Drain valve keeps leaking (and no pressure on gauge)

[stonesif]

I've got a new-to-me problem. I have an above ground pool, Hayward DE filter. I hooked everything up, and ran the pump. All was looking fine, except for a steady drip (or light flow) coming out of the filter's drain valve. It looked to me like it was coming out of the inside of the pipe, so I guessed something was wrong internally. I tried tightening it; no luck. Today I bought a brand new drain valve, put plumber's tape on it, and installed it. When the pump is running, there's still water dripping out of it! The valve is closed all the way.

I don't know if it's related or not, but my pressure gauge reads '0' when the pump is running. I have no idea if these issues could be connected. Also, I have not added any DE into the filter yet. Any ideas?

By the way, great site redesign! I haven't been on here in a year or two, but it looks great!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome back! To make sure we understand, are you saying that with the new valve, it's still leaking internally from the valve, or from around the valve where it's screwed in? I wouldn't run the filter without DE. Can you post a pic of your filter on the pad so we can see your set-up?

 

[stonesif]

Thanks! I've attached some pictures. Hopefully that gives you a sense of what's going on. You'll see the water pooling and dripping inside the drain valve...

 

[Texas Splash]

I'm unfamiliar with that specific type of drain spigot, but it certainly does seem to be leaking internally from within the new one. I wonder, are the threads to the filter housing the same size/diameter as a regular hose spigot? Some filters are. I wonder if you could try a standard one in its place?

 

[stonesif]

Good idea, but no — This one's a 1.5" diameter.

 

[stonesif]

This is the piece I'm using: 1-1/2 The threaded side is ~1.5" diameter.

 

[Texas Splash]

I didn't realize yours was a 1.5" size. Kind of pricey as well I see at almost $30. It's brand new, so I suppose you could ask for an exchange or refund. If you feel like trying something else, you could try a regular hose bibb/spigot. Most of those however are around 1/2 - 3/4", so you would need to play around in the PVC section at Home Depot or Lowe's to get the right combination of PVC adapter down to hose bibb, but I think it can be done.

 

[jimmyfloyd]

Your Gauge reads 0 because the needle is stuck on the other side of the post. Mine did that as well, and I do not know if there is a fix for it. Second gauge to do it on me and this one is only a year old.

 

[stonesif]

I just want to jot down my solution in case somebody stumbles across this thread. My Hayward drain valve (both the old and the new one) is actually two main pieces screwed together. All I needed to do was tighten those two pieces, enough so that I could still spin the valve. I suspect the old one failed because the rubber gasket was dry rotted.

As for the pressure gauge, that's a separate issue and I'll be picking up a new one from the pool shop.