I haven’t had to reach out to my TFP friends for quite some time, but I’m in a bit of a mess and not sure how to get out of it!
I just went through the process of opening my 26,000 gallon vinyl lined in-ground pool over the weekend and when I opened everything up and turned on the pump, one of the true union ball valves that control the flow to the pump is leaking like crazy. This means that it leaks water when the valve is set to the open position and it sucks air into the system when the pump is turned on. This makes it impossible to get a true secure prime with air coming from the leaky valve so I am afraid to leave it on so I can treat the water. Here is a pic:
Now I am trying to figure out how to replace or repair this valve. I have sealed off the skimmer intakes and the returns again and closed the multiport on the filter. My hope was that the existing water in the pipes would drain out and allow me to disassemble the existing valve. However, this must be the valve to the floor drain as I can open the other two in this situation and no more water pours into the strainer but I get a steady flow of water when I open this valve. So…how the heck do I stop the water flow so I can disassemble this valve?
BTW – my pump sits a few feet below the grade of pool if that makes a difference. I saw a thread where someone said get in the pool and seal off the main with plastic wrap and a rubber cover weighed down, but my pool is a nice shade of green right now and the water is cold so I don’t see that as a possibility!
Any advice on where to go from from here? I need to resolve this ASAP as my pool will turn solid green in a few days!
I just went through the process of opening my 26,000 gallon vinyl lined in-ground pool over the weekend and when I opened everything up and turned on the pump, one of the true union ball valves that control the flow to the pump is leaking like crazy. This means that it leaks water when the valve is set to the open position and it sucks air into the system when the pump is turned on. This makes it impossible to get a true secure prime with air coming from the leaky valve so I am afraid to leave it on so I can treat the water. Here is a pic:
Now I am trying to figure out how to replace or repair this valve. I have sealed off the skimmer intakes and the returns again and closed the multiport on the filter. My hope was that the existing water in the pipes would drain out and allow me to disassemble the existing valve. However, this must be the valve to the floor drain as I can open the other two in this situation and no more water pours into the strainer but I get a steady flow of water when I open this valve. So…how the heck do I stop the water flow so I can disassemble this valve?
BTW – my pump sits a few feet below the grade of pool if that makes a difference. I saw a thread where someone said get in the pool and seal off the main with plastic wrap and a rubber cover weighed down, but my pool is a nice shade of green right now and the water is cold so I don’t see that as a possibility!
Any advice on where to go from from here? I need to resolve this ASAP as my pool will turn solid green in a few days!