Leaking PVC joint

[mbott]

Hi all! I am new to this forum as well as a new pool owner, so thank you in advance for your insight and advice! I had a company come out and conduct a pool school for us and he pointed out that we have a leak in one of our pvc fittings causing air in the jets. He quoted a fairly hefty charge to fix it but it seems like I should be able to do it myself. the associate at Lowe's suggested pvc cement. Any feedback or advice? Should applying this cement to the outside if the joint fix the problem? Any warnings to heed before I apply it?

Thanks again for the feedback!

Michelle

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

Whoever told you a leak there was causing air in your returns is either a liar or incompetent. That line is under pressure, so if there is a leak there you will have water dripping or spraying out, but it cannot cause air in your lines. If you have a water leak, your best option is to just replace the fittings and a little pipe, which is a 15 minute job for somebody with PVC experience.

 

[mmn]

Could be wrong, but I don't think you can patch that from the outside with cement. At least I wouldn't try it. If there's any flex at all you can cut through about 4 inches or more to the left of the elbow on the horizontal section. Use a coupler (couples 2 sections of pipe straight through), section of pipe (horizontal), a new 90 degree elbow, new section of pipe (vertical) to a new screw-in pump fitting.

When you put the new screw-in fitting in, it's sometimes very difficult to get a good seal. Especially on an old thread. Get the threads on the housing as clean as you can and use teflon sealer.

If you haven't done PVC plumbing this isn't really a good one to learn on unless you're willing to try it a few times till you get it right. Parts are going to be about $5 plus the cost of the cement and primer.

It can be quite frustrating to do it wrong and still have leaks, but it is very rewarding when you get it right and have done it yourself!

Regards
Michael

 

[FamilyGuy]

No glueing it from outside the joint will not work pvc cement works by bonding two pieces of plastic together it has no sealing ability if you just glob it on an already formed joint. But pvc work is fairly simple there are a ton of how to posts all over the internet for properly running pvc pipe

 

[mpnret]

If you are looking for a quick and simple way of stopping the leak before you get around to doing it the correct way (mentioned above), just put a stainless steel hose clamp on the fitting right where the leak is so the fitting squeezes the pipe a little more. Sometimes you can get away with this. I'm with everyone else on putting the glue on the outside is a waste of time.

 

[techguy]

If it were me fixing this pipe, I would cut it about 2 inches to the left of the elbow, in the horizontal section, add a slip (glue in) union, a small stub of pipe, the 90, another section of pipe and then the threaded adapter as it goes into the pump. When building, I would say to work from the pump towards the horizontal section, cut all of the pipes and dry fit everything. Don't forget to leave a little extra during dry fitting to allow the pipe to fit all the way into the slip socket when glue is applied. Also, use primer.

I would not try to fix what's there, replacement is cheaper and easier, in the long run.
If you can add the union even more to the left (as seen in this shot) it will not be in the way of the pump cover when you are checking the pump strainer.