Return hose came off -- question about re-installing it

[crek31]

Came home early to clean pool, etc, for a weekend with house guests arriving tonight. Been stressing to keep water sparkly so as to have pool in great shape for this visit. Within a minute of hooking up Wanda the Whale to do her pool chores, I heard gushing and saw that the flex hose attached to the return had come out of its rubber/clamped sleeve.

Note, I am talking about flexible "hard" plumbing, not Intex hoses, if that matter.

I quickly turned off the pump and ultimately figured out to open that clamp all the way and then pushed the hose up as far as it could go to the narrowed part of the upper part of the sleeve (I hope this makes sense) until it couldn't be pushed up any further. Then I re-tightened the clamp as tight as I could get it with a screwdriver. It seems to be holding (all of five minutes now). I then went around to all the clamps and tightened them as much as possible.

My question is -- am I supposed to tighten it as much as I possibly can, or is there a sweet spot that is shy of all the way tight? Probably seems like a dumb question, but I know on some things over-tightening is actually bad so I want to be sure I haven't set myself up for a problem. We are about to be in a mandatory water restriction, so if this pool drains out I likely won't be able to re-fill it this summer.

As always, thanks for any input.

 

[topher]

i recommend using a socket driver.. also heating them up prior to putting them on, and then tightening (while still warm) will create a better seal. - it is possible to over tighten. but if you did you would break them.

 

[techguy]

Are you using this flex PVC tubing

or something like this?

or this?

Asking as opposed to making a bad assumption.

 

[crek31]

The top one. I am frantically getting guest rooms and food ready for company, but when they get here I'll try to cut out to take a photo. The rubber "coupler?" between that white hose and the hard part of the return that is on the outside of the pool is bulged out a bit, so I don't think I have it right yet. But so far it is holding.

 

[techguy]

If you went to the pool store and got either of the other 2 hoses below, you could fix it with a couple hose clamps and the new hose. Almost any pool store should have these in stock, especially if they are above ground dealers.

This is my suction hose and I get several years of use out of them for about $20. I like these clamps better than the gear-type stainless ones (that work fine also) and the cuff hose is better than the PVC grey one but both are quick, easy, almost cheap, and reliable for a couple years.

I have seen the PVC flex pipes but I have not heard great things about them. Rigid PVC is fine also but I like my simple system.

Good luck!

 

[ultra800_96]

Just my .02 over the last 17 years. Your hose that your using is ok. The fitting that it fits on to..is it pretty smooth, or more like barbs where the hose fits? I'm betting it's smooth, & over the years they will become misshapen where the hose slips on. I've fought the cheapy hoses, and the smooth type hose fittings. Never again. Good Heavy duty hose & fittings is the answer. If you have a farm store or any type near you that sells sprayer parts, or can find the fittings with more of a barb in a lowes, or like store, that will end your troubles. The downside is you will probably need to heat the hose with a hair dryer or heat gun, plus I put some silicone lube on the inside of the hose to get it to slip on more easily. That has totally ended my hose troubles.

 

[topher]

i use a solder torch to heat it up.. a quick blast.. of flame and it's nice ad toasty warm and soft..