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.
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.