Two Q's re: correct sealant use when replacing FG pool skimmer faceplate

[otherchuck]

Greetings all,

I have a fiberglass pool that has a leak which my wife and I are pretty sure is located at the front edge of the skimmer. The pool was put in in 2006, and the sealant in that area was peeling off, and the gasket between the faceplate and the pool is definitely degraded, leaving sooty deposits in that area of the skimmer and just crumbling apart. So we got a new faceplate (the old one was discolored) and a new gasket, and we took off the old faceplate today (fortunately no unpleasant surprises).

When we got the faceplate off, we learned a little more about how the installer may have applied sealant the first time:

(1) When I took out the screws, it was obvious that there was some residual extruded sealant that had been squeezed out of the screw holes when the screws originally went in. To us, that suggests the installer squeezed a little sealant into the screw holes, and then screwed into the wet sealant, thereby making a better seal than screws alone.

(2) The original gasket was stuck to the side of the pool when we got the faceplate off, which didn't surprise us, but as we scraped it off in bits, it looked like there was a thin, even white layer of something...presumably sealant...on the back of the gasket where it attached to the side of the pool. Some of the crumbling gasket was also stuck to the back of the faceplate, but there was not a thin layer of sealant between the gasket and the back of the face plate.

So, what I am wondering is this: When we put the new gasket and faceplate on, should we replicate what we THINK the installer did the first time with respect to sealant? That is, squirt some in the screw holes before replacing screws, and putting a thin layer of sealant on the side of the gasket making contact with the pool side?

If not, thanks so much for letting us know how and where we should apply the sealer (Boss 801) as we put the new gasket and faceplate back on!

Otherchuck

 

[otherchuck]

Follow-up: Adding photo of scraps of old gasket which you can see is black (unsealed) on one side and white (presumably sealant) on the side that touches the FG pool wall. We are now thinking it is not necessary to use sealant on either side of the new gasket, but please let us know if anyone disagrees and thinks we should seal gasket to wall of FG pool. We will of course screw faceplate on very tightly, moving from screw to screw, tightening each incrementally instead of tightening one screw all the way in before others have been stared. There is a slight pebble grain to the FG surface, but it is generally pretty even and smooth, and so that is why we THINK we don't need to use sealant.

Thanks!

Otherchuck

 

[CRAD_oz]

Hey Chuck
I replaced my Skimmer Escutcheon not long after I bought my place as it was cracked and not flush against the Fiberglass wall.
I didn't us the supplied gasket/seal but instead used the following product.

Sikasil® Pool

Sikasil® Pool is a one component, neutral curing silicone sealant for use in swimming pools and permanently wet areas.

aus.sika.com

Not sure if it's available in the US?
5 years later it's going strong.

 

[otherchuck]

Hey Chuck
I replaced my Skimmer Escutcheon not long after I bought my place as it was cracked and not flush against the Fiberglass wall.
I didn't us the supplied gasket/seal but instead used the following product.

Sikasil® Pool

Sikasil® Pool is a one component, neutral curing silicone sealant for use in swimming pools and permanently wet areas.

aus.sika.com

Not sure if it's available in the US?
5 years later it's going strong.

Thanks. Just checked very briefly online, and does not appear to be widely available in US, tho I could do a more diligent search later. Saw one vender that was selling a tube for $75! So that kind of suggests its imported from somewhere outside US.

Otherchuck