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Brand new filter; I have drained the filter and removed the teflon and reapplied 2 x but it is still leaking. I put 5 layers of teflon the last time. I have fear of over tightening and breaking something. I hand tightened and then one full turn with wrench per manufacturers instructions.
Any suggestions?
Is it ok to run the filter with the slow leaks at these fittings?
Use Non-hardening, PVC compatible thread sealant instead of teflon tape. Oatey Great Blue Pipe Joint compound is one. Too much teflon tape can actually make it worse.
You can run with leaks - take note of what it's leaking onto.
The union fitting, it's the type with an o-ring? make sure the o-ring, the channel it sits in and the flat surface it mates with are all clean and intact. Lube the o-ring with silicone o-ring lube (be careful, really sticky and messy) and re-make the union. Be sure to line it up good before tightening the collar.
Good luck
Sometimes, when a pool is fitted with flexible PVC, aka, TigerFlex, the installers used barbed fittings that go inside and put hose clamps on them. These invariably leak because TigerFlex isn't designed for inside fitting.
Instead, remove the barbed fitting, and replace it with a glued-on Schedule 40 fitting, just like you'd use on hard PVC. For adaptability, I'd glue a threaded fitting on the TigerFlex, either M or F, and then attach the rest of the plumbing to it.
When my pool was initially installed, they used TigerFlex and internal barbed fittings and it was leaking as soon as they drove off. I then replaced all the fittings with glued-on Sched 40 and they were never a leak source again.