Cracked Skimmer on newish pool

[jamjam]

Might be hard to see here but there is a series of spider cracks on the inside surface of the skimmer body. I can catch them with my nail and it seemed to travel when I put slight pressure on it. Is this a concern? What would cause this? Should I use a 2 part epoxy and try to seal it?

 

[Texas Splash]

it seemed to travel when I put slight pressure on it. Is this a concern?

I can hear my mom saying ..... "Then don't touch it!" ha ha. But seriously, it could be a problem if it's that fragile. A newish pool? Not under any type of warranty any longer? While an epoxy certainly could seal-up a crack, the concern now is why is it cracking and so fragile? Ground shifting (or lifting)? Will it continue to crack? You'll be closing soon. Do you close the pool yourself or is someone doing it for you? Depending on how low you (or they) elect to lower the water level, that might be a good time to fix or replace the skimmer while a crew is out there. The only other concern is the age of the pool, specifically the liner since that drives the delicacy of replacing a skimmer and getting the liner back into place.

But tell us a bit more and we'll put more eyes on this thread and try to get you the best answers to work with.

 

[jamjam]

The pool is 1 year old.

 

[wireform]

The way those cracks look to it's pressure related meaning being forced up down or sideways to accommodate whatever it was they needed to level it out to.

 

[jamjam]

I can easily dig it out and look. It’s just pavers there. If the pressure is relieved I assume epoxy would do the trick or would I need to replace the skimmer body?

 

[Texas Splash]

I can easily dig it out and look. It’s just pavers there. If the pressure is relieved I assume epoxy would do the trick or would I need to replace the skimmer body?

You could, but have you contacted your installer yet? One year I would think it should still be under warranty.

 

[jamjam]

I’m afraid since I installed the coping and the deck he is just gonna say it’s not his problem

 

[Texas Splash]

In that case, I think your recommendation above is correct. Check for any pressure points and repair the skimmer. Hopefully it will hold through your freeze & thaw periods.

 

[newdude]

If the backside is flat I’d want to epoxy a plastic patch to it for strength. Some of them have a lot of tabs/wings in that area.

 

[jamjam]

My guess is that the skimmer might be supporting its own weight - unfortunately i don't think i have easy access to the crack point from the back since my footing for the coping butts up against it. I could dig around the skimmer and place rebar or pressure treated wood as a brace under the skimmer box to give it a base to not flex or maybe dig up under it and spray closed cell foam to underpin any voids to better support?

 

[santacruzpool]

Another alternative repair is to use Plast-aid - it chemically bonds with ABS, acrylic, and PVC - vs just sitting on the surface like epoxy...I have used it for several PVC repairs and it is pretty amazing how well it does.

 

[jamjam]

Another alternative repair is to use Plast-aid - it chemically bonds with ABS, acrylic, and PVC - vs just sitting on the surface like epoxy...I have used it for several PVC repairs and it is pretty amazing how well it does.

awesome - i just purchased some - i think i am going to spray some closed cell foam under and around the skimmer to stabilize it then repair from the inside with this - hopefully that does the trick

 

[Pool_Medic]

Anderson leak repair, perfect for spider cracks.