Pump Drain Plug Dislodged

[murphyp87]

I'm a new homeowner with my first pool. We moved in December, and with little experience with inground pools, we hired someone to open it on Saturday (2 days ago). I've done a lot of research (especially this site!) and think i have a pretty good handle. This morning, I went out to test some levels after cleaning and adjusting over the weekend, and i noticed the returns weren't pumping and i heard gushing water (never good!). i went over to the filter/pump and noticed one of the drain plugs was dislodged (blown off). I turned the power off and tried to put it back in, but it didn't fit very well and grab the threads. It had a lot of teflon tape so i took a little off, and it felt too small to even stay in.

What are my options? my biggest fear is that I'll have to replace the pump because of a striped drain plug. Is there a generic plug I can use, or some plumbing material to make it stay in place. Thank you for any help!

Thanks,
Paul

 

[pabeader]

Welcome to TFP!

Please post pics of the pump and plug. Hard to see the issue without them.

 

[murphyp87]

(you're right, hard without pics; but I'm not sure they would do justice either for this issue) So, i had a spare moment at work and ran to the pool supply store. The guy there took one look at it and believes that the the threads on the plastic plug were very stripped. He also mentioned that drain plugs, because they have o-rings, shouldn't use teflon tape anyway, so that was probably him using a 'band-aid' instead of replacing it like he should have (may not have had the part handy).

I'll let you know if this was it, and hopefully the 'teflon tape' clue can help someone else. Thank you!