Don't Ignore Skimmer Leaks
Long term warning: Don't ignore skimmer leaks / rust on an above ground pool.
Since day one I had issues with my skimmer leaking after installing my above ground pool. I have a widemouth skimmer and a butterfly gasket on a small 12x18 oval pool. Leaked from the beginning. Last year I purchased a new gasket, drained to below the skimmer and re-installed. Still had leaks. My theory is that my skimmer opening is positioned on a curve on a small oval pool, thus this area is not optimal for securing this skimmer setup compared to a more straight portion of the pool wall. Anyway, over time the pool wall had been rusting. Finally I discovered that rust had penetrated through one corner of the skimmer opening. The time for action was a long time ago but one more season could not be passed without the rust spreading to do damage that could not be recovered from. Once the pool wall integrity goes, the pool is at risk of collapsing.
Thankfully upon draining the pool below the skimmer level again I found that the wall still has good integrity with the exception of that corner. The rust was glaring on the outside though (no pics), but the inner wall still looked OK. I decided that I will relocate the skimmer when the time comes to replace my liner.
For now I ground off all the rust, added a rust dissolver, then primed and painted. The corner I reinforced with caulk and tape. I am using a marine grade underwater caulk to cake onto the skimmer. I don't care how bad it looks now, I wanted no more leaks and relying on the gasket doing the job simply wasn't working. I caulked all around the liner, the screws and the inner skimmer plate.
This is an unfortunate repair that has worked so far. If I have to drain and re-caulk annually I will, until the liner needs to be replaced. The marine-grade caulk is reported to last underwater and to adhere to vinyl and most plastics. Will provide updates. It is inconvenient to address this problem, but the lesson is - skimmer leaks should not be ignored.
Update: The caulk is still holding and the skimmer is leak free after two months.
Update: The caulk is still holding and the skimmer is leak free after two months.
Supporting video see below:
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