Cut a lower skimmer hole in SS Service panel?

[hoffmans]

Hello all. Hoffmans here.
I have been reading the forum/poolsolutions for a year or so & have learned allot.
And now everything is coming to a head.
The time has come to take the plunge.

We are deciding between the Artesian 36' round 54" deep, like this one:
http://www.swimartesian.com/showroom/pool_diamond.asp

or most likely this one 33' round 54"deep:
http://www.sunenterprises.com/platinumpools.htm


Tom (dear hubby) has the big idea that we can seal up the hole for the
skimmer. Then cut a new skimmer hole lower down on the service panel and
install the skimmer in the new lower hole. Thus lowering the water level
for a few years until some of the kids get a little bigger. THEN say in 3
years reopen the original hole and seal up the lower hole and reinstall
the skimmer in the original hole.

Ahhhhhh MEN! Just can't leave well enough alone.
He wants to lower the water for the littler kids. But I will make them wear their swimsuit style life-jackets no matter how far he gets the water down.


So he wants me to ask all of you if his idea is do-able. And he would like to believe
there is some kit on the market that has some cover panel
and gasket we can buy and bolt into the hole for just such a "fix".
Someone else must have come up w/ this idea before...
Or, if there is no such kit on the market....
I fear he would get the welding machine out and start getting creative.

Do we have to worry about the mechanics of a 54" tall pool not working properly w/
that much water missing or that there would be liner issues to
worry about?

Soooo....what do you all think....????

Thank You for your Time and Help
~Hoffmans

[NWMNMom]

OMG, why mess with something that is a potential leak in such a NICE pool? Put the kids in life jackets, swim vests or whatever and provide good supervision. Don't risk it - JMHO. Mine learned to swim in a 48" deep pool from the time they were tiny - but if he is so concerned about water depth, add a small "kiddie" pool adjacent to the big pool that can be removed or whatever when they are done with it - I reckon that won't be long.....

[sevver]

I have a nine year old and a five year old who do just fine, the older one can touch now for the last two years, but the five year old has been able to swim without floaties for two years now. I would not worry about it, and I definately would not punch holes in the panel, get a shallower pool instead, when the kids get older then buy a new pool. J/K

[gonefishin]

We have a 3 1/2 year old who loves using her float ring in the pool. Our son has just turned 1...and he's been doing great in a float for infants. They're both supervised while in the pool and the higher water makes it much easier for us to have fun WITH our children. I can't help but think that it would quickly become a pain having to bend down to play with our kids in the pool.

any way you decide...have fun!
dan

[hrsdennis]

As for the kids, I raised four daughters in above ground pools. Never a problem no matter what age.

As for the pool. There is no kit. It is possible to do but there are drawbacks. The liner above the water level usually starts to get dry rot within the first few years. The more liner exposed to the sun the worse that will be.

When the time comes to move the skimmer up again you will be faced with having to do a wall repair on a very high pressure area of the wall. The farthur down the wall the more pressure.

If you get an overlap liner you could always add a few more inches of sand for a few years. This I have seen done.

Whatever you do hide the welder.

Dennis

[CarlD]

Why not just get a floating skimmer and put an AquaDor over the current one? Then you don't have to cut holes or anything and can lower the water level--no work at all!

[hoffmans]

Ahhhh wisdom from Senior Members......Priceless

My thanks to all of you.
Great solution -CarlD
HrsDennis- I did have liner concerns- you verified them.
NMMNMOM & Sevver & gonefishin - I am on your wave!

I think after DearHubby reads your posts he will come to the right decision. Anyone of these posted solutions would work well for me. I am definitly not going to pick this as a hill to battle on.

We have 7 children. The oldest is 10yrs old.
DH and I want to swim too, but this little puppy just doesn't cut it anymore.
We really need something for the get togethers/swim parties.
Maybe keeping the little Intex for the tiny kids will satisfy Dear Hubby and the urge to "modify" the big pool will vanish..... unless of course it's a testosterone thing.

Here's what we have for all the kids now:
Like I said... time for an upgade


This is last summer's picture. Cloudy water courtesy of pool store logic. This year crystal clear water courtesy of BBB.

~Hoffmans
Check out my thread/pic on the USING CHEMICALS Forum Page! Hee Hee Hee

[NWMNMom]

Oh, I'm with Dennis, HIDE the welding equipment and distract the DH - I'm sure that should not be a problem for someone with 7 kids! Keep the softside for the kids and get your dreampool - (go for the BIG one!!)

[matt4x4]

Yes, Carld hit it on the head - floating skimmer.
Personally, I wouldn't even do that, since a non-swimmer can drown in a 2" puddle, making the pool a foot or two lower doesn't eliminate ANY of the danger, it adds to the danger since you will no longer be able to count heads, and your post will be to stand permanently at the edge of the pool, actually, having it higher will keep the kids aware of the danger and not give them a false sense of security that the lower level would.
My son learned in our pool, for the first while he was a stair hugger while he watched everyone else, then one day, while I was swimming, he asked if he could try to swim across (30 foot pool), I said sure, so he took off the lifejacket and swam across AND back without so much as a gasp. He still has that respect though since he cannot touch bottom yet.

[medvampire]

The service panel is stanless steel on Artesian pools so welding it would be tough. Why not build a platform for the kiddies and keep the pool depth. It would give them a place of safety and a chance to learn in the deeper water.
Steve