Pool plumbing leaks are just one element of pool maintenance that might make many pool owners somewhat nervous. Most people would immediately dial for the plumber. However, these days, with PVC pipes, installing a replacement or new gear to the pipes is relatively simple. Most tools and materials are available at any hardware or home store. Doing your own pool plumbing fixes can sometimes be a simple weekend project that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Here are some tips.
Repairing Pool Leaks
Pool Leaks come in several types, from little trickles to massive gushers. For smaller drips, you’ll find that it won’t empty the pool, and unless it is dripping on the pump, or causing noticeable difficulties, it’s not considered an emergency but you do need to attend to it.
But bigger pool plumbing leaks may cause difficulties and have to be repaired by replacing poor adhesive joints or cracked fittings – by cutting out the aged and gluing in the brand new PVC pipe and fittings.
Suction Side Leaks
The suction side pipes near the swimming pump impeller, which includes water under vacuum or suction. This is actually the skimmer and main drain suction pipes, valves and fittings, which terminate at the front of the pump. Check that the impeller is unclogged first.
Suction side leaks can be repaired with pool putty or silicone for a temporary fix, but will generally have to be cut out and replaced with new fittings or pipe for best results.
Suction side valves could be damaged or cracked, or leaky – finally needing replacement.
However, it may be challenging simply to replace one valve on the suction side, oftentimes it is essential to replace the whole suction manifold, or the majority of the pipes in the bottom up, in the pump.
Stress Side Leaks
The water flows under pressure, and some small crack or emptiness will flow water once the pump is operating, and frequently when the pump is off also. Pool equipment, such as the pool filter, pool pump, pool heater, pool chlorinator, and other pool cleaning equipment, can leak water from time to time, but here we’re talking about leaks on the pipes or fittings and pipes that join the pool and each piece of pool gear.
Suction side flows can be remedied with pool putty, or other sealants on the exterior of the pipe since the sealant is drawn to the fracture under suction. But pressure side pool leak repairs can’t be patched effectively from the exterior.
Underground Leaks
Pool pipes which are underground are not normally the reason behind pool leaks, but they can sometimes break from freeze damage, tree roots, settling decks or shifting soil. Replacing underground bend PVC pipe using stiff PVC pipe is a common fix on 30-year-old pools.
If you’re sure the flow is underground, then the next step would be to stress test the line(s), then use technical equipment, to ascertain the precise location of the flow.
Alternately, if the pipe run is extremely short, or when the whole pipe is badly damaged, then you may opt to replace the whole pipe and leave the old pipe, then leaving it at the floor.
For pools with a small pool deck of around 4 feet diameter, you might select the choice of tunneling below the deck, rather than cutting the deck and digging. A couple of hours of digging, you can get the skimmer pipes fully uncovered, or dig where a return meets the pool.
Alternately, the other choice is to cut the swimming pool deck with a concrete saw, bust the deck up, dig the dirt and also expose the leaking pipe or cracked pipe fitting. In any event, it is a great deal of dirty work – however, if you are up for this, keep reading.
The Way to Repair a Pool Leak
For complex fixes, create a diagram to be aware all of fittings and gear. For easy fitting replacement, you’re going to want enough space to have the ability to join the new fitting into the pipe using a coupling. Create a good strategy of re-connection, before you begin cutting on the pipes.
When cutting the pipes, then make a straight cut, then clean up the trim edge with sandpaper or emery cloth. Don’t forget to leave enough pipe to produce a good link, about two inches.
It is possible to pre-cut pipe segments, but it is more precise to reduce on the new PVC pipe bits as you want them, which means that you may step again before cutting.
Use PVC primer on fittings and pipe around 30 seconds before adding copious quantities of clean PVC glue. Primer cleans and softens the pipe, heating the plastic up to earn a wax weld.
This can help you to find the angle right, for the precise direction the matching should confront.
For threaded male PVC fittings, then smear a silicone sealant such as Blue RTV above the threads, then wrap the threads a couple times with Teflon tape, then in a clockwise direction (holding the threaded side of this matching towards you). Tighten a threaded fitting by hand, then give another 1 to 1-1/2 revolutions with a big pair of pliers.
Here are more tips on how to find a leak in your swimming pool. If this sounds too hard? Hire a professional plumber to do the job.
Plumbers also ought to know and comprehend the variety of plumbing codes and criteria in every province and consider them for every environment to be sure the repair or installation is completed correctly.
