Hole Under Skimmer

by Bob Schuman
(Long Island, NY)

Hi, I am hoping to get some useful information. Over the winter my skimmer broke and ripped the pool wall and liner in a straight down pattern and buckled the metal below.

I plan to buy some hot dipped galvanized sheet metal and repair the wall, then install a new liner. My real question is I have a 24 X 15 Oval pool, what is the gauge of the metal they use for the steel wall?

I plan to blind rivet the piece in place with a washer back.

Thanks, Bob



Hi Bob. I don't know the exact thickness of the wall material but it is really not that important. If you plan to install the skimmer back into the original place, you would want to get the thickest material possible from a place like Home Depot.

Another idea would be to move the skimmer to an undamaged section of side wall. A new opening could be made and the original section could just be patched over. The metal used for just patching would not need to be as thick as the wall and it would not need to be riveted. Duct tape would hold it in place just fine, and once the pool is full it would not go anywhere.

Another consideration would be how far down into the pool your patch will be. The farther down the wall it is, the thicker and bigger it should be. There is not much water pressure up around the skimmer area. You get down into the lower half of the wall and you need to be very serious about wall repairs.