Crack in In-Line Chlorinator & Bubbles in Returns

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Ericargard

Ericargard

0
Apr 4, 2018
13
Gastonia, NC
Hi friends.

I JUST bought a 9lb. in-line chlorinator from Leslie's (they didn't carry Hayward - and they looked to be pretty much the same thing. Let me know if I'm wrong.)
While trying to open it (before I noticed there was a tab to press to allow the cap to turn), I heard a crack - but investigated and didn't see anything.
Few days later, pool man installs for us - turn on the pump, we have LOADS of bubbles coming into the pool through the jets.

After reading on here, I suspected a suction-side air leak. I have a Hayward pump with the black lid so you can't see anything - no clue if there are air bubbles in the actual pump.
No bubbles or whirlpool in the skimmer, no blockage on main drain.
Tried turning off main drain line - still bubbles. Tried turning off skimmer line - still bubbles.
Tried using a water hose around all of the piping and plumbing slowly to see if anywhere I put it, the bubbles would go away or lessen. Nope.
Tried backwashing and rinsing the filter because I was running out of ideas - didn't help.

So, turned everything off - took the lid off the chlorinator and low and behold: two hairline cracks at the very top of the chlorinator - right across from each other, about an inch long, and in the area where the lid sits (you can't see them unless you take the lid off.) It was then that I realized I was smelling chlorine the whole time working to find the leak - (duh) from the pucks inside the chlorinator.

Is this a possibility of where the air leak is? I know it makes more sense for it to be suction side, and everything on the pressure side would be a water leak - but it's not leaking water at all, and the bubbles only started since installing it. (New pump was installed at the same time - I made sure to lube the o-rings inside both pump and chlorinator.

Help! What can I do?

Also, I'm in the process of SLAMing because our previous pump motor had finally given out on us - and it took 2 weeks for someone to get out here to replace it (ugh).
Will the bubbles affect the SLAMing process at all?

Thanks!
Erica :D
 
Bubbles will not affect the SLAM.

Everything points to the cracked chlorinator as the source of your bubbles. You can try returning it to Leslie and claiming it was defective, or just charge it to your education budget and buy another and be more careful when opening it.
 
Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

You do realize that you can not SLAM pool water with trichlor, right?
 
mknauss "You do realize that you can not SLAM pool water with trichlor, right?"

Yep! I have the chlorinator turned all the way to minimum (which might be off - but there is no word "off").
I am just using 10% bleach to shock - and using pool calculator and testing every few hours. :)
 
Re: Crack in In-Line Chlorinator & Bubbles in Returns

I'm wondering if it is causing it because it is at the very top of the chlorinator? It's definitely cracked - no doubt about it. Two good vertical one-inch hairline cracks on the feeder where the lid screws on. There is no water leaking at all.. does the chlorinator completely fill up with water, or does it keep some air in the top when it's working? Also, I've figured out mostly how everything else in the plumbing works, but not 100% on what actually happens parts-wise to the chlorinator when the dial goes from max to min, and what happens inside the actual piece of equipment.

I have one saying the crack can cause bubbles, and one saying it can't cause bubbles

Can anyone explain how it could or couldn't happen so I can understand?

Thanks so much y'all!

- - - Updated - - -

ajw22

ajw22 said:
You can try returning it to Leslie and claiming it was defective, or just charge it to your education budget and buy another and be more careful when opening it.
Click to expand...


So it is a big enough deal to replace with a new one? Is it possible to just get a waterproof sealant and seal the cracks?
Like 100% silicone sealant gorilla glue? Or something of the like?

Since they're at the top, could I just turn the system off - the water goes down to past the half way point in the chlorinator, then clean and dry where the cracks are and seal them off - wait to dry for a few hours (or however long it says) and then turn the system back on?

Of course, I would wait til I'm done SLAMing to do this.
 
As someone posted, above, the chlorinator is on the pressure side of your pool so if the cracks were a problem, you would see a leak. Bubbles in the system usually come from a suction side leak. (The tab you broke off just signals the optimum tightness of the lid - it clicks when the lid is sealed - everybody breaks them, so I wouldnt worry about that). I suspect the pool guy jimmied something when he was installing the chlorinator causing a suction leak - most likely the suction line connection at the pump.
 
sktn77a said:
As someone posted, above, the chlorinator is on the pressure side of your pool so if the cracks were a problem, you would see a leak. Bubbles in the system usually come from a suction side leak. (The tab you broke off just signals the optimum tightness of the lid - it clicks when the lid is sealed - everybody breaks them, so I wouldnt worry about that). I suspect the pool guy jimmied something when he was installing the chlorinator causing a suction leak - most likely the suction line connection at the pump.
Click to expand...

The tab is still in tact - there are two hairline cracks in the actual chlorinator itself - looking from the inside, you can see through the cracks. Would take a picture, but I'm SLAMing and don't want to to turn the filter off.
The part that keeps getting me is everyone says "usually" from a suction side leak - and it's weird to me that water isn't leaking through these cracks. Since it's not leaking through them, do you think it's even worth replacing or fixing the chlorinator? - Or is it not really that big of a deal?
 
Also, I will say I noticed that when I turned the pump back on, it did squirt a little water out at first - and then nothing. And it almost sounds like air is leaking OUT of the cracks in the chlorinator? Is that a possibility?
I still have no clue how much the water actually fills up the feeder when the pump is running.

Thanks for all of y'all's help!
I'm a like-to-understand kinda gal :D
 

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Dumb question?

Those are pretty big cracks. Is there any chance the chlorinator was installed on the suction side? That would explain why the cracks aren't leaking water, and the air in the system, and why this started after its installation... Can you post a picture of your pad, that shows where in your system this thing is installed?
 
Will post a picture of everything when I get home from work - in about 6 hours. But I'm 100% positive it's on the return side - It's installed into the return line that comes right out of the sand filter.

All I have is two in-lines (one main drain line, one skimmer line) that join together, then into the pump, then to filter, then to chlorinator, then to pool, which has two return jets (shallow end jet is on the side near the filter & deep end jet is directly across from the skimmer, away from the filter).
 
They don’t fill with water, it’s a trickle effect. Yes when you turn the pump on you will see some immediate squirting. If it’s not leaking once running for a bit that isn’t your source of air bubbles.

try to fill that crack, it should probably be replaced.
 
Ericargard said:
Will post a picture of everything when I get home from work - in about 6 hours. But I'm 100% positive it's on the return side - It's installed into the return line that comes right out of the sand filter.

All I have is two in-lines (one main drain line, one skimmer line) that join together, then into the pump, then to filter, then to chlorinator, then to pool, which has two return jets (shallow end jet is on the side near the filter & deep end jet is directly across from the skimmer, away from the filter).
Click to expand...

OK. That's not it. It was a long shot...
 
Ericargard said:
The part that keeps getting me is everyone says "usually" from a suction side leak
Click to expand...

OK, "always"! The situations where pressure side leaks cause air infiltrations are virtually zero.

Take a hose and drain water continuously over where the inlet pipe connects to the pump and see if the bubbles in the return jets stop. That would indicate that joint is not sealing.
 
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