Leak out of backwash hose...

[sc-pierce]

I've searched the forum with no luck, sorry if this is a repeat, pretty sure it's been asked before. If someone knows of another thread I will be happy to read on my own, I just couldn't find one.

I have a Vari-flo valve on my Hayward 200 filter. Last time I bw I was unable to get the water to stop flowing out of the bw hose. I fiddled with the valve enough to get it down as low as poosible but still flowing out. Stops when filter is off.

The handle on the valve is pretty tough to turn so I thinking something's broken.

I've owned the pool for a couple years (pool is 5-7 yrs old).

What do I need to do to fix this?

Is there any other "maintenance" I should do? (ie replace rings, gaskets etc)

Thank you for your patience in answering this repeat post.

[tenax]

have you taken the valve off? first thing i would do is remove and inspect for any cracks, broken stuff in it, even potentially grit and goo that has gunked it up. it's possible that cleaning it up with a pressure hose and some spa or pool filter cleaner might help it out. of course, inspect any fittings and gaskets as well for cracks, wear.

[sc-pierce]

no. i've not done anything to it. my wife noticed that the hose was plump with water yesterday evening. i did a "mini" backwash this morning just to test functionality. seemed to bw fine and rinse fine, but noticed the difficulty in turning the valve and couldn't get it to stop leaking.

i think there is a little white disc that is broken (where the handle rests on the valve itself). replaceable? i'd like to be able to get any parts i need on my way home tonight if possible.

Pierce

[markphin]

Not sure what a vari-flo valve is, but if it's like a traditional multiport valve, the valve itself may not be seating properly when you change positions. It is spring loaded and overtime the spring can get stiff. It may also be a worn gasket, spider or otherwise. The best thing to do is take apart and inspect.

[Poconos]

Pierce,
Welcome to the forum.
Water leaking out the BW port indicates a damaged spider (or some call it a wagon wheel) gasket. Never had to disassemble the handle part of mine but I do see that white disk that they call a non-metallic bearing. For detailed info on this valve you can go to the Hayward website
http://www.haywardnet.com
as they have quite a few on-line diagrams, parts lists, and resources. As I stated it's the internal gasket that is damaged. Replacing this isn't hard and I think they run about $9 or so but I'm probably wrong about that. You'll need the model number of the valve because the gaskets are different. I have generated quite a bit of controversy on this forum about how to replace it. Some, including Hayward unless they changed, recommend crazy glue, others say no glue, I have my own way that has worked great for me for a couple years so far. I'll post details when and if the time comes.
Al

[sc-pierce]

vari-flo is the name brand of the valve that sits on the outside of my filter with settings for filter, bw, rinse, waste, recirculate. i think that's all of em.

[sc-pierce]

ok. i'll inspect at lunch and try and take some pics to help out. thanks for the input!

[Poconos]

Couple more things Pierce. You can Edit your post instead of doing another post. Taking the valve body apart is easy. First, mark the position of the top and bottom halves so you are sure to align them properly when reassembling. Put the handle in a middle position, that is not in one of the detents, to relieve spring pressure. Remove the 6 bolts and nuts and pull the top half off. The gasket and internal guts will be obvious. When reassembling it is always good practice to snug the bolts lightly and tighten in a sequence where you don't stress any individual bolt. ex...if you number the bolts 1 -> 6 in one direction, tighten in the following order..1,4,2,5,6,3. Tighten a little at a time until you get them all tight. The tightness in the handle could be simply the O-rings on the handle shaft are dry. I never lubed mine in 9 seasons but probably would be a good idea. That's not your waste leak issue though.
Al

[sc-pierce]

Good advice! Thanks a lot!


ps... if i edit and don't make another post, my "post count" will remain low, i want to increase my post count! j/k

[sc-pierce]

at lunch i inspected the valve. as soon as i took the top half off i could tell that the "spider gasket" is the problem. there is one "spoke" that is badly stretched out and out of position and another that is stretched but not nearly as bad as the first.

for the benefit of others on the forum i attached pix where you can see that the "spoke" on the left is arched. sorry for the quality of the photos....camera phone

spider gasket 1.jpg

spider gasket 2.jpg

they have replacements for $7