Cracks Have Developed in My Skimmer

Having a crack or series of cracks in your skimmer is not abnormal. We wish it didn't happen but it does and is difficult to mitigate. The skimmer itself is a 'weak spot' in the concrete slab. It is a void in the concrete and is naturally much more susceptible to becoming a crack point.

To address this weak point, in most cases a relief joint is placed into the concrete AT the skimmer to give the concrete a place to shrink and crack. This movement, which is unavoidable, can transfer into the skimmer in the form of hairline cracking. When the concrete on each side of the skimmer is moving slightly differently while each is bonded to the skimmer – the skimmer will crack. MOST of the time the cracking is consistent with the location of the relief joints.

If the top trim adapter is cracked, we can usually replace it without too much trouble. When the inside of the skimmer is cracked below water line, we will apply an epoxy product to seal it. If the cracking is above the water line, we generally don't do anything and just leave it be. It tends to look better with just a hairline crack than it does with a repair.

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