How To Repair A Pool Leak

Pool Plumbing leaks are one part of pool maintenance that makes many puddle owners a lilliputian nervous, but making PVC plumbing repairs, or installing new or replacement equipment into the plumbing pipes is easy.

PVC repair tools and materials are simple besides, everything you need is at any hardware or dwelling shop. We also accept some common PVC fittings in our pool plumbing parts department.

Making your ain pool plumbing repairs can be a simple weekend projection, keeping hundreds of dollars in your pocket! And despite the dramatic picture used hither, most leaks in pool pipes are above the ground and easily attainable.

Fixing Pool Leaks:

Pool Leaks come up in many forms. From the small baste, to the big gusher. For modest drips, I'm often heard to say "Information technology won't drain the pool!", and unless it's dripping onto the motor, or causing problems, the slow drip on a plumbing plumbing fixtures or tedious drip from the pump – won't amount to any noticeable water loss in the pool, and usually won't get whatsoever worse.

But larger pool plumbing leaks can cause bug and need to exist fixed, by replacing bad glue joints or cracked fittings – past cutting out the old and gluing in the new PVC piping and fittings.

Suction Side Leaks

The suction side refers to all the plumbing Earlier the puddle pump impeller, which carries h2o under suction or vacuum. This is the skimmer and principal drain suction pipes, fittings and valves, which terminate in the front of the pump. A leak on the suction side will draw air into the pipes when the pump is on, and leak water out (usually) when the pump is off. The most common suction side problem is a shrunken plumbing fixtures, the threaded PVC fitting that screws into the front end of the pump. So common that nosotros've done a whole web log mail on puddle pump fitting repair. Suction side leaks can exist patched with pool putty or silicone for a temporary repair, just will ordinarily need to exist cut out and replaced with new pipe or fittings – for all-time results.

Suction side valves can exist cracked or damaged, or leaky – eventually needing replacement. But it can be difficult to just replace one valve on the suction side, ofttimes information technology's necessary to replace the entire suction manifold, or nearly of the pipes from the ground upwards, into the pump. Information technology may be considering all of the Tees and 90's are bumped confronting each other, or additional PVC fittings from previous pipe and fitting repairs can make futurity repairs impossible.

Pressure Side Leaks

Afterward the impeller, the water flows under pressure, and any tiny crack or void will leak water when the pump is running, and often when the pump is off besides. Puddle equipment (pump, filter, heater, chlorinator) tin all leak water from fourth dimension to time, but today nosotros are talking abou leaks on the plumbing or pipes and fittings that connect the pool and all of the pool equipment. The most common puddle plumbing leaks on the pressure level side are glue joints (where a pipe is glued to a fitting, similar an MTA, xc°, 45° or coupling), or threaded joints, where PVC male person and female person connections are fabricated.

Being under pressure, there is no manner to patch an inground pool plumbing leak on the pressure side. Yous tin't wrap it with leak-stopping tape, and pouring epoxy over the expanse won't work either. Wrap it a hundred times with duct tape and you will slow the leak, just it'southward still gonna leak! Suction side leaks tin can exist patched with pool putty, or other sealants on the outside of the pipe, because the sealant is fatigued into the crack under suction. But pressure side pool leak repairs cannot be patched finer from the outside (or from the inside!), and demand to be cut out and replaced.

Hugger-mugger Leaks

Pool pipes that are clandestine are not usually the cause of pool leaks, but they tin can be broken from freeze damage, tree roots, settling decks or shifting soils. Flex piping (Flexible PVC pipe) can be damaged by earwigs or chlorine, and is not recommended for underground use. Replacing underground flex PVC piping with rigid PVC pipe is a common repair on xxx year one-time pools, so common that we've done a whole blog post on flex pipe skimmer repair.

If you are sure that the leak is underground, the next usual step is to pressure test the suspected line(south), and then listen with specialized equipment, to determine the verbal location of the leak. Alternatively, if the length of piping run is very short, or if the unabridged pipe is badly damaged, you lot can choose to supervene upon the unabridged pipe and carelessness the one-time pipe, leaving it in the ground.

For pools with a short puddle deck apron (3-4 ft width), you may choose the option of tunneling under the deck, equally opposed to cutting the deck and digging. In a few hours of digging, you can accept the skimmer pipes completely unearthed, or dig up where a return line meets the puddle wall. If you dig upwardly enough clay under the deck to expose the underside, use heavy timbers cut to size, to support the puddle deck. If you just betrayal ane-two anxiety of deck, yous may non demand supports.

Alternatively, the other choice is to cut the pool deck with a physical saw, bust up the deck, dig out the clay and betrayal the leaking pipe or cracked pipe fitting. Either manner, information technology's a lot of dirty work – but if y'all're upward for information technology, read on.

How to Prepare a Pool Leak

Once a puddle leak has been located and identified, either in a higher place ground or undercover, the next step is to cut out the bad and replace with new. Before you pause out the hacksaw or reciprocating saw to cut the pipe, brand a solid plan of attack. For complicated repairs, make a diagram to notation all fittings and equipment. For simple fitting replacement you'll need enough room to be able to connect the new fitting to the pipe with a coupling. Brand a solid program of re-connectedness, before you starting time cutting the pipes.

When cutting the pipes, make a straight cut, and then clean up the cut edge with sandpaper or emory cloth. Remember to leave plenty pipe to brand a solid connection, about ii inches.

Yous can pre-cut piping sections, simply it's more than accurate to cutting the new PVC pipe pieces as you lot need them, and then you can measure again just earlier cut. I add 1/two″ to my measures, because information technology's meliorate to be too long than exist too short! And although clichè to say, Measure out Twice – Cut In one case!

Use PVC primer on pipe and fittings well-nigh 30 seconds earlier adding copious amounts of fresh PVC glue. Primer cleans and softens the pipe, heating up the plastic to make a solvent weld. Keep a rag handy to speedily wipe upwards any drips of glue after you push the piping deep into the fitting and hold information technology for ten seconds.

When Gluing 90'south and 45's , glue them in identify with a length of PVC pipage inserted (dry fit, non glued) into the other side. This helps you to become the bending correct, for the exact direction that the plumbing fixtures needs to face.

For threaded male PVC fittings, smear a silicone sealant like Blue RTV over the threads, and and so wrap the threads several times with Teflon record, in a clockwise direction (holding the threaded side of the fitting towards you lot). Tighten a threaded fitting in past manus, so give information technology another 1 to one-1/2 revolutions with large Aqueduct-Lok® type pliers.

Sacrifices:  In many cases, to supersede a uncomplicated fitting, yous may need to supercede other fittings that are in the way of making a new connexion. Sometimes a cheque valve, Jandy valve or union needs to be sacrificed, in order to replace a single leaking PVC plumbing equipment. Or yous may demand to reinstall the chlorinator or other pool equipment plumbing.

Jandy valves can be saved, if y'all spend time with a hacksaw blade and small screwdriver. When pipes are cut off right off against a valve, the glued piping is still within the valve port. Cut the within piping 2-3 times with a hacksaw bract (blade only), and then use a precipitous flathead and small hammer to chip out the white PVC piping, without gouging the valve. Another way to salve a Jandy Valve is to go over the outside with a 2in coupling, then reduce the coupling dorsum down to one.5 inches with a reducer bushing.

The concluding connectedness that is made volition be tight, and usually requires some bending of the pipes, or pushing of the equipment, to make the final glue joint connectedness. Pipes and equipment always have an inch or two of play in them, and then don't be agape to button and pull every bit needed, to brand the final glue joint.

OTHER POOL PLUMBING REPAIR TIPS

• Don't reduce PVC pipage size with inserts or sleeves.
• Use as few fittings as possible, avoid pipe turns.
• Utilize Fresh medium or heavy torso PVC glue.
• Water and Glue don't mix! Always glue Dry pipes and fittings.
• Use schedule 40, deep socket fittings, for pressure applications.
• For pool plumbing parts not constitute at a Hardware store, visit a Plumbing supplier.
• Don't use flex PVC pipe underground!

Source: https://blog.intheswim.com/swimming-pool-plumbing-leak-repair/

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