HELP, was our skimmer set too low.

And, it's certainly going to look stupid to the customer who paid for the job and who has to look at it every day and who has to check the water level three times a day to make sure that it's within its tiny little margin of workable level.

Maybe they will not think it is stupid just because you think it is.

2" to 6" more of tile showing is not the end of the world.
 
In the end, it’s Liz and husband that will decide how to proceed. Hopefully the commentary here has helped, and they will end up with something that works for them.
 
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Another row of tiles isn't going to do anything. The minimum height the water can ever be is about 1" above the bottom of the current tile line. Any lower and the skimmer will run dry and the pump will start sucking air. You have a rather large bevel/angle on the tile leading into the skimmer cavity.

I also would be concerned about the loss in water depth.
2low2.jpg
 
That skimmer looks ridiculous and won't function as the manufacturer intended. As has been said, the down slope is too steep, the pool water level will be too low, the functioning working height of the water level in the skimmer will not be as large. If this was my pool, I would not pay another dime until the skimmer was ripped out and reset properly. Stop all work immediately until this inept installation is corrected.

That skimmer is already encased. They need to order a new one immediately because chipping out the old one can weaken or damage it. This is on them. Do not allow them to BS you out of a proper installation.
 
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Another row of tiles isn't going to do anything. The minimum height the water can ever be is about 1" above the bottom of the current tile line. Any lower and the skimmer will run dry and the pump will start sucking air. You have a rather large bevel/angle on the tile leading into the skimmer cavity.

I also would be concerned about the loss in water depth.
View attachment 324154

It will work if the 2" plug on the bottom of the skimmer mouth is removed. That is the way the skimmer and shell were designed to work.
 
It will work if the 2" plug on the bottom of the skimmer mouth is removed. That is the way the skimmer and shell were designed to work.
That's not how the skimmer is designed to work.

It's designed to pull all water from the top.

The bottom equalizer is only a safety backup that is activated by a low water level that causes the float valve to drop and close off water flow from above.

We don't even know if an equalizer line is installed.

Even if there is an equalizer line, it's not designed to provide flow for normal operation.
 
You also have to account for the flow rate when determining the lowest water level.

The higher the flow, the higher the water needs to be above the lowest edge.
How is that determined? Could this be why he says he thinks it’s fine and he’s not concerned.
 

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How is that determined? Could this be why he says he thinks it’s fine and he’s not concerned.
It depends on what pump you use and how much flow there will be.

It only increases the problem, it does not decrease the problem.

The builder knows that it's wrong, but they don't want to fix it because it costs time, effort and money that they would rather not pay if they can get away with it.
 
How is that determined? Could this be why he says he thinks it’s fine and he’s not concerned.

You are concerned and deserve a detailed technical explanation of how the skimmer will work as installed.

We are giving you the knowledge and questions in this thread.

We can't answer what is in his mind with his vague answers.
 
The fact that the builder didn't even want to come out and check it for themselves is very telling.

When a customer calls with a concern, whether legitimate or not, you get out there and check it for yourself.

If it's wrong, you fix it. Period.

If it actually ok, you explain it to the customer in a way that they can understand.
 
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The fact that the builder didn't even want to come out and check it for themselves is very telling.

When a customer calls with a concern, whether legitimate or not, you get out there and check it for yourself.

If it's wrong, you fix it. Period.

If it actually ok, you explain it to the customer in a way that they can understand.

I deal with the world the way it is, not the way I want it to be. :hammer:
 
The harder/faster the flow of water is coming into the skimmer the lower the tolerance will be for the water depth. If the water is too low the pull of the pump will suck in the water faster than the skimmer can refill which will cause your pump to over heat and stop working.

The water depth has to be towards the middle of the skimmer opening. Too low can burn up the pump due to not enough water going through it. Too high it will not skim the pool thus letting all of the stuff sitting on the top of the water to sink down to the bottom of the pool and make a mess

The diagram @PoolGate did REALLY shows the problem. I would print out that pic with the lines for WHEN the PB shows up and show it to him.

Do a search for "pool skimmer pictures" Go deep into the search to see how those skimmers look. I went 3 pages deep and NONE of them looked like yours.

The PB is going to tell you it is fine. He does not have to deal with a burned up pump or a pool that filled with debris once they get their finial check. He does not want to have to pay for the crew to come back out to fix what they messed up. If you believe him and back off the PB is the one that comes out ahead. The people on TFP have nothing to gain or lose by trying to help you and guide you. Let that sink in for a moment and go from there.
 
Ok thanks everyone, I appreciate everyone’s help. I really need to talk to Hayward and understand where they want the waterline and then communicate with my pool builder to see where we will be and if it is ok. I don’t need or expected perfection but I do need it to function properly. Seems like there are a ton of variables to take into account so between the 2 of them i should be able to find out.
 

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