Repair Skimmer Opening In Sidewall

by Darlene
(Newfield, NY, USA )

My pool wall is paper thin around the skimmer. It's an above ground pool. To use Aluminum for the repair do you need to rivet it in or can I just use DUCT TAPE. I hope to hear from you very soon. Darlene



Hi Darlene. My preferred way to deal with rusty skimmer openings is to tape a piece of metal over the existing hole and to cut a new one in a good section of wall.

If you use this method duct tape would work just fine. If you plan on cutting a new opening in the wall patch itself then I would use a heavier material and rivet it in place.

Either way can be done successfully. If you plan to re-use the same opening area I would avoid trying to attach the skimmer to a double layer of metal, this would be just asking for leaks. You could carefully trim the existing wall to just beyond where the skimmer needs to attach. This way the skimmer is fastened to just one layer of metal.

A neat way to cut metal or aluminum is by scoring it with a razor knife and bending it back and forth until it snaps. When I cut a skimmer opening I mark my two top corner holes and drill them out with a 1/4" drill bit. I then bolt the skimmer face plate to the outside of the pool. I use this as a guide while I drill the remaining holes. When the holes are done I mark the opening with a marker and remove the faceplate.

With a sharp razor knife I score the lines several times each. I then use about a 2" hole saw and cut a hole in the middle of the opining. Using tin snips I cut to each corner. I now have four small sections of wall that will easily bend back and forth until they snap, leaving a nice clean break. With the use of a hammer and a 2 x 4 all the rough edges can be flattened out and the new skimmer opening is finished.

Another option you have is to replace an entire section of wall with a stainless steel skimmer panel. These can be ordered from dealers selling above ground pools that use these panels. They can be spliced into your existing wall without a lot of difficulty. If you plan it correctly all the nuts and bolts can be hid behind uprights.