Cracked pipes at pump

Jump to latest Follow Reply
R

rwm

Member
Jul 7, 2019
12
MA, USA
Hi, all. I went to prime my pump for opening, and water was just pouring out of one of the skimmer lines. I realized that the valve part, the elbow joint, and the pipe between them were all cracked. Couple questions: could this have been caused by improper closing? I pay professionals for closing so I hope not. Secondly, is fixing this (assuming that there's no further damage underground or anything) something that can be done by any plumber, or even DIY, or do I need a pool person?

Oddly enough, three of the handles were also broken off of the valves which was not the case before the pool was closed, so I don't know what happened there. I don't even see the missing pieces anywhere, but I also didn't inspect the pipes after closing. I don't know if it's related at all.

Thanks for any advice.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20250503_182638239.MP.jpg
    PXL_20250503_182638239.MP.jpg
    268 KB · Views: 22
  • PXL_20250503_182641431.MP.jpg
    PXL_20250503_182641431.MP.jpg
    489.7 KB · Views: 23
Could be. Also looks downward or upward pressure cracked it. Never know which...
Depends on your skill for DIY. I do all my own, but I'm handy.
Ball valves are horible. When you re-plumb, use diverter valves. Jandy, Pentair, Hayward and CMP all make good valves.
Make sure to use a high-temp union on the input to the pump.
I'd replace the single speed pump at the same time. A VSP will payback fairly quickly in reduced electricity costs. It will also be quieter.
 
PoolStored said:
Could be. Also looks downward or upward pressure cracked it. Never know which...
Depends on your skill for DIY. I do all my own, but I'm handy.
Ball valves are horible. When you re-plumb, use diverter valves. Jandy, Pentair, Hayward and CMP all make good valves.
Make sure to use a high-temp union on the input to the pump.
I'd replace the single speed pump at the same time. A VSP will payback fairly quickly in reduced electricity costs. It will also be quieter.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I'm pretty handy but have never done plumbing before.

Sorry, my signature is out of date and I already have a VSP -- I'll get that updated.
 
Update: the pool guy says that he blows antifreeze through the lines (and there was a mostly empty antifreeze upside down in both skimmers) so that there's no way it would be freeze damage. He's saying that it looks like something fell on it. I can't imagine what that would have been, but it does kind of jibe with the broken valve handles. I'm not sure how far to push this without concrete proof.

Sadly, I realized that the damage goes all the way down to deck level -- new pic attached.
 

Attachments

  • PXL_20250505_223459878.MP.jpg
    PXL_20250505_223459878.MP.jpg
    516.6 KB · Views: 11

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
rwm said:
it does kind of jibe with the broken valve handles.
Click to expand...
Those handles break all the time.

The plastic gets brittle and the valves get hard to turn, which means that the plastic breaks because it is weak and you are using a lot of force to open or close the valve.

You can see teeth marks where someone used pliers to turn the valve because the handles were missing.

I am very sure that the damage is due to freezing.

It looks like the service person is going to try to weasel out of taking responsibility.

Not much you can do to force people to do the right thing.

1746562298330.png
 
You can see teeth marks where someone used pliers to turn the valve because the handles were missing
Click to expand...
That was me, just the other day. The handles were definitely not broken at the end of last season. But anyway...

I am very sure that the damage is due to freezing.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't see how something could fall on it and crack every section of pipe, and there's nothing around that could have done that anyway. Is there anything in particular you think I should mention as evidence of freeze damage? What is it that makes you so confident? I'll try to pass that along in another message to the service person, but yeah, I don't imagine I'm going to get much out of them without going to small claims or something.
 
Ice expands and pushes outward on the pipe walls with a lot of force, which cause this type of crack.

In my opinion, there is no way that the crack is due to something dropping on the pipe.

In my opinion, it is definitely freeze damage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1poolman1
TFP is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit that is maintained by user donations.

The people who answer questions are volunteers.

If you find the site to be a good resource, please consider making a donation to help support the site.

Thanks.

www.troublefreepool.com

Become a TFP Supporter

Help Support TFP Trouble Free Pool is run by a dedicated group of volunteers that … Read more…
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply