Do you ever buy your o-rings from a non-pool-store commodity outlet (for the best prices)?

[Gary Davis]

In general, black buna or nitrile o-rings are a commodity that is sold for pennies each at commodity outlets, as far as I'm told.
However, once those commodities slip into a pool store package, their price goes up from pennies to sometimes dozens of dollars.

I'm talking that huge three-foot wide o-ring in the filter housing and those one-foot wide o-rings in the pump baskets mostly.
Do any of you have a good o-ring commodity supplier who sells them for a reasonable price?

 

[Newdude]

You don't have your model in your signature so I can't find the specific one, but Amazon has many in the $13- $20 range. That's plenty fair to me, because like you said, some of them are dozens dollars.

 

[setsailsoon]

As long as the o-ring is specified correctly, I've bought and used them from industrial suppliers in my former life as a plant engineer. They are not super complicated but there is a little more to it than just finding the right size. Here's a great video that gives you the basics. Also here's a really good free reference book that is on the bookshelf of every plant engineer, Parker O-Ring Handbook. It was right there on the shelf next to my Crane manual for fluid flow through pipes and valves.

I think most o-rings we see in pools are Buna N 55 hardness.

For my pool filter and strainer basket housings I found they rarely if ever needed to be replaced so I just bought one from a discount pool supplier. If yours is failing more often something may be wrong with the sealing surfaces. Most common is just that it's dirty. Clean it up and add a tiny amount of silicone lube and you should be fine.

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

 

[ajw22]

Do any of you have a good o-ring commodity supplier who sells them for a reasonable price?

OringsUSA, OringsUSA

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O-Rings - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Alex_K]

In general, black buna or nitrile o-rings are a commodity that is sold for pennies each at commodity outlets, as far as I'm told.
However, once those commodities slip into a pool store package, their price goes up from pennies to sometimes dozens of dollars.

I'm talking that huge three-foot wide o-ring in the filter housing and those one-foot wide o-rings in the pump baskets mostly.
Do any of you have a good o-ring commodity supplier who sells them for a reasonable price?

Yes. Just went to break down my DEV60 today and yet again forgot that the 2" outlet pipe O-Ring seems to be destroyed every single time I've done a breakdown. And every single time I do a breakdown I forget to order one three days before, so its on hand. Local pool house wants $26 in a rebuild kit with another gasket for the breather tube, and a 3" piece of 1/4" tubing. Amazon has them in three days (rural Prime shipping norms) for $14. It's a 2.175" x .103" O-Ring to the rest of the world and is 30-40cents. I'm stuck without a functioning filter for 3 days as the temps hit upper 80s.......

I did have luck with my grandads method of rejuvenating them in hot oil. So 30 minutes later I had a brand new, tight fit from a 3.5" and rolled up O-ring. (Something about that depression generation, they never threw anything away, because it could be used for SOMETHING, and they could find a way to stretch a while longer out of most anything).

And thank god I found a good aftermarket manifold for that Jandy, as it was an annual crack and replacement, once I got tired of spending on JB Weld

 

[JoyfulNoise]

McMaster-Carr is a great supply company for all things machining and mechanical. And depending on where you live relative to their distribution warehouses, you can often get in-stock items dropped in the mail for delivery if you get your order in before the close of business. They literally ship-first and ask questions later when it comes to low-dollar supply items. Back in my engineering days I once called them at 4:45pm to order a part that I desperately needed. The sales rep put me on hold for about 10mins and then got back on the phone and said he had the warehouse put it on the UPS truck for me already. We then went through all the PO details. Since their warehouse was roughy nearby (by East coast standards), the shipping and receiving department where I worked had it on my desk by 10am the next morning … the UPS shipping notification email got to my inbox around 11am or so

 

[Griswald]

Agree on McMaster Carr. Overnight is their standard shipping.

And they have everything!