Circupool SJ40

[vetman85]

Been running this unit for about a year...working great. Only complaint is on install and, recently, on cleaning the cell...after reassembly, I have a small, very slow drip. The unit has a 5" O ring that, according to the manual, must have NO lube on it. Also. the cap is to be HAND TIGHT. So, after about, a dozen tries, it's still dripping.

Talking with Support has resulted in their sending me a new O ring...not yet received. My questions to them include, why no lube on the O ring? All the other pieces of pool equipment with O rings (that I have) specify lube to help prevent small air inflitration leaks. Also...what's HAND TIGHT? Can they be more specific? I assume the answer is it's the tightness that results in no leaks. I did point out to them that my "hand tight" is tighter than my wife's and not as tight as, perhaps, the Terminator's.

So, anyone else got one of these? Any advice?

BTW...again, the cell itself works great...no probs other than the leak.................

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Well, if the new o-ring fixes it, then you might as well go to your local hardware store and find exact replacements and just keep a bunch on hand. Perhaps you need to establish an annual ritual of replacing the o-ring seal. Being near the SWG cell, it could be that the o-rings are exposed to high pH and high FC levels so that any lube present could potentially breakdown and cause more problems than it fixes. And lets face it, there have been enough posts here that demonstrate most folks don't know the differences between types of lubricants and what they are best suited for. So unless CircuPool tells people to use an EXACT type of lube, they have to contend with some thinking that WD-40 should be sprayed all over everything.

As for hand tight, well, most PVC unions simply need to be..hand tight. I typically use the following method - slowly thread the coupling on and turn until the coupling comes to a complete stop (go slow to avoid any cross-threading). Then, one the coupling is flush and fully stopped, I give it a good, hard tightening by about a 1/4 turn past stop, no more than that. That is typically sufficient to seal the o-ring and make the union water tight. You want to avoid using wrenches of any kind (channel-locks, strap wrenches, etc) for tightening because you will simply develop too much torque and very likely crack the couplings. All that has to happen for a union to seal is for the o-ring to be fully compressed in its receiving channel and against the flat surface of the opposing fixture; that requires nothing more than hand-tightening. Going beyond hand tight is basically mashing the two plastic surfaces together and possibly going beyond the yield point of the PVC. Once you go beyond the yield point of any material, you induce plastic deformations that are no longer recoverable and you can possible damage or crack the surfaces.

I would suggest you check the raceway where the o-ring is seated and the opposing mating surface to ensure that they are smooth and scratch-free. Any scratches on the mating surface are potential sources of leaks.

 

[vetman85]

Thanks. The O ring is not a small one in a PVC union; rather it's a 4 1/4" one in the end of the salt cell housing. Nevertheless, you are correct in suggesting I may need to keep a few on hand. Just got a new one from the warranty folks at Circupool today. Put it in and, voila, the unit seals. Seems a bit strange, however, as the original was only 7 months old and, comparing the two, there didn't seem to be any difference between them. Guess the environment in the cell must be nasty enough to perhaps alter the O ring in some way. They don't cover that in the owners manual however. I guess it's good that the cell needs disassembly for cleaning only once or twice per year.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If your salt cell is out in the heat, then I can easily see the o-ring becoming permanently deformed. It then stays sealed as long as the unit remains in one piece but then, when disassembly occurs, you'll never get the o-ring to seal properly again. I'd order two to have on hand as-needed. I'm not surprised it isn't mentioned as user manuals are written with the user in mind. Rarely are they ever written form a service perspective since most of the manufacturers will offer service training to "pool professionals" where little tidbits like o-ring failures are shared.