Hayward Perflex DE filter EC50 leaking after cleaning

[WilliamM]

Bless the internet; I do a google search and find a bunch of folks who address my precise problem! Hayward Perflex DE filter EC50 leaking from lid area

I bought a house this Summer with an 18' 5,000 gal AGP. The old owner has been super-helpful in instructing me on the ins-and-outs, although I do not test the water as frequently as I should. I was having the problem of cleaning the filter and having fantastic flow, but then the flow receding within a few days, and needing to clean it weekly. I spoke to the local pool supply place-guy and he said I probably needed to take the filter apart and really clean it out, which I did last weekend, again with the old owner's help. I got the tentacles reasonably white and we put it back together and the flow was tremendous--but a couple days later I noticed a drip, which turned into a steady trickle.

I tool the filter apart again yesterday, and applied lube to the O-ring, but I put on a fairly thin layer, and then put it back together, and by last night the trickle was back. The pool supply store suggests replacing the gasket, which I guess means taking the physical lid apart to some extent. I'm a little confused about the tightening of the nut--it's a single nut fastening the band, with a spring. The old owner did not have the coils of the spring touching, but the illustration on the side of the filter does say they should touch. I tightened it to where they were touching, but the leaking persisted. The pool supply guy says the gasket may be pinched if it is over-tightened, so there seems to be two schools of though running counter to each other on this question.

My question: should I take it apart and really slather the lube into the gasket groove where the lids sits and twist it down real good and hope for a different result this time? The old owner never used lube, never tightened the nut to where the spring coils touched. And could the increased flow be part of the problem? I know the old owner put a stronger pump than standard on the system, and the flow is coming out so strong since the cleaning this weekend that it could be the force just exceeds what the filter can hold without a slight leak. And--is a leak like this dangerous to the system?

Thank you for your time and guidance. The Hayward filter is the EC50AC, if that makes any different in the diagnostics.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

The best way I have found to tighten those band clamps is to tap around the band with a rubber mallet and then snug the nut, then use the mallet, then snug the nut, etc. Can usually get the spring compressed by using very little torque on the nut this way.

The increased flow you are now seeing should actually be LOWERING the pressure in the filter ... doesn't your gauge show this?

Ideally nothing should leak ... but I myself have a few drips here and there.

 

[WilliamM]

The gauge on the filter reads about 19 now; it was 21 or 22 before. The flow is tremendous, like blow-off-my-wedding-ring force. Which is great, but the trickle of water leaking really nags at me. I'm surprised by how the pool's status affects my sense of myself. When the flow's good, I feel like a good person and life is good; when the flow is bad, or when I have a persistent leak, I feel like a failure and it preoccupies me.

Do you think I should take the filter apart again, dry off the gasket and the liner it seals onto (or should!) and really put the lube on thick, and then close it up and see if the lube makes the difference? And is this persistent trickle a danger to my system? I mean, I'll take care of the trickle regardless, but at least I'll be able to rest a little easier not worrying about everything blowing up any moment.

I will get a mallet and tap as suggested. I'm afraid to hit it very hard, because the system still really intimidates me. I feel like anything I do wrong will ruin everything.

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[jblizzle]

I am not exactly sure what the band looks like on your filter, might be a little different than my DE, but the tapping really helps.

It is not in danger of catastrophic failure ... you are just losing water ... which if it is trickling out, I would want to fix.

 

[WilliamM]

Thank you for your response! I have taken some pictures. Below is the band on my filter--this is the only nut.



The spring here is about at the tension the previous owner kept it at, but after I took this pic I tightened it considerably, while knocking around the band with my knuckle (I don't have the mallet yet), with no detectable effect on the leak--here is the small stream running down the other side:



This afternoon I intend to get a mallet, take the filter apart, apply a lot of lube in the groove where the gasket sits, re-attach it after firmly pressing it down, and tighten it to where the coils touch, as the illustration on the filter describes, while tapping with the mallet. Any other suggestions?

 

[jblizzle]

That band looks very similar so getting it set around evenly with the mallet hopefully will help (along with all the lube)
That is a pretty significant leak, so I would want it fixed.