Would a broken ring around my return jet cause - a leak?? UPDATED / HELP PLEASE!!

[ship of fools]

I have been having issues with an intermittent leak.

I noticed today that the circular ring / plate that my return on my stairs screws into is broken and roughly 1/3 of the plate is completely broken off.

I know i need to replace it but is there a chance that would be causing my leak??

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

It sure sounds like it. Can you post a picture of it ??

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You could shut off the pump let the water settle a little and try to drop a little dye near the housing and see if it gets pulled toward/into that broken plate.

 

[ship of fools]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

Good idea. I will post pics in the morning. Thx!


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[ship of fools]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

. Here is a picture. I am replacing it today anyway but i would love to hear if that may be the cause of my leak?

It seems to be leaking more slowly as the water level drops.... i assume less pressure from a lower volume of water could be the cause of the slower leaking??

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[JohnT]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

Yes, that could cause a leak, though I wouldn't think much.

 

[ship of fools]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

Yes, that could cause a leak, though I wouldn't think much.

I have been losing an inch or so a day.

It has been an ongoing saga. I lost a foot or more of water over the winter and had to deal with a floating liner. I filled it back up and it held for weeks then started leaking again. I found a rip (two actually) on the stairs and patched them and it didn't seem to help. Then it wouldn't leak while the pump was running but a day or two later it leaked while the pump was running so i was back to square one. I know this plate has been cracked since i opened and i was thinking perhaps that was the source of my leak over the winter. My other thought was an issue with the hydrostatic relief valve.

My final thought was to fill the darn thing in

 

[duraleigh]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

I have been losing an inch or so a day.

I would be shocked if that broken ring could account for that much water loss.

Have you considered replacing the ring and putting in a new eyeball?

 

[ship of fools]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

I would be shocked if that broken ring could account for that much water loss.

Have you considered replacing the ring and putting in a new eyeball?

Yes ... somewhere in there i mentioned i needed to replace it anyway but i had a lot going on (doubleheader in my adult baseball league ) and couldn't get to the store until today. Plus i wanted to see if it would stop at the level of the returns.

It hadn't gotten all the way down but it was still going down .... i just replaced the plate and installed the gasket behind it that was not there on the original one nor on the one on the other side of the steps. For what its' worth the guy at the hardware store (they have tons of pool parts) seemed to think it could have caused quite a leak but we all know what pool store opinions are worth :foot::foot: ..... i will post the results in a day or two when i see if it helps.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[ship of fools]

Re: Would a broken ring around my return jet cause a leak??

Soooo .... i fixed the broken return plate and my pool is still leaking badly. I have let it fall to a point where it seems to have stopped leaking and it just so happens it is just beneath the returns. When i replaced the one pictured above i installed a new gasket. The old one did not have a gasket but there were four indentations that matched four indentations on the return itself. I am wondering if maybe the gasket is not allowing the plate to seal tightly?

As a little more history i had a leak over the winter that fell to basically this same spot. We had a hard tough winter in upstate NY and i believe the ice caused the crack on this plate and all four of my other plates. The one pictured is the only one that had a substantial sized piece break off but all were cracked. I assume the ice was thick enough to cause all of these cracks.

I am wondering if maybe the cracks were the cause of my winter leakage as well since the pipes themselves were all blown out and plugged. I figure i need to replace the plates anyway but i would love to hear some opinions on whether this could be my issue??

I am in the process of setting up a bucket test to confirm it has stopped leaking but it has been losing an inch plus per day and it sure seems like the same level as yesterday so i do believe it has fallen below the leak. I floated around the entire perimeter of the pool and don't see anything else at water level.

Any opinions??

I figure my next step if replacing the plates doesn't work is to fill it back up above the returns and plug them all then remove one at a time to see if the lines themselves are damaged??

 

[nedchavez]

You said returns were blown out and plugged over the winter, but the return plate broke over the winter? Did the lines have antifreeze in them?

My plugs have an o-ring that seals against that plate. If a plate were to break, and fall out of place, water could leak into the return piping. Then, if you have little or no antifreeze in the return lines, the freezing water inside could crack the return lines.

I figure my next step if replacing the plates doesn't work is to fill it back up above the returns and plug them all then remove one at a time to see if the lines themselves are damaged??

That would be my next step too!

 

[ship of fools]

The return lines had rubber plugs in them so i assume no water got in. But now that i think about it i believe i did find one at the bottom of the pool when i opened.

But ..... i opened the pool in Mid April and went a solid month without losing water so i assumed there were no issues with the lines themselves. Would it be possible that a crack or break that is now leaking an inch plus per day would have gone a month without leaking?

It definitely stopped dropping .... i haven't lost any more water in two days.