Leaky drain plug on pool filter

[ndakotaninja]

I have a Sta-Rite system 3 cartridge filter (see manual here http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/System3SMOM.pdf), and when I cleaned the pool a few weeks after I had things running, I tried to take the bottom drain plug out (first time I had done that) but it was pretty tightly on there so I couldn't get it off with the ground clearance I had. Unfortunately, it had loosened up enough that it was now leaking, and my wrench had ripped up the 'nut' portion that you use to take it off.

So I bought a replacement plug and yesterday I emptied the filter out again, got down underneath the filter, and painstakingly removed the old drain plug. It was simply a plastic piece that threads into the drain hole, not even Teflon tape to help seal it better. I put Teflon tape on the new one and installed it, turning it as tightly as it could possibly go. Today, I noticed that it was leaking even more than before. So I am thinking that maybe the old one had been in it so long that the crud/sand/etc had sealed the leaks and by replacing it with a new plug, it's not a tight seal anymore. But that's what the Teflon tape was for.

So anyone have experience with plugs on filters and know of any tips/tricks to get it to stop leaking? I can take it all apart again (I really don't want to do it, but I will probably have to) and wrap it even more with the tape, but I figured since it didn't have any on there to begin with, a simple few layers would be more than enough to prevent leaks. I tried tightening it more today and it wouldn't budge. I tried loosening it a little and, as expected, it didn't stop leaking that way either.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[ps0303]

There could be a crack somewhere around the plug and by tightening it really tight, you have expanded the crack thus leaking more. The only way to really find this is to completely uninstall the filter and turn it over and look really good at the bottom of it. I've had to do this before when I worked on filters and yes it's a pain in the rear but the only way to see what's actually going on.

 

[OldPoolBoy2]

I concur with Paul, ...but I had a similar issue with my Sta-Rite system 3 Sand filter. It was a cracked o-ring. Did you replace the o-ring with the new plug?

 

[ndakotaninja]

I concur with Paul, ...but I had a similar issue with my Sta-Rite system 3 Sand filter. It was a cracked o-ring. Did you replace the o-ring with the new plug?

Hmm...it didn't have an o-ring with it, and the old one didn't have one on it either. And I originally was going to turn it over when I replaced it, but the lines going in and out of it were on there so tight that I couldn't get them loose. Which is why I was uncomfortably positioned turning it a 6th of a turn each time. So there could be some other crack there too that I can't see since I can't get underneath it. If there is, any options to repair/seal the leak without replacing the unit?

 

[ps0303]

People have tried but the amount of pressure in there is usually too great. You could try an epoxy resin but I wouldn't give too much hope for it. Even if it fixes it short term it will come back.

 

[440dodge440]

I replaced a drain plug on a Hayward DE filter with a drain valve. At first I put it on with no o-ring since the fitting I bought didn't have an o-ring. It leaked no matter how tight I made it. I just removed the o-ring from the plug and put it on the valve assembly and it no longer leaks...in other words, find an o-ring. You could probably get one at a pool supply, but tractor supply stores and hardware stores are also likely to have them.