Sagging Skimmer

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iam4iam

iam4iam

LifeTime Supporter
May 5, 2012
257
Johnson City, TN
The pool contractor who "partners" with the guy replacing my concrete told me that I needed to raise my sagging skimmer back level with the top of my pool. He said it is putting stress on the plumbing beneath it. Makes sense, but isn't PVC pretty flexible? I actually think it has been like this for a while, but it may have dropped more when the concrete was removed. Another concern is how the new concrete can be poured around it with it that low. Can I just dig around it until I get to the plumbing at the bottom? What should I use to support it so it doesn't sink again? Here is a photo of what it looks like.
 
There is rigid PVC and flex PVC. Depends what was used in your pool. Rigid PVC will crack if stressed.

I think you need to dig down and see what you find under the skimmer. Then you can decide on what needs to be done next. I would not leave it as is.

@jimmythegreek thoughts?
 
Yup only digging will give you am answer. If it was slightly out you could cheat it with am extension ring. That is pretty far out of level. Ridgid pvc isnt that flexible you may have flex cant tell til you see the pipe. A flashlight looking down the pipe inside skimmer may give you a clue tho
 
From what I've read, I hope it's rigid. I can't imagine anyone installing something underground that bugs can actually eat through! As poorly as this pool was constructed, though, I wouldn't be surprised if it's flexible. I guess in this specific instance it could be to my advantage with that much ground settling if it has held up over the 25 (best guess) years since it was built.
 
I just started digging and it occurred to me that in order to level the skimmer, I'm going to have to dig up the entire route to the pump. Otherwise, the pipe between the skimmer and the pump, regardless of the type, won't budge to allow the skimmer to level out. Am I right?
 
Dig out the line going back a little ways. You have to dig deeper amd free the whole line with its elbow up. If you get back 4 feet the pvc will flex enough to lift up. Backfill with stone not dirt or it will settle again. You could make a pancake concrete footing 3 inches thick right to the level of elbow to keep it up for the future since you have dirt backfill. If it was stone backfill it wouldnt have sank. Moist dirt is normal for clay. If you had a skimmer line leak you would have air under pump lid
 

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Thanks!

When you say stone, can you be more specific? I'm picturing large stone beneath the pipe, and it doesn't really matter what goes on top of the pipe. What if I put a chunk of broken concrete (from demolition of old patio) under the line every foot or so up to the elbow? Will the space below the large solid pieces just fill in over time without the large solid pieces sinking?
 
Okay, so I'm finally down to the pipe. When I try to pull up, it moves about an inch, but then there is a lot of resistance. I may just need to move some more dirt to give enough clearance for the horizontal run to shift away from the pool, but I just want to make sure I don't have to worry about the pool wall where it is attached. It seems like that could be limiting the movement, though. This picture shows just how much the entire wall has moved since the pool was installed.

Also, do I want to move it until the skimmer lid is horizontal ideally, or do I want it to match the slope the new patio will have?
 
The wall is bulged in (out actually). There are a lot of places around the perimeter of the pool where the coping transition is way off. The guy that told me the skimmer should be lifted also told me that the metal rods that connect the pool wall to the long stakes are normally installed with turnbuckles. This pool even has a couple of stakes that the bar has broken off of!

Back to my skimmer. I'm concerned about where the face plate connects to the pool wall. Don't the screws on the face plate go through/into the pool wall? Doesn't that mean that how much it will flex is dependent on the pool wall? The top of the face plate is visibly farther "out" (toward the outside of the pool) than the bottom, which would be expected given the tilt of the skimmer itself. It sort of looks like it is "tighter" against the wall.

I have noticed that the skimmer lid slides a bit, but I figured it was intended to be slid down all the way.

Thanks again far all your input.
 
I dont know if ita the pic but pool wall top looks pretty dipped by skimmer. If you pull a string right across what kind of gaps do you have?
You can get extensions for the skimmer collar. You can also form it and have the cover recessed into the concrete but it can be a trip hazard
 
I think it's just the angle of the picture that makes the wall look recessed. This picture verifies that. The resistance when I lift clearly has something to do with the wall, though. I pulled up again today and water started leaking through the wall, I think through the bottom of where it goes through. (Zoom in on the center of this photo.) Fortunately, when I released the tension, the leak stopped.

I think I might just let the guy who is going to do the bonding* finish this. I've done most of the labor by digging I suppose.

*One more strike against original installation--no bonding. Other "fails" were no joints or reinforcement (mesh or rebar) in original concrete, and inadequate backfill around the walls (apparently just the clay that was dug up), which explains why there has been so much settling over the years. The wall on the far side of the pool in my profile photo is easily 5 degrees from vertical.
 
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