly. Some previous owner painted it and that is mostly gone, too. Ugly as it is, I won't be refinishing it anytime soon. It holds water for the most part and I can put up with ugly because the cost to replaster, replace the coping and tile in the DC metro area is in the 30-40K range. Also, my underground plumbing needs to be replaced because of low level leaks and some of the lines are no longer plumbed into the rest of the system.

I had a missing weir door. I couldn't find a replacement that fit, so I bought a spring loaded weir door and used a hacksaw to trim it to size. I took it apart and snipped off a little of the spring to get the right tension. I'm a mid-40s female and I hire out almost everything, but I've managed to learn to fix things because the pool companies will charge a fortune for something that takes them 30 minutes to fix.

I'm sure you can find a replacement for the pump basket lid online if you have the model # of your pump. Once you have that replaced, you can get a better idea if you have other leaks and where they might be located.

I came close to filling in my pool several times, but I'm glad that I kept it and repaired it.