Pentair Clean/Clear Plus 420 cartridge filter repair advice - what would you do?

[Rickster1]

My pool and equipment (all Pentair) is 15 years old.
(Well the VS3500 pump is only about 9 years old and the iChlor30 SWCG is about 3 years old).

Just yesterday, I told my wife I was just waiting for something to die. I was suspecting the heater would go first…

Today I noticed a small vertical crack maybe 1” long leaking in the lower half of the filter assembly (178578) about 2” below the clamp.
It doesn’t leak when pump at low speed (8.5# pressure), but sprays pretty good when pump speed/tank pressure is increased (spa, cleaner, solar 13#-23# pressure).
I’m pretty sure it will get worse quickly .
The filter tank gets a LOT of San Diego sunshine, but ironically, the crack is in the shade 100%.

The filter cartridges I have are brand new. The bleeder valve and gauge are brand new.
The parts inside seem to be in good shape. The clamp seems fine.

I see that a whole new filter is ~ $1,400.
I can buy just the bottom (178578) ~ $400
I can replace the top also (178581 gets Lots more sun) at the same time ~ $300

I can replace the filter parts with identical without plumbing changes.
While I’m open to suggestions of an “better” filter, I assume if I changed filter to any other brand/model I’d need a pool guy to come redo plumbing to filter. And I’m pretty sure my area requires the use of cartridge filters (no DE or wasting water backwashing sand).

Suggestions on best way to handle a 15 year old filter?

- replace just the bottom and wait for top to fail next month ($400)
- replace bottom and top ($700) <- this is what I’m leaning towards.
- whole new filter ($1500, but I’d get a set of filters and a spare clamp and assorted plastic pieces inside)?
- replace the whole thing with something else?

 

[ajw22]

Buy a new CCP420 filter.

A filter is a pressure vessel and is unsafe if it has any cracks in it. A pressure vessel with a crack can explode at any time and damage property and injure people.

You should shutdown the pump until a new filter is installed.

Pour 5ppm of liquid chlorine into your pool daily and stir in with your pool brush until you new filter is installed.

 

[Rickster1]

Understood about the danger of the crack.

But should I buy a “whole” filter for $1500, or buy the two shell pieces for $700?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Rick,

I would replace the lower tank..

The idea that they will blow up is pretty remote, and would require a lot of air inside the filter.. Not that they can't spring a giant leak. Which of course would only happen when you are not at home...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

You have been warned … nuff said.

Fix it, replace it. Depends if you like to clean up messes or prevent messes. I am in the prevention business.

 

[JamesW]

A filter can definitely explode.

People have been seriously injured by exploding filter parts.

Shut it down and leave it off.

 

[JamesW]

I would replace the entire filter.

Do not underestimate the danger of the filter exploding.

The top is heavy, hard and it can come off at high velocity.

20 lbs at 100 feet per second is

momentum | 276.5 kg m/s (kilogram meters per second)
= 62.16 lbf s (pound-force seconds)
= 276.5 J s/m (joule seconds per meter)

kinetic energy | 4.214 kJ (kilojoules)
= 1.171 W h (watt hours)
= 2.63×10^13 GeV (gigaelectronvolts)

 

[1poolman1]

My pool and equipment (all Pentair) is 15 years old.
(Well the VS3500 pump is only about 9 years old and the iChlor30 SWCG is about 3 years old).

Just yesterday, I told my wife I was just waiting for something to die. I was suspecting the heater would go first…

Today I noticed a small vertical crack maybe 1” long leaking in the lower half of the filter assembly (178578) about 2” below the clamp.
It doesn’t leak when pump at low speed (8.5# pressure), but sprays pretty good when pump speed/tank pressure is increased (spa, cleaner, solar 13#-23# pressure).
I’m pretty sure it will get worse quickly .
The filter tank gets a LOT of San Diego sunshine, but ironically, the crack is in the shade 100%.

The filter cartridges I have are brand new. The bleeder valve and gauge are brand new.
The parts inside seem to be in good shape. The clamp seems fine.

I see that a whole new filter is ~ $1,400.
I can buy just the bottom (178578) ~ $400
I can replace the top also (178581 gets Lots more sun) at the same time ~ $300

I can replace the filter parts with identical without plumbing changes.
While I’m open to suggestions of an “better” filter, I assume if I changed filter to any other brand/model I’d need a pool guy to come redo plumbing to filter. And I’m pretty sure my area requires the use of cartridge filters (no DE or wasting water backwashing sand).

Suggestions on best way to handle a 15 year old filter?

- replace just the bottom and wait for top to fail next month ($400)
- replace bottom and top ($700) <- this is what I’m leaning towards.
- whole new filter ($1500, but I’d get a set of filters and a spare clamp and assorted plastic pieces inside)?
- replace the whole thing with something else?

With a leaking crack, especially with a large spray at higher pressure, the likelihood of an "exploding" filter are remote, pressure just wouldn't build up, BUT the crack could fail completely, as Jimrhabe, said and that could result in a lot of water damage.
If you decide to replace the bottom tank, be sure to get all new O rings that seal the two ports as well, they don't usually come with the tank. Its not a difficult job, but can be frustrating if you don't have all the parts needed. Also get a new tank O ring.
Too, because the top and bottom tanks have aged together, many times just replacing one and using the old other half results in mis-matched parts that may leak.

 

[JamesW]

The likelihood of the Space Shuttle exploding was considered to be very low.

Didn't work out too well.

By the early 1980s many figures were being quoted for the overall risk to the shuttle, with estimates of a catastrophic failure ranging from less than 1 chance in 100 to 1 chance in 100 000.

“The higher figures [1 in 100] come from working engineers, and the very low figures [1 in 100 000] from management,” wrote physicist Richard P. Feynman in his appendix “Personal Observations on Reliability of Shuttle” to the 1986 Report of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I replaced the top of my Mega Filter many years ago under lifetime warranty and then the bottom was replaced this year also under lifetime warranty. The only thing I dislike about it is that because of all of these years of hot sun the black fiberglass becomes easily worn off onto my hands when handling the parts. I have to wear gloves just to pull the filter top off to get to the cartridges.