Old Leaking Skimmer, but Don’t Need Anymore

[Keysteve]

Finally finished my “super-charged” tanning shelf/ beach entry all the way around the 10,500 gallon fiberglass pool. Only to find that the filling process revealed anothe nightmare. The original skimmer doesn’t take kindly to being totally submerged, and is dumping water as quickly as I can add it (almost). Apparently I have a leak somewhere in the upper half of the mouth of the Skimmer or in the neck, because I haven’t leaked prior to this point.

That said; it’s not imperative that I keep this Skimmer operable, since the addition has two skimmers at the new surface level.

So, what should I do with the leaky skimmer (and how)?
•repair it and keep it as a suction;
•cut it loose and render it inoperable
and how do I go about carrying out the 2 tasks?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Steve,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool modification questions, even if the city that you are from is named after a vacuum cleaner...

Wow!!! What a project...

You are right that skimmers are not designed to be submerged. If this were my pool I'd abandon the old skimmer and seal it up.

How are you preventing water from leaking down under your pool at the gap between the pool lip and the new pool bottom?

What an interesting design...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Keysteve]

After the gunite was shot, I bridged the fiberglass-to-concrete crack with a liberal amount of epoxy (and tested it before we added the diamond brite).
Did the same around the Skimmer clean-out access (and tested). That’s how I know it’s not leaking there.
Because of the proximity to the outer wall, I was able to dig under the structure enough to confirm my suspicions. Was kinda wanting to leave it Operational and use it for a debris basket when vacuuming.
Hence, the post to help decide between a thick coat of epoxy all over the interior of the skimmer; or, cap it and fill it with hydraulic cement.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Steve,

As long as you can make the skimmer waterproof, you could leave it as is... Just realizing that it will not function as a skimmer. It would be best if you have the ability to turn it on/off with a Jandy valve at the equipment pad.

Based upon your post above, I would try the waterproof route first, and if that did not work you can always do the hydraulic cement as a last resort.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

Definitely want to see this pool in action!

 

[Keysteve]

Aesthetics not being an issue, because it’s well below the waterline, I should be able to cut away any old silicone and smear a nice coat of epoxy all over the interior of it.

Sounds like a plan, thank you for the response.

I’ll throw up some pics as soon as I get her full of water.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

Skimmer fixtures are designed "open" to atmosphere, by submerging it you are removing a safety mechanism & creating a dangerous environment.

 

[Keysteve]

Thank you for your post concerning the safety aspect. Please know that I have considered that.
Secondary to the presence of an equalizer line is the fact that the valve will normally remain in the closed position. It is my intention to use it exclusively for vacuuming; thus, making it no more unsafe than the space between the rungs on a pool ladder. And, I still have the option of snapping on a cover over the mouth of the skimmer.