seligman Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 I have a problem with the floating weir that attaches to the skimmer basket. It frequently gets stuck in a certain position, obstructing the flow into skimmer. What happened is that our pool contractor goofed when pouring the deck. They allowed the concrete/gunnite to push the plastic sides together, thereby narrowing the weir opening by 1/8" or so. One thing I've already tried is sanding the edges on the weir. This created some microscopic holes allowing the weir to fill with water. I drained the water and patched these holes with some sealant. Now, the sealant is causing the weir to get stuck again. What should I do? -Keep shaping the weir and seal it up a different way? -Or, should I file the sides of the skimmer basket so the weir fits properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quantumchromodynamics Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 I have had the same problem. Cut the weir to size by cutting equal amounts off each side. Then use PVC glue to glue a thin strip of flat PVC to the sides of the weir. Make sure that you allow for the thickness of the PVC strip. You can get sheet PVC at a specialty plastics place. Just look under "Plastics" in the phone book. Your skimmer will probably crack at some point due to the stress. It is not very strong at all. You can patch it with PC-11 Marine Epoxy. Patch when dry, not underwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seligman Posted July 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 What bothers me about the weir, is that most of the time, it's useless anyway. Keep in mind I have a spa, which I estimate holds 625 gallons. If I fill the water to the proper level and then 2-3 people use the spa, their body mass displaces the water, causing it to drain through the overflow pipe. As soon as they get out, the water level is too low and the weir is no longer floating - it's fully depressed at its lowest position. Water flows underneath it, not over it. Do I really NEED a weir? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sc5.4 Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 I had to replace mine last year. The replacement was binding at times, so I sanded it evenly on both sides. The molded plastic seams on both ends had to be sanded flat to clear the walls on both sides of the skimmer. I was careful not to sand to much, and also I took some fine sandpaper and cleaned up the sides of the skimmer wall. The sandpaper block I used was the kind that is like a sponge type one that has sandpaper on all sides. Made a huge difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 You can get generic spring loaded replacement weirs. You can trim them to spec with a hacksaw. They are maybe 20 bucks. Nice thing about them is that the float is made of a buoyant material, not just a sealed up hollow like the stock one. The purpose of a weir is to just skim off the top of the water. That will draw floating debris. If you don't have floating debris then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keene3b07 Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 You can get generic spring loaded replacement weirs. You can trim them to spec with a hacksaw. They are maybe 20 bucks. Nice thing about them is that the float is made of a buoyant material, not just a sealed up hollow like the stock one. The purpose of a weir is to just skim off the top of the water. That will draw floating debris. If you don't have floating debris then... isnt the other purpose of a weir to keep debris inside the skimmer basket so that they dont float back in to the pool once the pump is turned off and theres no suction keeping debris in the skimmer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 No, although its a good side effect. If you had no weir, your skimmer wouldn't skim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFS Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 No, although its a good side effect. If you had no weir, your skimmer wouldn't skim. My pool was built 25 yrs ago, it never had a weir and skims just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabagoo Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 No, although its a good side effect. If you had no weir, your skimmer wouldn't skim. My pool is new and every time I dove in the weir would detach due tothe turbulance of the water. Finally one side broke and then I got a new Hayward weir cover and the same thing. When you see the opening it snaps into it's amazing if it stayed in at all. I now dont have the cover as it is a pain and the skimmer seems to work so I don't understand your statement. Outside of stopping debris from floating back in what other purpose is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Clown Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 The weir draws the top 1 to 2 inches of the waters surface, Instead of 4 to 5 inches, the height of the skimmer throat. Perhaps I should have said your skimming action wont be as good if you didn't have a weir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabagoo Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 The weir draws the top 1 to 2 inches of the waters surface, Instead of 4 to 5 inches, the height of the skimmer throat. Perhaps I should have said your skimming action wont be as good if you didn't have a weir. That I believe is true and I try to keep the water level below the half way mark of the skimmer. I the water is higher the debris does not get sucked in as easily of at all. I would like to get the cover back on but just dont understand what keeps it ion place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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