PVC Pipe in Concrete Pumphouse Floor

[Pharmacyman]

I noticed a small pool of water/moisture on the concrete floor exactly in between the pump and the sand filter. I can find no water on sides of pump, filter or any of the pipe joints. Pool water level does not seem to be decreasing anymore than I would expect with evaporation. I started clearing away debris on the floor and found a PVC pipe cut off at floor level and extending downward into the concrete. The pipe is full of water up to the water on the floor. I could assume it is a clogged drain pipe, but want to run this by someone who knows before I go jabbing a broom handle down there.

Does anyone know what this pipe is and what purpose it serves? Could the water problem be coming from this pipe? Obviously I was not the homeowner when the pool was put in and would appreciate any help with this.

 

[kadavis]

Pictures

 

[Pharmacyman]

Okay, pictures attached. Does anyone know what I'm dealing with?

 

[Pharmacyman]

Can anyone help or do you have a guess? The water level there is about 2.5 inches now.

 

[gwegan]

What is the diameter?

It looks like a drain sump.

 

[zea3]

It looks too small to be a well point. You could pull out a sample of the water from that pipe and see if it has any FC in it like it would if it came from the pool. If it is groundwater it won't have any FC. Have you had a lot of rain lately?

 

[Pharmacyman]

I can tell that it is PVC pipe and measured 1.75 inch diameter. When the picture was taken we had not had any rain for over a week which raised my concerns for why there was water there. We bought the house and pool in 2004. It has always been dry and I didn't give it much notice. We did have rain this week Monday and Tuesday which may account for the higher water level. The water has too much sediment in it right now to test FC, but I have set some out to see if it will settle and I can get a good sample. I'm leaning toward it being some kind of a drain that has become clogged over time, but don't know for sure. I appreciate you guys getting back to me. I'll post when I get a resolution.

 

[mas985]

Does the water level change with the pump on vs off?

Does the pipe go straight down or is there a 90 close to the surface?

There appears to be a label or sticker or something on the inside of the pipe.

 

[Pharmacyman]

I ran a broom stick down into the pipe and there is a 90 about 6-8 inches down.

But here's the thing: I swept the water away to see if I could find a leak and it is definitely coming from the pump. It is coming from underneath the pump I think where the motor is bolted to the pump. There is no leak on the side, definitely from the bottom, but I can't see there of course.

My question is, if the motor seal is bad, is this a job I can do myself? I don't want to call the pool guy out for $80 plus dollars just for the trip out if I can help it. If it's just a matter of unbolting the motor from the pump, I can handle that. But if there are any tricks to putting in a new seal, I would appreciate any help you can give.

 

[mas985]

If you are handy with tools it should be no problem. The biggest issue you might run into is removing the bolts from the motor housing and/or removing the impeller. A strap wrench can help with the latter.

 

[JamesW]

If you use a flashlight, you can look under the pump for a seal leak. There's just enough of a gap to allow you to see if the seal is leaking. If there's debris there, use a wire to clear the debris so you can see.

The superpump seal is fairly easy to replace. Google video of superpump seal change.

Get a PS3868 seal.

 

[Pharmacyman]

Hey, thank you guys. I think I can do this, if it is the seal. (I looked at the video). Not sure if I correctly attached a new image. Anyway it shows that there is space below the motor, but the pump housing sits flat on the concrete. All around the motor is dry, but it still could be the seal. I can't tell. Could the housing itself actually leak? I have turned the pump off and am going to let everything dry up real good, clean out debris as much as I can, then turn the pump back on and watch. The pool is about three inches lower than it was one week ago with no rain. It never lost that much to evaporation before.

 

[JamesW]

It's probably the seal. If you look from the back at an angle with a flashlight, you can see if there is a leak. If you draw a line through the pump, about 165 degrees back is a good angle to see under the pump.

 

[Pharmacyman]

That worked. It is the seal. My plan is to go ahead and close the pool, although ideally I would like the water a little cooler. Then I can bring the pump indoors and work on it. If I thought I could do the job quickly I would pull the pump, repair it, then put it back in to close the pool. But never having done the job before I will do the former plan.