Leaking Connection

After having the chlorine feeder break winter before last because of freezing (I didn't know to disassemble the pump, etc. then. It was before finding Pool Forum.) I decided that I'd do it the "right" way last fall and take things apart and store them in the garage.

Some of the tubing was on the ports pretty tightly and I couldn't get them off. I tugged pretty hard and I think I dislodged something. I now see that the tube going from the filter (sand) to the pump is leaking down at the pump inlet. It's not the tube loose against the inlet, it's coming from the connection between the inlet and the pump body. There appears to be a weld or hardened caulk or something there. Does anyone know which it is?

Can I caulk it and expect that it will hold or have I broken the darn thing with my exuberance?

It seems that there's always something new for me to learn and mess up.

CoffeeBean

CB,

Most pump to pipe connections have a half-union.....you can unscrew it, right?

If so, there should be a rubber o-ring in there that seals that connection. If it's there, clean all that gunk off and fit it carefully and it should seal.

If that o-ring is not there, you'll need to get one.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure exactly what a "half union" is. I wasn't able to remove the tubing from the pump last fall so I don't know if <any> of it comes apart. I just know that it's oozing water now. I'm afraid to turn the pump back on for fear that the pressure will make it blow (a loose clamp did this a couple of years ago and we lost mega gallons. (OK. I'll fess up. I'm a woman and am on a steep learning curve for all this technical pool stuff. It seems that I just get one thing figured out and two more problems crop up. It's getting old.)

I'm also very afraid of <really> screwing something up. Also, since the system is all connected, how would I remove a tube and not rapidly drain all of the water I've just added in my attempts to clean up the algae problem I had.

CoffeeBean

CB,

could you post a pic of your pump, filter, and plumbing? Try to include any valves as well as the problem connection.

Heck, I don't even know the terminology of a half union. But I do know what he's talking about. There's an adapter between the pipe thread on the pump and the hose. The goop you see is probably a pipe sealant. You may have disturbed that connection. You should be able to loosen a hose clamp and work the hose off...some tricks to do that. Then the union/adapter can be unscrewed, threads cleaned, pipe sealant reapplied and put back together. Yes, a pic would be worth a lot.
Al

I'd love to send a photo but I'm not digital and since I just started a roll of film yesterday it could be this time next year before it gets developed.

I understand what you're saying about the connector though. After I read your posts I sat and stared at it for awhile and then dug out the instructions. I'm pretty certain though that I will never be able to get it off as I couldn't even get the hose off last fall. My dad looked at it and gave me the same type of explanation but his advice was to just let it leak until next fall and then worry about fixing it. I'm never sure about his technical advice. Although he's been a sheet metal craftsman for years and had to be precise in his work, in his home life projects it's more of a laissez-faire attitude. Example: gardening. His motto is "grow d@$# you, grow" so I don't want to ignore something small now that will become a major pain and expenditure in the future.

What would I plug to keep from draining the pool dry through the filter? Or would I just put the handle on "closed"?

I had something else happen today that's never happened before either. I looked out the window and noticed the pump wasn't running so went down to check. The GFI outlet had tripped and shut the power off. It's never done that before. Makes me a little leery about letting it run overnight and when I'm away from home.

CoffeeBean

There are tricks to get stuck hoses off but without knowing exactly what type of hose and the configuration you may ruin a hose. If it is pipe goop, that usually breaks loose if you get a big pair of channel lock pliers on the fitting. On the GFI trip, I usually ignore one time events. If it reset and is now behaving just ignore it too. These things are like a hair trigger, doesn't take much to trigger an event. Something like a power spike can trip them. If it continues to trip then begin to wonder. Know someoine with a digital camera?
Al

HI CoffeeBean (sounds good about now:-)
Came across your post & thought this might be helpful to understand the unions they're talking about...
Below is a photo of CarlD's pump/filter assembly in a current thread. The unions are the widened pipe connections (both white & dark grey in this pic) that allow for unscrewing & rescrewing as needed. (As mentioned, you'll need a wide-jaw ChannelLock-style set of pliers capable or opening to ~4" diameter) Inside you'll find the o-ring that seals the joint. If you don't have unions like these, you should have them added! They are invaluable for issues like this, where you'd like to isolate a problem in one of the parts. Anyone familiar with PVC can add these easily by draining & cutting the pipes as needed, and adhering them into the lines.
http://home.earthlink.net/~dashmanc/pool/Filter05.jpg

I just completed a similar upgrade of a fixed-pipe (no unions) connection from pump to filter to return valve, and it was quite simple- Adding 4 unions took all of 20 minutes & $15 of parts. In the process, I repaired 2 leaking connections in the old installation by replacing & resealing the threaded connectors. Guess what was at the leaks--- plenty of patchwork sealant just like you described!

From

Quote:

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It's not the tube loose against the inlet, it's coming from the connection between the inlet and the pump body. There appears to be a weld or hardened caulk or something there. Does anyone know which it is?

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it sounds like the leak might be within the pump itself? If so, it could be anything from a worn gasket to a cracked pump housing.... the pump should get tended to by a pool repair co. The weld or caulk is likely the last person's attempt at a now-failed quick fix, just like in my case, and a perfect example of why a better method is needed this time around.
Hope this visual helps.

Dear Ishmael,

Love the Hiaku! Thanks for the photo. It's a much neater set up than mine. Mine's so squooshed together it's hard to work on stuff. I just got a cheap digital at Aldi's and will put it together. I still have to figure out how to post a photo but I'll give it a shot in the next day or two. The pump has continued to run at the usual PSI of 19 even though it's leaking. I keep a close eye on it.

CoffeeBean