Filter Drain plug forced out, partially drained pool, high filter pressure

[southernazpool]

HI there,

i have a 9,000 gal pool. Hayward Super 2 pump, Hayward swimclear C3025 cartridge filter, aqua rite salt cell.

My filters are 3 years old, didn't look dirty, but my pump pressure has been around 25-28 PSI within hours of cleaning cartridges, it became clear they needed replaced.

Last Saturday, during the NBA finals, my neighbor called to say there is water flowing down the street, coming from my house, I looked at my pool and the water level has fallen 3 feet, I went out to the pump and water was shooting through the drain plug, draining my pool out to the street. The pump was on, and the drain plug had been shot out.

I have since replaced the cartridges and my pressure is now 9PSI, right where it should be, I also ordered a new drain plug and installed it.

My question is, I am pretty sure, but wanted confirmation, was the high filter pressure 25-30 PSI enough to force out the drain plug? That pressure doesn't really seem high enough to force a 1 1/2IN threaded drain plug out of the filter assembly. but apparently it was.

Would there be any damage to the internal threads in the filter itself after being forced out at high pressure?

I inspected them and they didnt seem too bad. I installed the new drain plug with teflon tape, and with the new low pressure it seems ok.

Do I need to live i fear that my drain plug will randomly be shot off?, and my pool totally drained when im not home, and not able to shut the pump off.

I dont want to come home to an empty pool, flooded yard and burned out pump motor.

I'm worried it could happen again, the drain plug doesn't seem to be that strong, I went to home depot bought a 1 1/2 in male adapter and installed a facuet tap on it, so I could drain my filter without having to remove the drain plug, but it wasnt designed for the filter and the o ring i purchased didnt seem to fit well, and it leaked ever so slightly, so I decided to remove it and install the hayward drain plug, but after failing me before I dont have much faith it wont happen again.

Please let me know if I need to be concerned or if all should be well now, sorry to be rambling, but wanted to write down all that happened.

Thank you for your response

Daniel

 

[kimkats]

I would also be worried about how and why it happened and it happening again.

If it were me and I had the money I would think about replacing the whole filter. I do NOT like things like than hanging over my head. We travel quite a bit and I would not be able to relax worrying about the pool. Just something to think about.

Better safe than sorry.

Kim

 

[n240sxguy]

This may be a dumb question, but are you sure it was installed correctly before? If it's like anything I've seen it should have at least 5 threads, probably more. There's no way it could just shoot off at that pressure. If the threads aren't damaged, maybe it worked itself loose with the vibration and pressure/vacuum cycles from the pump turning on and off. It's a mystery however it happened.


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[Griswald]

There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that the plug "shot out" without taking all of the threads with it. If you had threads to replace the plug, it didn't "shoot out".

 

[Chuckiechan]

I think your problem is pressure, not the plug. But having said that, the plug should be able to remain in place at 100% of the pumps pressure output when entirely blocked. Maximum working pressure as near as I can tell is 50 PSI. That is probably much more than your pump is capable of putting out.

So there are two problems. One - something is clogging your filters and you are not cleaning them quickly enough. Algae?
Two, I would not expect a plug to blow at 30 psi, but that is still too high IMO for a properly maintained system. I'd check with Hayward and see if they have a solution.

 

[southernazpool]

Thank you for the replies,

As far as I know it was installed correctly, I have installed it many times before. The new plug has been on for about a day now, no leaks, no blow outs, however the pump pressure now is 9PSI, not 28 like it was when the plug blew out.

I dont know what caused it to come out, that has never happened before, but then again my pump pressure hasnt been that high before.

One thing i remember, the day before the blow out happened, i was working outside, I noticed the old plug was leaking a little, I went to tighten the plug, and it shot out and started draining water with the pump on, I barely touched the plug and it shot out.

So i saw it happen before, Im not sure if i should try to permanently seal the plug with PVC cement, or trying the male adapter again, that was leaking and using some silicone to try to seal the leak.

I dont want to have to worry about the plug coming off again, but for now, the pressure is low, and the plug seems fine.

whether to leave it alone and monitor the pump pressure so i can clean the filters timely and not let the pressure get that high again, (which I should do anyway). Or if i should try to seal the plug permanently to avoid another blow out. In that case I would not be able to use the drain plug, I would prob have t use a shop vac to get the water out when cleaning the filters.

Any advice on the best way to proceed would be appreciated.




Thank you

 

[Chuckiechan]

I just went outside and looked and I have a plug too. I have a different version of Hayward.

If you aren't plumbed using it, you don't need it. IMO...

But I don't know what kind of glue is suitable. I'm a Gorilla Glue kind of guy. I have no idea what kind of plastic they use, and what glues are comparable. You might see if you can thread a short fully threaded galvanized pipe section though the hole with sealant and cap it at both ends inside and outside. The threads are probably through and through for simplicity of manufacturing.

EDIT: You can get it from Ebay.
Black Dow Corning 795 Silicone Building Sealant Cartridge | eBay