Cutting a concrete pool deck to bury a pipe for slide

[Dirk]

Four feet?!? Even better!!

Regarding the skimmer, I'll brainstorm with ya:

Do you have more than one skimmer? If you block leaves from that one, and there isn't another, I guess you're willing to remove them some other way. So...

I don't like the net, and the possibility that it could become so choked that it would block the skimmer opening and starve the pump. My instinct is that would be more possible with an external device, than it would be with just the basket itself filling up, because being external, it could possibly create such a dam that the pump would empty the skimmer of water, where with just a pile of junk in the basket there'd still be water squeezing through to the pump. Not sure of the real world application of that theory.

This is the first thing that popped into my head, acrylic (so chem-proof), but would allow some amount and size of material to get through:



That is a light lens. It's 1/2" x 1/2". I suppose there are other dimensions available, if that grid size works out to be too big or small. But it's only slightly less susceptible to the blocking issue. So...

I would cut and mount it such that it just barely penetrates the water, leaving a good 1" or two below it, a submerged entrance to the skimmer, as it were. That way, if it totally clogged with leaves, it would continue to block others, but still allow plenty of water underneath the blockage to feed the pump. I suppose if you neglected it long enough, the clog could grow in size, and block the whole skimmer opening, but I think that's a stretch, as leaves that started to accumulate under the water would get sucked into the skimmer basket.

You could mount it inside the skimmer opening, to hide it, but that would be hard to clear/clean. I'd be tempted to hang it somehow in front of the skimmer opening (a few ideas come to mind), where it would be good and ugly, but you could stretch down and clear the leaves, or grab the whole thing off it's mountings, like if you had to clear the little openings themselves.

I'm sure I'm overlooking some glaring fault to this idea, but that'll get the ball rollin' for others to weigh in...

I think I remember others building dams out of pool noodles, that loop out away from the side, in front of the skimmer, to keep leaves from reaching the basket. But that would block out the fine stuff too, I think. Not sure how well that would work. The challenge is to let the little stuff through, to be caught in the skimmer basket, pump basket, or filter, but block the really big stuff...

 

[slickrock22]

Love it. Thanks for the suggestion any ideas where I could order one? I have a 3-D printer so I could print a frame. I have one other skimmer basket and then two drains in the bottom of the pool. I have isolated each of those three returns and ran the pump with only one open at a time. It did not starve the pump so I think I’m good if it gets clogged.

 

[Dirk]

Love it. Thanks for the suggestion any ideas where I could order one? I have a 3-D printer so I could print a frame. I have one other skimmer basket and then two drains in the bottom of the pool. I have isolated each of those three returns and ran the pump with only one open at a time. It did not starve the pump so I think I’m good if it gets clogged.

I'm not sure we're talking the same thing. If the skimmer got 100% blocked, like a valve would do, then yes, the other inlets would take up the slack. But if the skimmer runs dry (because the leaves dammed the water) then the skimmer port will suck air, and that will starve the pump. Maybe that's the wrong term. It'll let air into the pump, and that could stop it from sucking water through the other inlets.

3-D printer!! Then you could adjust the grid size to your choosing! Otherwise:

0.315" X 2' X 4' White Egg Crate

OR

Hard to see the pic, I think this is the stuff, at Lowes:

Shop PLASKOLITE (Common: 24-in x 48-in; Actual: 23.75-in x 47.75-in) 7.85-sq ft Louvered Ceiling Light Panels at Lowes.com

OR

Google '1/2" square light lenses'


Less than $20. You could hang the whole thing off the side, before you even cut it, to see if the idea works. Then proceed if it does.


I'd feel better if a few other chimed in. This is just a hair-brained scheme, without foundation. Looking for any others to poke some holes... in case we're overlooking some obscure danger...

 

[Yev]

Just thinking out loud about the grid idea. I dont like the idea of putting something fragile into the water of my pool. Whatever the solution, make sure that it is robust. I would be worried about a 3d printed part, as the parts I have played with might concern me with rigidity. Im also not sure if the 3d printed plastic will tolerate constant chlorine and UV light with degrading.

I will try to brainstorm some other ideas.

 

[Dirk]

Just thinking out loud about the grid idea. I dont like the idea of putting something fragile into the water of my pool. Whatever the solution, make sure that it is robust. I would be worried about a 3d printed part, as the parts I have played with might concern me with rigidity. Im also not sure if the 3d printed plastic will tolerate constant chlorine and UV light with degrading.

Not sure what 3D parts can withstand. But you're right, that grid material I suggested would be pretty weak, compared to the rest of the material a pool is constructed of, and perhaps get worse over time with sun exposure.

I've fabricated a few parts of my pool setup out of plastic cutting boards. They come in various thickness, and seem to be of a material that is going to withstand some torture. Because they're thick (some 1/2" or more), yet pliable, I think they would hold up well. Slick could use that material. It's easy to cut to size, then the grid could be formed by drilling a bunch of holes through it. Hole size TBD. Something like that.

Though I'm rethinking... What I'm not considering, is how a skimmer does what it does. I think it's more than just a hole in the side. It probably has some hydraulic flow characteristics that facilitate the flow of water and junk into it, which might get interrupted by placing anything in the opening. Something like that.

Someone that knows more about it will have to weigh in on that...

This problem isn't unique to Slick's pool, obviously. The skimmer cover height, maybe, but not the problem of collecting too many leaves. Are there no commercial solutions to this problem? One that has been vetted out, and that works?

- - - Updated - - -

Here's yet another jerk that stole one of my ideas! (Nine years before I invented it, but still!)

Skimmer Leaf Trap


Alternate:

Leaf Bone - Leaf Net Skimmer Clip - Pool Maintenance Accessories


Or this, complete with reviews:

https://www.amazon.com/Skimmer-Wizard-ASSEMBLED-skimmer-openings/dp/B01DOIYX0W

 

[slickrock22]

Thanks for the great suggestions again. That last link look like it might be the answer. I’ll have to check that one out.

I started digging to see how deep the slab is and got a couple feet and wondered if this thing goes much deeper. I am on a decline from the side of my lot to the other and I’m wondering if the poured pool deck goes down 5 to 6 feet. Will need to dig a little bit more here’s a picture to explain what I’m talking about.

Is boring a hole in both the side of the concrete as well as the top feasible?

 

[tstex]

w out special equipment, and even if you did have special equip., boring horizontally in cured concrete would be next to impossible, esp 3-4 ft in a residential application.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Sorry. In the initial photos the slab did not look so thick. Maybe the other options posted will work.

 

[Dirk]

It could be that there is a vertical concrete wall there, then they backfilled it with dirt, then poured the horizontal deck on top of the dirt. So you might have only a few inches to get through, horizontally. As mentioned, it's as much about the age as the thickness. The older it is, the more cured it is, the harder it'll be to drill through.

You could always do a test hole, with a 1/2" bit, to see how hard it is, and how thick it is.


PLAN B

Is there no other path to the planter that is only dirt, no drilling? Back behind the planter? (Hard to see in the pic.)


PLAN C

Use a concrete saw to cut a channel in the concrete (not a slice out of it, just a shallow channel), from your pipe to just under the slide. Might have to make two cuts, then chisel it out. With any luck you'll miss rebar. The "trench" would weaken the slab some amount, but you're not drivin' a car over it. Then you lay in PVC or PEX or whatever, and fill it in with the appropriate Sikaflex product. Sikaflex is self leveling, and grey, so it'll be somewhat matching. It'll look a bit like a wide expansion joint.

 

[CJadamec]

The expansion joint trick is a good one. You could actually cut that groove in the concrete with a 4.5 inch grinder and a mason / diamond blade. It's a little cheaper than renting a big saw and easier to control cut depth. Make sure to snap lines or lay things out careful to keep the cut lines straight.

It would be very unlikely for that slab to be as deep as the edge. A small 3/16 th bit and a hamer drill will get you a pilot hole easy to hide and a way to judge how thick the side wall is.

 

[Dirk]

I've cut concrete with my circular saw, with the right blade. Pretty straight cuts. The dust it throws can be an issue for the saw motor, though, so there's that. Someone once advised I tape the vents before cutting, but that's iffy. Couldn't do long stretches like that. Have to use frequent cooling periods. Grinder is a good idea, because it'll throw dust clear of itself, though harder to control.

A concrete dado is what is needed!!

 

[CJadamec]

A small amount of water on the saw blade will stop the dust issues. A water bottle with a pin hole is enough.

 

[rphpool]

I am going to throw this out there. What if you ran the pipe on top of slab to the slide. Then you could pour a concrete step over the top of it or build a nice teak step over it. No drilling of concrete!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Those are all great ideas. Unfortunately, I think the OP is still in his backyard digging.

 

[proavia]

I'm still stuck on routing the pipe to the planter. You could cut out the plastic expansion joint (to the right of the slide in the pics), then widen the gap with a single saw cut (grinder?), drill thru the planter wall, run the pipe just below the surface of the concrete and fill in over the top with Sikaflex.

That's if further exploration of the outer slab wall results in the entire slab being overly thick.

 

[Dirk]

I'm still stuck on routing the pipe to the planter. You could cut out the plastic expansion joint (to the right of the slide in the pics), then widen the gap with a single saw cut (grinder?), drill thru the planter wall, run the pipe just below the surface of the concrete and fill in over the top with Sikaflex.

That's if further exploration of the outer slab wall results in the entire slab being overly thick.

Are you talking about cutting all the way throughout the slab? Why? Does that joint go all the way through now? Or is it just a stress-crack-hider (sorry, forgot what those are called).

Using the existing expansion joint might save a little work. If he does that, why bother with the planter? Just widen the joint enough for a 3/4" pipe, or that existing hose. Just run it from the slide, over to the joint, along the joint, off the slab, then over to the pipe (or move the pipe over to the end of the joint). The reducer can be there. He doesn't have to run 2" pipe anywhere else. Less cutting. Looks to be less than a foot between the end of the joint and the slide. Doesn't look to be a foot path. Done.

Sure, it'd look better if it was all hidden, and it that's what the OP is after, go for it. No one but him is going to notice if that hose comes out of the concrete right under the slide, at the end of a Sikaflex-filled trench, or via a buried pipe, or a foot over by the end of the existing, widened expansion joint, or out of the side of the planter. He should do what looks right to him, but he'll be the only one it matters to...

Really comes down to how much effort/time he wants to put into it...

 

[slickrock22]

Was just at a swim meet this morning and noticed this approach. Thoughts? Might be able to use a walk behind concrete saw to create a channel and then use this to Cap it. The topcoat on the pool deck needs to be refinished anyways so if I do cut a channel and fill in

with concrete I think it’ll be hidden.

 

[Dirk]

Was just at a swim meet this morning and noticed this approach. Thoughts? Might be able to use a walk behind concrete saw to create a channel and then use this to Cap it. The topcoat on the pool deck needs to be refinished anyways so if I do cut a channel and fill in with concrete I think it’ll be hidden.

That'll work. Sure. But... (You asked!) You'll be taking more concrete out than you need to. And you'll be creating a crud trap. That's a necessary evil when you have to have a drain, but in your case you're creating a space for stuff to accumulate where none is needed. (Look again at your pic, you can see stuff stuck in the slots and underneath, etc.)

I still like the narrow channel filled with Sikaflex. I'm not sure I'd trust concrete to fill in the channel. It'd be prone to pop out or crack, depending on how thick it was, and how close the pipe it's covering is to the surface level.

 

[slickrock22]

Great. Totally agree with you. That was a concern with me also. I did see you mentioned that product before but I am unfamiliar with it. I will definitely check it out. Agree with your concerns around cracking or popping out.

 

[Dirk]

Sikaflex is awesome. That brand has many different products for all sorts of needs. I use it for the expansion joint between coping and decking. I sprinkle sand on it when wet, and it dries to match the grout. The sand makes it look more "organic" and it adds some traction to what would otherwise be a slick patch.

Mine does need replacing from time to time. I'm not sure if that is the nature of the product, or the fact that there is a lot of movement between my coping and deck. For your application, there won't be any expansion movement, so maybe not a problem? You could call Sika and ask them for the best product for your need, and ask them for the expected lifespan, then you can make a more informed decision whether you want to go that route or not...

A word of warning. Sika is the stuff. Lowes/HD sells a cheaper brand that is considered comparable. I fell for that, and regret using it. It didn't self-level as well as the Sikaflex I've used in the past, and it's only lasted a couple seasons. I won't be using anything but Sikaflex from now on. Lesson learned.