Dumb Mistake with skimmer assembly

[2002sheds]

Hi All,
I made a major mistake when I installed our Hayward above ground skimmer basket. I did not pay close enough attention to where the hole/assembly should be, and installed it about 1.5 inches lower than I should have. I compounded that mistake by installing the inlet at the correct height (I actually used the previous hole). This means that when the water level is correct for the skimmer, it is almost too low for the inlet. When the water level is correct for the inlet, the skimmer is essentially submerged.

I have looked for a skimmer with a larger mouth, but have not found one so far. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. I suspect that I should move the skimmer up and patch the 1.5 by roughly 7 inch gap, but I am far from confident in my ability to pull off that solution.

Thanks,
David

 

[mulia]

I would patch the skimmer hole and reinstall. I think I would also reposition the skimmer away from the patched area.If The patch is large enough to be above and below the new skimmer location, I think installing in the same area should be ok.

 

[2002sheds]

Hi Mulia,
Thanks for the reply! I will find the original piece that was cut for the skimmer (I think I held onto it). I'm assuming that I should use a larger piece of vinyl and cover the back...

Thanks,
David

 

[mulia]

You should get piece of patch larger than the skimmer hole and patch it from the inside, not the outside. The piece you had originally cut out will be too small to use as a patch. The patch should be at least an inch bigger than the hole on each side.

 

[Pv2]

if you don't care about the water level I would be more inclined to move the inlet than the skimmer.

 

[duckcmmndr]

I am concerned that you may not be able to make a patch stay over a hole that size.

Like suggested it might be easier to lower the water level and add a lower return.

If you don't like that, you could leave that skimmer as is and just cap the bottom of it so no water comes out and then install another skimmer in another location at the correct height.

 

[2002sheds]

Hi Duck,
Thanks very much for your reply. I think that your suggestion sounds the most likely to work. I don't have a ton of confidence in my ability to patch even a hole the size of the inlet... I am sure that plenty of people have done so, I just have more faith in the idea of adding a skimmer at the right height...

Thanks to everyone that responded -- this forum is fantastic!

David

 

[duckcmmndr]

Hi Duck,
Thanks very much for your reply. I think that your suggestion sounds the most likely to work. I don't have a ton of confidence in my ability to patch even a hole the size of the inlet... I am sure that plenty of people have done so, I just have more faith in the idea of adding a skimmer at the right height...

Thanks to everyone that responded -- this forum is fantastic!

David

I put skimmers in two Intex above ground pools. I put the 1st one where the screws were in the pattern and on the second one, a few years later, I raised it up. You can see how high I placed it here:

AGP Thru Wall Skimmer Regrets?

 

[michaelandbj]

My solution if I were in your position would be to order a different skimmer size that is larger (to fit the hole). I know offhand that the Doughboy Deluxe skimmer basket has a significantly larger opening than my old Hayward one. I’m sure there are other brands that make larger ones (probably even including Hayward).

I would rather cut again (larger) than to try to prevent a leak from what you have already cut.

Good luck!!!

 

[2002sheds]

Hi Michael,
Great idea — thanks!
David

 

[RH60]

For now I would do the quick and easy. Unscrew your eyeball. Then from box store. Thread in a standard PVC fitting. Get a few 1 - 1/2" pvc fittings elbows . Will try to add some pics. I sort of raised an extra eyeball for a foundation. You would do the same but lower.

 

[RH60]

Also besides the other ideas. You could just wait until you ever replace the liner.
I once switched skimmer brands and the hayward had a smaller hole. So just bought a piece of over sized sheet metal. Took my time and cut out the template for the hayward skimmer. Then just installed this with rivets from inside of pool. Then few layers of duct tape over the rivets. So did not show thru to the liner. Been fine for 10 + years