Cartridge keeps cracking

[emerisrose13]

Hello all, we bought our house in 2019 and it came with a pool. If I would’ve known it would be this much of a headache and expensive I wouldn’t have bought the house! I’m very discouraged and don’t know what to do anymore. I did have a family friend that is in the pool business but I feel like we’re in this situation because of him..

The pump was bought and replaced when we bought the house in 2019. The filter was replaced in 2021 after the snow and freeze in Feb 2021. Since then, the cartridge that came with the filter in the original box cracked. Since then, we haven’t had a clue what to do but keep shocking the pool. We finally went to local pool store and bought new cartridge. 1-2 days we were so happy because the water was clear!! But then the cartridge cracked 🙁.. went back to the pool store and was able to get the cartridge replaced. Come home and installed new cartridge after running pool without it to check psi.. psi was right below 10. We put the cartridge in and let it run for a few hours. Went back to check and it was cracked!!!!!!! Can someone help please? 😢

 

[emerisrose13]

 

[Jimrahbe]

13,

It looks to me like you have the input and output of your filter connected backwards.

They are not interchangeable...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[emerisrose13]

13,

It looks to me like you have the input and output of your filter connected backwards.

They are not interchangeable...

Thanks,

Jim R.

How do I fix this?

 

[ajw22]

Cut the pipes connecting your filter and turn the filter 180 degrees.

And while doing the PVC work on the filter remove the DWV elbows that were used on the return side and use Schedule 40 pressure rated 90s.

PVC Repair - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mknauss]

That chlorinator will destroy that pump, will it not? Should be last thing before water goes back to the pool.

 

[ajw22]

That chlorinator will destroy that pump, will it not? Should be last thing before water goes back to the pool.

Sure will. That system should be repiped from the pump to the return in the ground.

 

[IUsedToSail]

Those look like "drain/waste/vent" not pressure fittings.

 

[emerisrose13]

Yes, this system was already in place when we bought the house. We simply replaced parts when it needed. Can we do this work ourselves or do we need an actual plumber or pool service?

 

[emerisrose13]

And while doing the PVC work on the filter remove the DWV elbows that were used on the return side and use Schedule 40 pressure rated 90s.

PVC Repair - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

do all pipes need to be schedule 40?

 

[ajw22]

do all pipes need to be schedule 40?

Yes.

 

[emerisrose13]

Yes.

I was looking online and there are some that Al have both DWV and the schedule 40 ..this makes things confusing

 

[emerisrose13]

These are all the pipings and their labels that are on the system. I notice that not only is the chlorinator in the wrong spot but it’s backwards as well 🤦🏽‍♀️

 

[ajw22]

Please read PVC Repair - Further Reading

You have a mix of good schedule 40 fittings and bad DWV plumbing fittings. The LASCO fittings are good.

Schedule 40 fitting have deeper hubs for the pipe to go into then DWV fittings. You can identify the DEV by the shallow hubs.

In the pic below I circled in red the DWV joints that were used between the filter and return into the ground. The blue circles are fittings that look like Sche 40 from the pic.

Whoever did the plumbing work on the pool did not know what they were doing at various levels.

 

[emerisrose13]

Please read PVC Repair - Further Reading

You have a mix of good schedule 40 fittings and bad DWV plumbing fittings. The LASCO fittings are good.

Schedule 40 fitting have deeper hubs for the pipe to go into then DWV fittings. You can identify the DEV by the shallow hubs.

In the pic below I circled in red the DWV joints that were used between the filter and return into the ground. The blue circles are fittings that look like Sche 40 from the pic.

Whoever did the plumbing work on the pool did not know what they were doing at various levels.

View attachment 407978

So the red circles, those joints need to be all the schedule 40 joints instead?

 

[ajw22]

So the red circles, those joints need to be all the schedule 40 joints instead?

Those 90s need to be schedule 40, not DWV.

 

[1poolman1]

Lose the tab feeder or lose the pump unless it is never shut off. It should be after the filter, anyway.

do all pipes need to be schedule 40?

Yes.

 

[generessler]

Yikes. An inventory:

• Filter installed backward
• Chlorinator in the wrong place
• Wrong pipe (DVW)
• Pump intake should ideally have a 10" run of straight pipe after the last joint or valve.

I added the last. It makes life easier for the pump, so it lasts longer. There's no shortage of space, and you're re-plumbing anyway so might as well.

If you can find out who did all that, never let them touch the pool again.

 

[IUsedToSail]

What a mess. I can't imagine what the inside of that cartridge looks like after opening the pool for the season.

Luckily it's fairly inexpensive to fix it all.

 

[emerisrose13]

What a mess. I can't imagine what the inside of that cartridge looks like after opening the pool for the season.

Luckily it's fairly inexpensive to fix it all.

It’s horribly broken !