Whisperflo - problems after some dry pumping & pics

[buckster]

HI,

I have a Whisperflo WFE-24 1hp pump.

Last week we had a lot of rain and my in-ground saltwater pool came within half an inch of overflowing. I pumped some of the excess out to waste, but of course forgot and went to work leaving the pump running to waste... doh!

Came back at lunchtime and the pool wast down about a foot below the skimmer. The timer had cut the pump out by the time I returned and the pool refilled over the next few days.

Since then I've noticed 2 problems which may or may not be linked to the pump running without water in the skimmer:

1. I can see quite a lot of air in the filter basket area while the pump is running. This did not happen before. And when the pump stops water drains from the filter basket area back to the pool so the pump has to prime itself again next time it starts.

2. There is a slight leak at the base of the pvc return pipe adjoining the pump on top of the pump. About a cup full of water is released every 1 minute while the pump is running.

Could problem 2 be causing problem 1? If so is fixing problem 2 fairly easy... can i just put some pvc glue in the collar where the up-pipe joins the pump? I;m not much of a handyman... should I get a plumber/pool specialist to do this?

I'm attaching a couple pics to show what my setup looks like.

Thanks for any consideration.

b.
[attachment=0:3vvl5k1a]DSC_0101.jpg[/attachment:3vvl5k1a]
[attachment=1:3vvl5k1a]DSC_0106.jpg[/attachment:3vvl5k1a]

 

[lborne]

Your fitting probably overheated and cracked during the dry run. You are lucky the pump is still working. The crack is allowing the water to leak when running the pump and then allowing air in when the pump is off, so yes, they are related.

It is doubtful that you can just add glue around the fitting and hope that it seals, especially on the pressure side (return side). Is the leak coming from where the pipe goes into the fitting, or where the fitting threads into the pump? You don't use glue on the threaded fitting into the pump. Either way, this is a pretty easy fix assuming your pump body is not cracked.

 

[buckster]

Thanks for your interest, lborne.

The attached pic shows where the leak is coming from (it is coming from under the plastic hex-bolt-thing) :

[attachment=0:v0y1h7bk]IMG_0071.jpg[/attachment:v0y1h7bk]

Your fitting probably overheated and cracked during the dry run

By 'fitting', I assume the mean the plastic hex-bolt-thing at the base of the pipe heading upwards from the pump. Where I refer to fitting below I am referring to that plastic hex-bolt-thing

The pump case does not look to be cracked at all, and I can't see any cracks in the fitting, although the leak is seeping out from under the fitting.

Can I just go buy a new fitting from Lowes? Do I need to cut the pipes somehow to fit it or will it just come apart with some elbow grease?

Thanks,

b.

 

[lborne]

You need to cut the pipe. If it were me, here is what I would do. Others may have better ideas.

Cut the pipe about 6" above the fitting and then just at the fitting so there is some room between the hex fitting and the end of the cut pipe.

Put a big crescent, pipe or strap wrench on the hex fitting and unscrew it from the pump. It should not be glued, but I have seen some idiot plumbers glue threaded joints.

Bring that fitting to Lowes and get one just like it. Then, get some thread sealant (I like the paste for 1" and larger pipes as opposed to the tape), and some pvc cement (I like blue, but it dries quick), a foot or so of pipe (you can have them cut the 10 foot sections if you don't want to buy it all), and then a coupler.

Clean the female threads in your pump, put thread sealant on the new fittings threads (be sure not to get any inside the pipe or the last few threads near the end), and then thread into the pump. Cut a length of pipe to fit inside the fitting and then up to the cut pipe. Here is the tricky part. Somehow you need some room to fit the coupler. They make slip couplers with no steps on the inside that can freely slide over pipe and it makes repairs easy. However, Lowes and HD do not usually carry these and I end up machining the step out. Some specialty irrigation places carry the couplers, or I know HD and Lowes carry the expandable coupling that lengthens to fill the gap. Not sure how you want to do it, but either way you need to glue one end of the pipe in the coupler making sure not to drip glue into your pump, then connect the pipes together with a coupler. If your pipe going to the filter valve bends out of the way, you can glue the pipe into the coupler first before threading it into the pump to make sure glue does not drip inside. And if it bend enough, a standard coupler might work for you - but then you should get the slower drying pvc cement so you have time to get it all aligned.

Hope all that makes sense. It will save you a lot in plumber repairs. Of course, there is still the chance that the pump body is cracked at the threads.

 

[buckster]

Many thanks for the detailed advice.

You said...

They make slip couplers with no steps on the inside that can freely slide over pipe

I needed to get familiar with the Zoeller sump pump in my basement recently. This has a 24 inch rising pipe (probably 2 inches diameter) connected to an ongoing rising pipe using a slip coupler made of high-density rubber. The high-density rubber coupler fits snugly on the pipe and has has 2 collars on either end that can be tightened with a screwdriver. It looks something like this:

[attachment=0:1w4610cy]611918018201sm.jpg[/attachment:1w4610cy]

Do you think this would work on the pool pipes? Worth a try?

Thanks,

b.

 

[lborne]

You don't really want to use that. Those are meant for waste and vent pipes. You should use a pvc coupling.