Waxahachie, TX Owner Build - A race to beat the baby!

[JoyfulNoise]

Nice rebar!!

Ok, so that first picture is the high-flow air-relief valve (I have one just like it on my DE filter). If you grab the plastic cap just below the gauge and turn it 1/4 turn counter-clockwise, it opens the air relief valve and then water will come shooting out that opening. There are two rings in the valve that make the seal when the shaft is rotated and I would bet, if water constantly dribbles out, that one of the sealing surface either has some little bit of gunk on it OR the o-ring may be bad. Either way, it's super easy to take apart and fix (I did it once) and extra o-rings can be purchased at any ACE Hardware store (or HD or Lowes).

The dribble from the body of the filter bothers me more but is very likely just large rubber o-ring that seals the two halves together is either off a little or the collar clamp wasn't tightened enough. The plumber may have put it together hastily and it could just need to be lubed properly and reseated. Again, probably another quick fix.

 

[JamieP]

My guess is that some tube lube on the o-ring on the filter will fix that drip in the middle.

Not sure about the drip by the gauge.

Amazon.com : Lube Tube 4 ounces : Swimming Pool Pump Parts : Patio, Lawn Garden

You can get it at Home Depot and Lowes or shhhhhhhh the pool store LOL

You will want it for other things as well. It will be your first buy for the new pool!

How big is your yard/property???????? It looks big!

Kim

Thank you, Kim. Silly questions, but would I have to disassemble the top from the bottom of the filter to apply the lube?

We are on 1 acre. The chain link fence in the photo separates us from the neighbors who have 2 acres. We are in a neighborhood with 1-2 acre lots. It's great for the kids to run around. Plus, half of the neighbor's property is wooded and they let the kids play on it, so it's like built in extra play space.

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Nice rebar!!

Ok, so that first picture is the high-flow air-relief valve (I have one just like it on my DE filter). If you grab the plastic cap just below the gauge and turn it 1/4 turn counter-clockwise, it opens the air relief valve and then water will come shooting out that opening. There are two rings in the valve that make the seal when the shaft is rotated and I would bet, if water constantly dribbles out, that one of the sealing surface either has some little bit of gunk on it OR the o-ring may be bad. Either way, it's super easy to take apart and fix (I did it once) and extra o-rings can be purchased at any ACE Hardware store (or HD or Lowes).

The dribble from the body of the filter bothers me more but is very likely just large rubber o-ring that seals the two halves together is either off a little or the collar clamp wasn't tightened enough. The plumber may have put it together hastily and it could just need to be lubed properly and reseated. Again, probably another quick fix.

Thanks, Matt. This is all very promising. I will still call the plumber to see if he'll come make it right, but hopefully we can fix it ourselves if necessary.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Oh, and at some point, you're going to want to spray-paint all of that white PVC sticking up at the equipment pad to be the same color as your equipment. It's a standard sand/tan color that you can easily find in any hardware store. Just wrap up anything you don't want painted in newspaper and don't spray paint the Jandy valves.

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If you have the Pentair filter manuals, there's a description of the high-flow air release valve and, I believe, instructions for removing and disassembling it. As well, that metal collar clamp comes off easily, you just need a 7/8" socket wrench to untighten the collar nut.

 

[JamieP]

Oh, and at some point, you're going to want to spray-paint all of that white PVC sticking up at the equipment pad to be the same color as your equipment. It's a standard sand/tan color that you can easily find in any hardware store. Just wrap up anything you don't want painted in newspaper and don't spray paint the Jandy valves.

Good to know! I had admired the matching pipes in other people's builds, but didn't know how they got them that way. Do I need special paint or to prep the PVC in any way besides taping things off?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Good to know! I had admired the matching pipes in other people's builds, but didn't know how they got them that way. Do I need special paint or to prep the PVC in any way besides taping things off?

Nope. Good ole Krylon spray paint from your local hardware store is all you need. Pick any color you like but, if you go with fuchsia, I take no responsibility for the snickering that might occur when people see your equipment pad

 

[kimkats]

That sounds like a neat neighborhood to be in!

Matt has you covered. If you do not have the manual you can find it on line.

We can walk you through anything if needed.

Kim

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Oh, and because I'm just so full of prolific, awe-inspiring advice tonight, here's one more for the back of your brain - that pressure gauge sitting on top is ok. Someday, you will change it to a more accurate, liquid filled gauge like the kind sold here - TFTestkits.net

That one is a much, much better gauge.

 

[bdavis466]

Try opening the air relief full open (1/4 turn) and then close it. The valve may just need to be reset. Be warned you will get a lot of air and water shooting out of it so be careful.

The band clamp around the filter may just need to be tightened. The spring on the shaft where the nut secures it should be fully depressed (coils touching). Take a hammer and tap the band clamp around the entire perimeter of the band clamp and then tighten the nut a turn, then repeat until the spring is fully compressed.

In regards to the hydrostatic relief valve at the main drain, the plug will be fine. The only downside is if you ever need to drain the pool, someone would have to swim down and unscrew it. I would prefer a standard plumbing fitting anyway, much less chance of having an issue with it later.

 

[JamieP]

That sounds like a neat neighborhood to be in!

Matt has you covered. If you do not have the manual you can find it on line.

We can walk you through anything if needed.
Kim

Thanks Kim. That's any I love this site!

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Try opening the air relief full open (1/4 turn) and then close it. The valve may just need to be reset. Be warned you will get a lot of air and water shooting out of it so be careful.

The band clamp around the filter may just need to be tightened. The spring on the shaft where the nut secures it should be fully depressed (coils touching). Take a hammer and tap the band clamp around the entire perimeter of the band clamp and then tighten the nut a turn, then repeat until the spring is fully compressed.

In regards to the hydrostatic relief valve at the main drain, the plug will be fine. The only downside is if you ever need to drain the pool, someone would have to swim down and unscrew it. I would prefer a standard plumbing fitting anyway, much less chance of having an issue with it later.

Thank you, Brian. With the fixes you are mentioning, would I need to fill all the pipes back up with water and pressurize the system? Right now we've drained it all that it will go because of the overnight freeze. I assume that only when the system is full of water would you know if there is a leak or not?

I appreciate your thoughts on the hydrostatic relief valve too. It would certainly be easier just going with what is already there.

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Oh, and because I'm just so full of prolific, awe-inspiring advice tonight, here's one more for the back of your brain - that pressure gauge sitting on top is ok. Someday, you will change it to a more accurate, liquid filled gauge like the kind sold here - TFTestkits.net

That one is a much, much better gauge.

You do earn a gold star for being so helpful tonight! Thank you very much! I'll look up the online pressure gauge manual you mentioned and see what I can learn. And I'll check out the better gauge too. Good to know about that!

 

[bdavis466]

The whole purpose of pressurizing the plumbing system is to be certain that there are no leaks. Water is used because it is not compressible. Using air to pressurize PVC poses a serious hazard in the event a pipe bursts (flying shrapnel) and would take a large volume of air to achieve the same pressure.

Draining your system is fine, you already know where the leaks are. I like to keep the system pressurized throughout the entire build so if an issue does arise, it will immediately be noticed and quickly fixed as opposed to trying to hunt down a leak after the fact. You will still have a good amount of digging going on and stakes being driven that could hit one of the pipes. It really is cheap insurance to keep it pressurized.

Since you have to worry about freezing, then absolutely drain the water and be sure to leave the valves open. You can always repressurize when things warm up a bit.

 

[And5555]

Thoughts:
- the plumber should have a warranty on his work if he's a reputable plumber (like 1-2 years maybe)
- I've seen a lot of value in keeping those lines under pressure at all times. It's like the ink on fire alarms. One of my electricians guys broke a pipe while digging and it shot like 30 feet in the air (it was pretty cool). My patio guys busted another pipe the other day. These guys take care of it right away and then we put it back under pressure
- remember that finding a leak after gunite is no fun, so you'll want to make sure the pressure is steady before you start gunite
- interesting that they set up pool equipment so early. My guy said he doesn't do that til the end (lines are all capped for my system). I paid him all but $500 hold back til were done

 

[JamieP]

Keeping the lines under pressure makes sense. Things warm up here tomorrow after the overnight freeze, so I'll take the opportunity to see if I can fix the valve and the clamp around the filter for leaks, and then repressurize with water.

Actually, I'll call the plumber first and see what he'll do about it, but gunite is supposed to be Tuesday so I need it repressurized and fixed soon so I can be confident all is well.

 

[JamieP]

Thank you for everyone's help and encouragement last night. After a good night's rest, church, and donuts, I felt ready to tackle the leaks. I had emailed the plumber and heard back that the leak at the filter was the manufacture's issue and he warranties his pipe work. Oh well, armed with your advice, I figured I'd be doing the same thing he'd do anyway, and I might as well learn how to trouble shoot these things sooner rather than later!

The good news is that the coil mentioned was not all the way tightened so I fixed that easily. I reset the air release valve, repressurized the system, and found that that leak was fixed as well. Now a new issue.

A union at one end of the salt cell is leaking.


This does seem to fall under what the plumber says he covers, but we'll see. Is it something I can fix myself and if so, how?

Thanks again for any insight!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

De pressurize the system and unscrew the union. It's nothing more than a standard PVC union with a proprietary thread pitch (thanks for that Pentair ). Remove the salt cell and make sure the orings in the union are lubed and seated properly.

When you reassemble, it only needs to be hand tightened, no wrenches!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[JamieP]

De pressurize the system and unscrew the union. It's nothing more than a standard PVC union with a proprietary thread pitch (thanks for that Pentair ). Remove the salt cell and make sure the orings in the union are lubed and seated properly.

When you reassemble, it only needs to be hand tightened, no wrenches!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

Thanks, Matt. Is depressurizing the system as simple as turning the release valve on the filter gauge? Last night I drained all the water out of the pipes because of the freeze, but that seems like overkill now, right? Do I leave the release valve open until is stops draining? Not sure about all of this!

 

[blazeone]

Your plumber sucks LOL! thank goodness for the forum helpers. Three leaks and he takes off, good grief. You discovered how easy they were to fix but too much trouble for him

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You can do it that way. Just remember that water will always seek the lowest point. So when you remove the SWG, any water "above" the SWG level in the system will drain out. I only mention that so your not wearing your good Sunday Dress while doing plumbing repair

I give your plumber a "B" - his pipe work seems to be ok so far but his customer satisfaction is terrible. Based on his response to you, he's only going to fix issues with the pipes themselves and any glue joints. Be sure to pressurize the system and inspect EVERY glue joint looking for possible leaks. Hopefully the ground is dry enough for you to see water leaks.

Oh, and should any of your subs break a pipe or cause plumbing damage, make sure they understand that they will be paying for the plumber to come out and repair it. Some may try to fix it themselves, but that becomes an issue because the plumber will not warranty that work. You might run it by your plumber to find out what he considers the right thing to do.

Fasten your seat belts, the next few weeks are going to be a wild ride

Prayers for you,
Matt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

 

[JamieP]

You can do it that way. Just remember that water will always seek the lowest point. So when you remove the SWG, any water "above" the SWG level in the system will drain out. I only mention that so your not wearing your good Sunday Dress while doing plumbing repair

I give your plumber a "B" - his pipe work seems to be ok so far but his customer satisfaction is terrible. Based on his response to you, he's only going to fix issues with the pipes themselves and any glue joints. Be sure to pressurize the system and inspect EVERY glue joint looking for possible leaks. Hopefully the ground is dry enough for you to see water leaks.

Oh, and should any of your subs break a pipe or cause plumbing damage, make sure they understand that they will be paying for the plumber to come out and repair it. Some may try to fix it themselves, but that becomes an issue because the plumber will not warranty that work. You might run it by your plumber to find out what he considers the right thing to do.

Fasten your seat belts, the next few weeks are going to be a wild ride

Prayers for you,
Matt

Yes, it should be interesting. Unfortunately, his guy filled all the trenches back in so no underground pipe is exposed. I don't know why they did that. Once I pressurize the system and take care of all the obvious leaks at the pad, I'll have to be really on top of the pressure.

Good point about having the other subs pay the plumber if they break a pipe. I'll have to check into that, although with the growing track record of my plumber, he may want to be done with me. We'll see.

One thing that happened this morning, the first time I repressurized the system, was I saw that one of the valves was closed so I opened it. As the water was filling the pipes, the red protective cap on top of one of my bubblers blew off and a geyser of water shot up. I depressurized the system, replaced the cap, and closed the valve. Now that the system is repressurized, I assume that no water is going to the bubblers with that valve closed? I don't know how to keep those lines pressurized without blowing the lid off the bubbler. The lid doesn't have any way of securing it.

I'm off to the store to get some lube.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yes, it should be interesting. Unfortunately, his guy filled all the trenches back in so no underground pipe is exposed. I don't know why they did that. Once I pressurize the system and take care of all the obvious leaks at the pad, I'll have to be really on top of the pressure.

Good point about having the other subs pay the plumber if they break a pipe. I'll have to check into that, although with the growing track record of my plumber, he may want to be done with me. We'll see.

One thing that happened this morning, the first time I repressurized the system, was I saw that one of the valves was closed so I opened it. As the water was filling the pipes, the red protective cap on top of one of my bubblers blew off and a geyser of water shot up. I depressurized the system, replaced the cap, and closed the valve. Now that the system is repressurized, I assume that no water is going to the bubblers with that valve closed? I don't know how to keep those lines pressurized without blowing the lid off the bubbler. The lid doesn't have any way of securing it.

I'm off to the store to get some lube.

OK, his "B" grade just turned into a "C". I would have had those bubbler lines capped and pressurized as well. I realize that bubblers are not under pressure when in operation (they just flow lots of water through them) but I still would have wanted to make sure the lines and glue joints were good. Others on TFP with more pool building experience might consider it an non-issue and I accept that, but I would have wanted them pressure tested. I'm sure they'll be fine.

It makes sense the trenches were refilled, i thought they were still open which is why I suggested another check. When the gunite crew shows up, there can't be open trenches in the pool or around it. Everything needs to be buttoned up and ready to go.

 

[And5555]

So I have the same colorcascade bubbler and it did not come with a 1" (?) plug necessary to plug it. My plumber went to Lowes ad Home Depot but apparently they do not carry the size (he said they used to). He pushed a slightly different size plug into it, but only wanted to pressurize the system to 15 psi due to that plug.

After gunite, he said we could push it to 22 and it seems to be going well.