10 Day Old IC-40 Just Went Dark

[Brushman]

Is the side that’s leaking the side nearest the heater? I see the 180 degree check and assume the heater is just the other side of that?

Here's a step back look at the plumbing.

 

[Brushman]

One thing I didn't know until this week is that the preferred installation of the SWG is vertical. Mine ain't that.

 

[newdude]

One thing I didn't know until this week is that the preferred installation of the SWG is vertical. Mine ain't that.

Nonsense. The cell doesn't care either way, proven by thousands of us horizontal.

With nothing else to lose before replacing the union coupler, I'd try gently sanding the mating face. (With parts on hand in case it gets worse )

 

[ajw22]

One thing I didn't know until this week is that the preferred installation of the SWG is vertical. Mine ain't that.

There is no preferred installation. It really does not make a difference and most installations are horizontal.

 

[Brushman]

One thing I didn't know until this week is that the preferred installation of the SWG is vertical. Mine ain't that.

Nonsense. The cell doesn't care either way, proven by thousands of us horizontal.

There is no preferred installation. It really does not make a difference and most installations are horizontal.

Thanks and good to know. Mine have always done just fine horizontal. Out of curiosity, is there some kind of reason why Pentair wasted ink saying, "Install SWC vertically for best performance" in the manual? Maybe to give themselves an out on warranty claims? I hope not.

 

[Brushman]

With nothing else to lose before replacing the union coupler, I'd try gently sanding the mating face. (With parts on hand in case it gets worse )

The way my last 6 weeks of pool work have gone, it will DEFINITELY get worse.

 

[ajw22]

Thanks and good to know. Mine have always done just fine horizontal. Out of curiosity, is there some kind of reason why Pentair wasted ink saying, "Install SWC vertically for best performance" in the manual? Maybe to give themselves an out on warranty claims? I hope not.

You will need to track down the person who wrote that paragraph and ask him/her.

I think it is poor editing and review. Someone wrote it and no one questioned it.

Pool manufacturer manuals are a hodge podge of safety codes, installation techniques, and author opinions.

 

[newdude]

Out of curiosity, is there some kind of reason why Pentair wasted ink saying, "Install SWC vertically for best performance" in the manual?

Dunno. Then they wasted even more ink stamping 'acid clean every 3 months' on the cell itself. Then they wasted even more more ink advising a higher TA because that made sense with tab feeder pools and all the acid they added, which doesn't apply to this system. Then they wasted even more more more ink advising a CH of 200 to 400 when my vinyl pool needs none, possibly causing scaling with bad advice.

IMO their head is shoulder deep up their backside.

 

[Brushman]

In the last 6 weeks:

1. Spider gasket failure in the multiport valve causing flow errors. No big deal, that happens.
2. Found that because I heard water trickling in the front yard one day. Investigated and found water flowing at the pool plumbing air gap / backflow preventer hidden in some shrubs. Multiport was set to Filter so there shouldn't have been any flow.
3. But I also discovered that the top and bottom PVC piping on that waste water run had moved out of alignment. The water flow was just going into the ground next to the house, not into the bottom pipe. Had to dig out both pipes a couple of feet down through difficult clay soil to get enough play in the PVC pipes and line them back up again. Had to McGiver some big shims out of cans packed with clay to help wedge them back into alignment. Hot and sweaty and muddy but it all worked out. Did the spider gasket next. Two problems solved.
4. Hoped the spider gasket was also causing my third problem, a recent DE leak. But no such luck. Disassembled the FNS and checked everything in bright sunlight. No visible issues. Maybe the standpipe o-ring? Changed that. Reassembled and restarted. More DE. Disassemble and reinspect everything carefully again. The way they manufacture the manifold, it has a few seams that overlap in a way that you can't put your eyes on every surface that could possibly fail. That seems like the most likely cause. So I buy and install a replacement manifold even though I can see no cracks. Fortunately, problem solved. Good times are finally here.
5. The next week my 7+ year old SWG dies. Oh well, stuff happens. At least SWG swap outs are easy. New one comes in and works like a charm. Problem solved.
6. 10 days later the new SWG dies. With y'alls help I test the voltage output on the IpH and it looks perfect. Pentair sends out a warranty cell quickly. I install it. Ready to reach the finish line. Power the system up. The new SWG is unresponsive. Turns out the IpH had the known connector failure problem. The "no load" voltage testing I did looked good but masked the problem. Okay, stuff happens.
7. With a lot of help and some good luck, the WAGO and welding fix works. I flip the switch and the warranty SWG springs immediately to life. Fantastic!
8. I bother to take out the warranty SWG and retest my original replacement SWG to see if it was going to run now too. Nope. Deader than a bag of hammers. So that really was bad luck. But I get a free replacement flow switch out of the deal and it's great to have everything fixed. Time to kick back and relax.
8. One week later, this leak comes along.

Fun hobby.

 

[Brushman]

Dunno. Then they wasted even more ink stamping 'acid clean every 3 months' on the cell itself. Then they wasted even more more ink advising a higher TA because that made sense with tab feeder pools and all the acid they added, which doesn't apply to this system. Then they wasted even more more more ink advising a CH of 200 to 400 when my vinyl pool needs none, possibly causing scaling with bad advice.

IMO their head is shoulder deep up their backside.

Good lord. They must have somebody they like in the ink business.

 

[Brushman]

Dunno. Then they wasted even more ink stamping 'acid clean every 3 months' on the cell itself ...

Yup. They got me to buy the cleaning kit with that one. Complete waste of time and money.

 

[Brushman]

... usually the pipes or pad settles and they no longer line dead up. The union nut can only pull them so square and any leftover variance in mating surfaces leaks out the back of the union nut, because the front is t-i-g-h-t. Possibly too tight. Lol.

... if the unions don’t exactly line up, work both sides of the cell to help true the pipes. Start one side, then move to the other and alternate sides trying to torque equally each time until you get them tight. This can sometimes help pull unions on equipment that are just out of square together.

... snugging up the fitting by hand and then tightening it in increments until the drips stop is exactly how I watched the guys from my local water company do it ... a "tried-n-true" method. And yes, over tightening is the real seal-killer. Just enough, but no more.

... over tightening by whatever means causes the O ring to bulge out and not seal properly. The O ring should create the seal against the surfaces, not being cinched down.

That collective advice and another go have somehow sealed the drip. I honestly can't believe it but I'll take it. Not even sure why it was different this time but I think it was a combination of alignment is no longer perfect, being more methodical about tightening each side of the nut with equal turns back and forth and then not over-tightening. In combination, that got the job done. High tens to all y'all.

 

[ajw22]

High tens to all y'all.

Go Team!

 

[Brushman]

Here's another thing I changed this morning. I kicked this new OEM o-ring to the curb. It is one of the new ones Pentair sent me with my replacement SWG. It looks like it may be the wrong size? That would be a funny trick to play on a customer. Don't know, don't care, all's well now.

 

[Brushman]

Go Team!

Takes a village. Especially with me in the loop.

 

[newdude]

It looks like it may be the wrong size?

between the SWG, heat pump, pump, swg and several unions, I had 2 very similar sizes at my old house and that extra loop was my sign I grabbed the wrong one. I have the same unions and equipment minus the HP at the new place and only one size O-ring so I assume the HP was the odd man out.

 

[Brushman]

I pulled that one out of the sealed ziplock bag Pentair packs the new union couplers in that they include with each SWG. If that really IS the wrong size, they're the one and only source of it. Probably a kid in the Pentair warehouse laughing his backside off right now.

 

[Dirk]

In the last 6 weeks:

1. Spider gasket failure in the multiport valve causing flow errors. No big deal, that happens.
2. Found that because I heard water trickling in the front yard one day. Investigated and found water flowing at the pool plumbing air gap / backflow preventer hidden in some shrubs. Multiport was set to Filter so there shouldn't have been any flow.
3. But I also discovered that the top and bottom PVC piping on that waste water run had moved out of alignment. The water flow was just going into the ground next to the house, not into the bottom pipe. Had to dig out both pipes a couple of feet down through difficult clay soil to get enough play in the PVC pipes and line them back up again. Had to McGiver some big shims out of cans packed with clay to help wedge them back into alignment. Hot and sweaty and muddy but it all worked out. Did the spider gasket next. Two problems solved.
4. Hoped the spider gasket was also causing my third problem, a recent DE leak. But no such luck. Disassembled the FNS and checked everything in bright sunlight. No visible issues. Maybe the standpipe o-ring? Changed that. Reassembled and restarted. More DE. Disassemble and reinspect everything carefully again. The way they manufacture the manifold, it has a few seams that overlap in a way that you can't put your eyes on every surface that could possibly fail. That seems like the most likely cause. So I buy and install a replacement manifold even though I can see no cracks. Fortunately, problem solved. Good times are finally here.
5. The next week my 7+ year old SWG dies. Oh well, stuff happens. At least SWG swap outs are easy. New one comes in and works like a charm. Problem solved.
6. 10 days later the new SWG dies. With y'alls help I test the voltage output on the IpH and it looks perfect. Pentair sends out a warranty cell quickly. I install it. Ready to reach the finish line. Power the system up. The new SWG is unresponsive. Turns out the IpH had the known connector failure problem. The "no load" voltage testing I did looked good but masked the problem. Okay, stuff happens.
7. With a lot of help and some good luck, the WAGO and welding fix works. I flip the switch and the warranty SWG springs immediately to life. Fantastic!
8. I bother to take out the warranty SWG and retest my original replacement SWG to see if it was going to run now too. Nope. Deader than a bag of hammers. So that really was bad luck. But I get a free replacement flow switch out of the deal and it's great to have everything fixed. Time to kick back and relax.
8. One week later, this leak comes along.

Fun hobby.

I didn't even read all that. We've all got our own similar list.

 

[Brushman]

I didn't even read all that. We've all got our own similar list.

Like someone said, I can't complain but sometimes I still do. BTW that gif is one of my favorite scenes in that great movie.

 

[Dirk]

This is the one I always have to rewind and rewatch a couple times!