Installing Concrete Pool Skimmers

 

You should be considering installing concrete pool skimmers especially if your concrete pools do not have drains. For those of you who do not know what a skimmer is that it is an opening located in the side of the swimming pool where the water would be able to penetrates right into your filter system. In addition, it also functions as traps for retaining debris, bugs and leaves thus allowing only clean water that has little dirt or particles to flow through your filtration system. The most important thing that you should consider when installing a skimmer onto your concrete pool is to make sure that your desired area is always easily accessible and you would be able to do repair or maintenance work with ease. In order to achieve a much better results, you could also drain the water out of your concrete pool before starting with any installation task.

To install concrete pool skimmers, you need:

  • Pool skimmer kit
  • Protective eyeglasses
  • Concrete saw and diamond cutting bit
  • Sledgehammer
  • Drill and masonry bit

Install Concrete Pool Skimmers

Installing Concrete Pool Skimmers

  • First thing that you need to do is to identify and find a spot with at least 6 to 8 inches away from the rim of your concrete pool where you think is suitable enough to install the skimmer.
    • You must also make sure that any water within your pool falls quite a few inches beneath the point that you have chosen.
  • After that, you have to hold the template provided by the manufacturer that comes together with the skimmer kit against the location that you intend to install it on the specific wall.
    • Then, you need to trace the outline of the template.
    • You must also trace the locations of its screw holes onto the wall.
    • If you notice that skimmer kit does not provide you with a template, you can simply hold the unit against the wall and also trace its outline.
  • Next step for you to take is to cut through the pool liner and concrete wall by following the outlines that you have made earlier.
    • You can do the above task by using a concrete saw and diamond cutting bit.

Always remember to wear safety glasses when you are doing any cutting related to the above step in order to avoid any injury. You must also maintain steady pressure when you start to cut through the concrete wall.

  • Take a 4-pound sledgehammer in order for you to use right at the center of your scored outline for breaking the concrete.
    • The above process needs to be done continuously. Pound on the concrete slowly along its edges in order to avoid any cracks to your surrounding wall.
    • As for the edges of the outline, you can clear them by using a chisel and hammer.
  • Then, you need to use a drill along with masonry bit in order to bore pilot holes through the marked screw holes on the wall.
  • Once you have done the above step,
    • You need to push temporary screws right into the holes so that you would be able to anchor the liner to hold it securely in place.
    • The screws that you will be using are normally provided by the manufacturer of your pool skimmer kits.
  • Then, you can set the skimmer’s rubber seal over the pool’s wall. This is to ensure that its holes are able to match up against the pilot holes.
    • By using the skimmer’s rubber seal, you would be able to prevent water from getting into the hole.
    • After that, you can place the skimmer on the seal. Make sure that its holes match the corresponding holes that you are using through the seal and wall.
  • Next step is for you to unscrew each of the temporary screw that you used earlier and replace it with the skimmer’s installation screws that come with the skimmer.
    • You must also make sure that all of them are inserted through the pool’s inner edge. All of them should be able to pass through the liner, wall as well as the skimmer.
  • Then, you need to set the faceplate on the skimmer before inserting the screws through it in order to secure it onto the wall.
    • Next step is to apply a bead of epoxy for sealing any gap in between the skimmer and the faceplate.
    • Once finished, you should let the epoxy to cure accordingly to the time and directions stated by the product’s manufacturer before you proceed to add water into the pool.

    Always remember that whenever you want to install concrete pool skimmers,

    • And then it requires you to use epoxy, you should allow the epoxy to cure accordingly. Try to follow the specific time as well as the directions provided by the manufacturer before applying it.

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