Really Worried

[Bornnole]

I am a new pool owner (2 months approx) and I have a Pentair Legend Cleaner with booster pump installed. A week or so ago I put a blue Polaris restricter plate on the back of the male insert that screws into a female threaded coupling that is glued to the rough plumbing and set in the shotcrete and plaster. Since I don't get a lot of leaves in the pool and don't want to put my cleaner in every night (booster pump on a schedule that kicks on from 3-5 a.m. with main pump ramping up too) but still want the increased flow for a couple hours to shake the pool up pretty good I tried the restricter plate on the advice of the pool contractor. I just didn't like the sound of the booster pump without the cleaner attached or the restricter plate on.

Since putting the restricter plate on the cleaner seems to be less effective so last night I unscrewed the male insert that the quick connect on the Legend connects to, removed the restricter, and screwed the male insert back in. In screwing it back in, I used channel locks to tighten the male insert. After doing this, I noticed a steady stream of bubbles coming from that return.

I am worried that I may have overtightened and broken the seal between the female threaded piece that the threaded male piece screws into and the PVC rough plumbing that the female threaded piece was glued to.

I talked to the pool contractor this morning and he said that my concern couldn't be the problem because air couldn't get in at the connection between the rough plumbing and the threaded female coupling because it is on the pressure side. He said if I had done what I was concerned with then water would be squirting out. I am not sure where it would be squirting out because the seal between the female coupling and rough plumbing is "in the pool wall" so to speak.

Any suggestions as to what is going on? I am pretty freaked out that I overtightened and broke this seal. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Your pool guy is correct. If you had created a leak it couldn't be air as that is on the pressure side. I think what you have is a coincidence. You most likely have an air leak on the main pump and it's being fed to the booster pump.

You shouldn't have tightened the fitting with pliers but it didn't have anything to do with your problem.

 

[Bornnole]

Thanks Bama. I am an idiot when it comes to plumbing and overtightening. Having you backup the pool contractor makes me feel much better. Hopefully it is just a coincidence.

Also, if there was a leak, would those bubbles be coming from all the returns? They are only coming from the cleaner return.

Any suggestions on how to isolate where the leak may be coming from?

 

[Bama Rambler]

The first thing to do is see if there is bubbles in the pump basket.

Since the booster pump is drawing water from the main pump, depending on how it's plumbed, it may get all the air before it gets to the rest of the returns. It also could be a leak in the booster pump suction line, but that's unlikely as it's also the main pump's discharge line so it should be under pressure all the time.

Unless your booster pump draws straight from the pool and isn't hooked to the main pump.

 

[Bornnole]

Bama,

There are bubbles in the pump basket. The booster pump does draw from the main pump.

Does that indicate something to you?

Thanks.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Yes, it means you have an air leak in the suction side somewhere.
Check the skimmer and see if it's creating a vortex sucking in air. The water level should be about 3/4th's the way up the skimmer face.
Check the skimmer weir to make sure it operates freely and doesn't stick.
Clean and lube the pump basket lid and o-ring.
Check the pump strainer basket drain plug(s).

 

[Bornnole]

Thanks. Will check these things. This is something pool contractor's warranty should cover right?

 

[JohnT]

Thanks. Will check these things. This is something pool contractor's warranty should cover right?

Most likely it's just something loose. If it's a major problem it should be covered.