I had a hot tub sand filter explode and thankfully i wasn't around it. It shot sand everywhere. I vote never play around with safety!
Can a cracked filter be fixed?
- Thread starter JamesW
- Start date
BattleOfYakima
TFP Guide
Thanks! Actually that day i was inches away from it for hours working on piping. I wish i had cameras in the mech room to capture it. Split that sucker right in half!
BattleOfYakima
TFP Guide
—Warning, just about everybody here on TFP plus every filter manufacturer we can think of will agree filters CANNOT be repaired safely if cracked. Before attempting please read comments below this. TFP MOD
Fill the crack with gorilla glue and then let it dry for 48 hours then dremil excess glue flush with filter. Works every time. Been in pool filter repair for 5 years with a company doing it for 8 years. This will work. Guaranteed
I do a good deal of defect witness work.
You are wide open to fiscal & plausibly criminal liabilities.
By repairing those tanks you have created your own untested uninsurable product.
I won’t comment on anything ongoing, do a search for Tony Anthony Label Pool Filter Exploded Bomb.
- Dec 17, 2017
- 667
- Pool Size
- 36000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Astral Viron eQuilibrium EQ45
Here's what can happen with DIY repairs on filters....
Pentair Clean and Clear Plus 420 Filter Explosion
Not worth the risk to save a few $$$
Pentair Clean and Clear Plus 420 Filter Explosion
Not worth the risk to save a few $$$
cfherrman
TFP Guide
No way.
just replace it. If it’s broken it’s broken. It’s a pressure vessel, not a vase.
just replace it. If it’s broken it’s broken. It’s a pressure vessel, not a vase.
Brad_C
Well-known member
- Nov 15, 2018
- 217
- Pool Size
- 19000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Monarch ESC24 / ESC7000
I realise this is a necro-thread, but thought I'd chime in anyway.
It's interesting. When testing real pressure vessels, you use a hydraulic test as the relatively incompressible water just kinda goes "boomph" and makes a bit of a splash if they rupture, and that is at several orders of magnitude more pressure than you get from a domestic pool pump.
The key is a completely (or as complete as is practical) gasless environment. I've never seen a pool filter sans gas, and any gas compressed to a couple of tens of psi can certainly cause a pop in an area the size of a filter. More gas, bigger pop.
I don't think even I am cheap enough to try and repair a pool filter. In fact I'm pretty sure mine is a low surface activity plastic, so there isn't a viable adhesive for it in any case. It could be welded, but then by the time I found the right rod composition and got it done I'd be out nearly as much as a completely new unit anyway.
I'll take "don't do it" for $25 thanks Sandy.
It's interesting. When testing real pressure vessels, you use a hydraulic test as the relatively incompressible water just kinda goes "boomph" and makes a bit of a splash if they rupture, and that is at several orders of magnitude more pressure than you get from a domestic pool pump.
The key is a completely (or as complete as is practical) gasless environment. I've never seen a pool filter sans gas, and any gas compressed to a couple of tens of psi can certainly cause a pop in an area the size of a filter. More gas, bigger pop.
I don't think even I am cheap enough to try and repair a pool filter. In fact I'm pretty sure mine is a low surface activity plastic, so there isn't a viable adhesive for it in any case. It could be welded, but then by the time I found the right rod composition and got it done I'd be out nearly as much as a completely new unit anyway.
I'll take "don't do it" for $25 thanks Sandy.
In a former life I was a SCUBA instructor and a certified hydrostatic technician and I have performed many tests on tanks.
The chamber that the tank is tested in is a second totally sealed pressure vessel. At least here in the states, for Department of Transportation certification you must test to 5/3 the rated pressure of the vessel. A 3,000 PSI tank is filled with water and is then submerged in the test chamber, also filled with water. Once everything is sealed up you pump the tank under test to 5,000 PSI and hope everything goes well.
Pressure vessels are not toys. Any damage to the vessel is cause for immediate condemnation.
Is it possible? Yes. There's companies that specialize in this type of repair. Well, I should say, fiberglass vessel repair. Typically this is only done for commercial type equipment that is of much greater value than a pool filter. The individuals who do this are certified, have the right repair materials, and can safely confirm the repair is adequate after they are done.
With that said. Don't ever try and fix a pool filter. You're not qualified and you have no way to safely test the repair. Too many things can go wrong and your body parts are worth more than the few hundred dollars for a new filter.
With that said. Don't ever try and fix a pool filter. You're not qualified and you have no way to safely test the repair. Too many things can go wrong and your body parts are worth more than the few hundred dollars for a new filter.
Brad_C
Well-known member
- Nov 15, 2018
- 217
- Pool Size
- 19000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Monarch ESC24 / ESC7000
Since the thread is already out of the park, I'll digress and seek clarification on this point.
It is my understanding that the purpose of the secondary "containment" chamber is to measure the displacement of the tank under test. As you pump up the tank under test, the change in displacement indicates the wall flex/deformation of the tank under test and forms one of the test parameters.
That is correct, it does measure the change in displacement of the water in the outer vessel. It was 35 or so years ago, but IIRC we had to record the original displacement, the displacement under pressure and the final displacement at the end of testing. These were all part of the calculation to determine pass/fail.
But, the secondary vessel protected me in case of a failure of the tank. I had a friend loose the majority of his right hand when a SCUBA cylinder failed while filling.
As I said, Pressure vessels are not toys. Any damage to the vessel is cause for immediate condemnation.
Brad_C
Well-known member
- Nov 15, 2018
- 217
- Pool Size
- 19000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Monarch ESC24 / ESC7000
Appreciate the confirmation.
You will get no argument from me. I've seen the aftermath of a failed SCUBA cylinder in building terms. Thankfully I was never exposed to what was left of the operator.
cfherrman
TFP Guide
I think it's possible to repair a pressure vessel, under one condition, it is re-certified afterward. You would need to remove your filter, remove all the sand and other parts, repair it. The take it to a facility that does pressure vessel certification to have it re-certified, then reinstall it. The re-certification would most likely be the expensive part, partly because it's specialized work, requiring specialized equipment and also they are assuming some if not all of the liability if it fails.
I don't think you could find anyone to re-certify a pool filter. Unless the manufacturer or another organization (like the US Department of transportation who sets the standards for other tank re-certification, like SCUBA & LP Gas Cylinders in the US) approves of the process and creates a "standard" no second party is going to makeup standards.
Similar threads
