water in skimmers after closing - have aquador

[murray93]

We had our vinyl pool closed about 3 weeks ago by our pool builder. Basic stats are - 18x36 vinyl IG with solid autocover. I know they used antifreeze, Gizzmos, and Aquadors on both skimmers. DH looked in the skimmers and there is water in them - up to the water level in the pool. There was no water in them immediately after closing. Does this mean the Aqadors failed? What can be done at this point - how do we get the water OUT of the skimmers?

BTW - I am a big advocate of keeping the pool filled, especially with our solid pool cover. The more the water can support the weight of the cover, the better.

[bsbrega]

I have same problem. 1st time user of Aquador, and after closing seemed fine. Now I look and there's water in there. Could it be condensation? If so, it's very steady. I removed cover and made sure I seated the Aquador properly. It's on there as well as it can be, Did you ever get an answer for this post?

[Vinyl_Guy]

I did a quick search for this Aquador thing.

In concert with this device, is the pool not drained below the skimmer opening? That would be the idea right? Rather then drain the level of water below the skimmer opening so they can be "blown out", install this Aquador, leave pool water at functioning level, and blow skimmer out.

Correct?

Or is both done, aquador installed and pool lowered below skimmer opening?

In either case:

It's very hard, nary impossible to prevent water from getting into a skimmer body, regardless of the closing method. That's what the "gizmo" is for. If water gets into the skimmer body (the holding area, not the pipes leading to it), and freezes, that is the major concern. The "gizmo" in this circumstance would collapse as the water froze, rather then have that frozen water expand and push out on the skimmer body. A gizmo isn't long to the very top of your deck because they were designed assuming there was no aquador on the skimmer opening. Thus, water rising any higher then the gizmo is effective, would drain into the lowered pool.

My guess would be with this device on:

If very quickly (relative to rain fall and such), the water has risen to exactly the same height as the pool (if the pool wasn't lowered), I'd suspect the aquador has failed. What are the chances of rain fall filling the skimmer to that same height? If the aquador hasn't failed it would be a huge coincidence they were at the same level.

If there's only "some" water in the skimmer (again with the aquador on), I would suspect just water coming from other sources. Rain, condensation, law sprinkles maybe. Unless you actually seal the skimmer deck lid, water can and will get in there, how much and how often depends on the elements.

If it's the same level of the pool water and that water is not at the height of the aquador (lowered below skimmer opening), again just coincidence because the two don't affect each other. Unlike if the water was outside the aquador, and if it failed it would seek that same level in the skimmer.

My thoughts are in a climate where freezing is a possibility I would never trust an item like that. Solid frozen waterthrough the throat and body of the skimmer at the operational water heights could be a disaster. No gizmo could stop what could be a potentially powerful force. I've seen them (pools) freeze over completely and survive, but not often.

Hope this helps, I'm not familiar with the product and haven't used it so a lot of this is speculation on my part. I'm assuming a lot.

[Poconos]

Check this thread:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=8857

I think I remember measuring 17" of ice in my IG. To add a little more, the underground skimmer line pipe would freeze if filled with water. I have a rectangular plug of foam for the skimmer opening to stop an inrush of water to give me enough time to use a shop-vac and suck the skimmer line dry. Then use teflon tape and silicone seal on the gizmo threads (it peels off easily in the spring) to plug the pipe at the bottom of the skimmer. Then from the pump basket in the poolhouse I fill the line with RV antifreeze with the level in the pump basket higher than the pool water level. This keeps a positive pressure at the skimmer in the remote chance the gizmo should leak at the threads. If it does then the AF will prevent pool water from getting into the skimmer line. I know....overkill. The skimmer is then packed with foam as I said in the referenced thread. The skimmer does fill with water and ice and no damage so far.
Al