Pump Ran All Night With Multiport Set On Closed

[Elsie]

Would it have done damage to either the multiport or pump?

Here in Alabama I don't close the pool, just run the pump on the dozen or so nights the temps fall below 30 (well, sometimes a few more than that). When I covered the pool this year I put the multiport on Closed instead of leaving it on Filter, and when I went to turn the pump on two nights ago, on sheer auto pilot I flipped the pump switch and went to bed, turning it off before I went to work yesterday a.m.

Last night I went to do the same and noticed a leak coming from a horizontal pipe - I'm guessing that with the multiport closed during that cold night the water wasn't circulating in all the pump pipes; although no pipes are burst, there's definitely a leak. I turned the pump on, noticed the multiport was on closed, turned it off and then put it on filter and flipped the switch on again. It didn't sound quite right - gurgling noises (more than normal) coming from the multiport area, although the pump sounded ok, although doesn't it have to have a water source as a rule to maintain its integrity? The gurgling sounds coming from the multiport, I'm hoping, are because it wouldn't get total prime, presumably because of the leak - can see a large bubble at the top of the pump basket. Not the usual behavior if it's getting full prime. Because it only got to 28 or so that night, I'm sure there are no problems poolside such as with the skimmer.

So late last night, most concerned about the PVC that goes into the ground because if that pipe burst it could mean having to dig down to fix it, and as well as the skimmer, I propped my 30-year-old heat gun on something a foot away from that pipe, aiming for it where it met the ground, and the thing ran all night without any failure (that air is very hot). I also put the plug in the skimmer so worst case scenario I wouldn't lose a bunch of pool water and put a small sump pump in the skimmer which kept that water circulating all night; all other pipes are below ground so no worry there.

No catastrophes this morning, but we're in for another couple of nights of this cold, and we're going to have a lot of it again next week. It's never easy in my neck of the woods to get a pool repair person out so I'm going to see if my handyman can come over and cut and fix the PVC (which he is quite capable of doing). Of course, this is assuming the multiport and pump have not been damaged.

Once that's done, I'll flip the switch and if it gets prime, I'm hoping I'm good to go. I just replaced the multiport and pump two seasons ago and would be sick if either or both are ruined.

The high today is only 45 - is that warm enough to cut and replace the PVC that's cracked? I know the blue goop cures very quickly, but that may be based on a warmer temp. It's going to get to 60 Friday before another storm system/cold front moves in, so I'm thinking maybe I should just repeat what I did last night each night until then and tackle it then?

Yes, **thoroughly kicking myself** - maybe it's time I learned how to close my pool. Thanks for any input, esp. re: the multiport and pump.

Elsie

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

There's a good possibility that everything will be fine. The closed multiport dead headed the pump but if you have a flooded suction those pumps can run a long time deadheaded.

Do you have an above ground or an inground pool?

 

[Elsie]

That's as uplifting a response as it gets! In ground, 16x32. Handyman just called and I'm meeting him at the house right after lunch. He said the blue goop will cure very quickly and just fine in the mid-40's. I will be so fortunate if I come away from this with just a PVC fix. I'll be sure to let you know tomorrow morning how it all turned out. Thanks a lot!

 

[lborne]

It seems like you did not run the pump dry, so then it would depend on how hot the water got. The cold weather may have helped here keeping the water from getting too hot and hurting the seals. I'd be optomistic about the pump - less so about the multiport as it may have cracks you can't see.

 

[Elsie]

So the multiport *can* sustain damage/cracks when run in the closed position? If it is damaged, do you think a very apt handyman could install a new one or would it require a pool repair person who is familiar with them (although I'm holding my breath...)?

 

[Bama Rambler]

I don't think it would be as much from running the pump with it in the closed position as it would be from water sitting in it not circulating during freezing temps. Don't fret about it too much until you get the plumbing fixed and everything running again. No use worrying for nothing.

 

[Elsie]

I see. Roger that. In the scheme of life, no matter what the outcome here, it's just a little blip. I'll let you know tomorrow, and thanks again.

 

[lborne]

I don't think it would be as much from running the pump with it in the closed position as it would be from water sitting in it not circulating during freezing temps. Don't fret about it too much until you get the plumbing fixed and everything running again. No use worrying for nothing.

Sorry I was not clear - that's exactly what I meant.

 

[Elsie]

Update and a couple more questions.

We fixed one long-standing leak that, as a dribble, has never affected it getting prime (but we were hoping), so we looked and waited and looked some more, knowing it was sucking air from somewhere, and found a small leak in the lateral line where the water line connects to the pump basket. It wasn't long before dusk, getting cold, and too late to go get more parts so my friend and handyman, Mark (who's a seasoned electrician by trade and unfortunately out of work due to economy), brushed on some PVC putty where it meets the basket and then the pump appeared to get nearly full prime, if not full prime (still a couple small bubbles but nothing like before). He's wondering, when we go to do the full and permanent fix to that, why we can't swap out all the PVC (including the one we just fixed) with new PVC and use threaded couplings so that every time we work on it we don't have to hacksaw up the PVC? Over the years it's been cut numerous times so it's like a patchwork quilt. Any problems with doing this? Curiously, even the professional pool/pump repair people over the years have never used them either - they just continually hacksawed them (so maybe we can't use threaded couplings?).

The multiport does appear to be leaking and it's making quite a little racket. We noticed with the pump off, the incoming water source turned off and the multiport set to Closed that the water level slowly rises in the pump basket to be overflowing again. This isn't a functional problem really but I would want to know if it should be fixed nonetheless (based on the premise that small leaks can become bigger ones). As to the racket, the multiport is making a louder version of the gurgling and rattling noises that it normally makes in the summer. I've noticed that it's usually a little louder when it's cold outside but this is even louder. Mark and I are wondering if some or all of these issues might be due to seals or valves, neither of us ever having seen the inside of a multiport. The assumption is that running the pump all night with the multiport set to closed is the cause of the louder complaining since it's only a couple of seasons old?

We're wondering if, when we get a nice stretch of warmer weather where I don't have to turn the pump on at night, he could remove the multiport and rebuild it? Where would we go for direction on this? Could we get a written schematic somewhere on my type of multiport? Or would it make more sense to have it professionally rebuilt, if that's what it needs? Again, it's only two seasons old (and my seasons generally run < 3 months). It's not a long-term option in my mind to just "leave it" because I don't particularly want to hear the gurgling/rattling when outside near the pump during the summer unless, of course, it settles down some.

Any advice on the PVC conversion and the multiport would be so much appreciated!

(And, I decided that in the Fall of 2011 it's probably time to start closing the pool so no more winter emergencies or $$ running the pump. I'm sure there's a wealth of information on the how-to's of this in the forum, and it's probably as simple as taking the water below the skimmer line, putting in the skimmer plug, then somehow draining the sand filter and those above-ground lines. Since the pump is below sea level I don't believe they need any blowing out. Just not sure how to get the water in the incoming water line (not the return) below ground level.)

Thanks again!

Elsie

 

[Bama Rambler]

Rather than using threaded fittings I'd use unions near the common places that get diassembled regularly.

Rebuilding the multiport is not an intense job. anyone with a modicum of handyness can do it without much trouble. It's most likely the spider gasket that's leaking. Just get the make and model and order the correct parts online.

 

[Elsie]

Dave,

That's great news re: spider gasket; I now remember Mark said it was probably just a gasket. Any idea what would cause the noisier gurgling & rattling coming from the multiport?

So with a union you don't have to saw apart the PVC?

I just thought of another question: should I be using the filter setting during the sub-freezing overnight hours or the recirculate setting? Is there any reason to keep pool water moving through the sand? Is there a benefit of one over the other?

 

[bk406]

Run it on filter. Standing water in the filter can freeze. The entire system needs circulation of water to prevent it from freezing up.

 

[Elsie]

Roger that and thanks again

 

[Durk]

My pool was built with the pump and MPV cemented in place. My previous pool was from 1946 and had all galvanized plumbing and I always brought my pump in for the winter. The second year on the new pool I bought a bunch of unions and took out my Sawzall and solvent, and now I can take the whole setup apart for the winter. It's tight as a drum in the summer. The idea of a hacksaw as substitute for a pipe wrench offends me. It's common in the industry but it would never stay that way on any pool I own. Put in some unions.