Drip from valve

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I have a new, minor drip from the pressure-side valve which switches between pool and spa. It's about 1 drop every 3-5 seconds. I would like to fix it before it becomes a full-fledged leak. The water appears at the arrow in the photo.

The valve is controlled by a Pentair CVA-24T actuator. I assume I have to remove the actuator to get to the valve below it. It looks like 4 screws hold it in place, is that right? Once the actuator is off, I'm hoping I can simply tighten the screws on the valve itself to remedy the drip. Does that sound plausible? Thanks for any guidance.

 

[ajw22]

Yes, remove the actuator with the four screws.

Do NOT tighten the valve screws. You will do nothing except crack the valve.

Replace the O rings on the valve stem. They are the likely source of the leak.

 

[JamesW]

https://www.pentair.com/content/dam/extranet/nam/pentair-pool/residential/parts-sheets/diverter-valve-replacement-parts.pdf

 

[ajw22]

 

[JamesW]

You need (1) size 152 and (2) size 116 O-rings.

192039 O-ring #2-116 Buna 70 Shore

51016200 O-ring #2-152 Buna 70 Shore

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Thanks, guys!

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

@JamesW @ajw22

I got around to this today. The valve doesn't look much like the diagram above and the o-rings don't appear to be the right sizes.

Am I looking in the wrong place? Do I need further disassembly? Or is my valve simply different from the one illustrated?

 

[ajw22]

You are in the actuator.

You need to unscrew the actuators 4 screws and lift it off the diverter. Then open up the diverter.

 

[JamesW]

That is the actuator.

The actuator mounts on the valve.

 

[PoolStored]

You need to remove the actuator from the diverter before removing the cover to the diverter.

Red arrows are the screws holding on the actuator to the diverter.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Thanks for the quick replies. Can you tell I've never done this before?

So... actuator off and screws out. I cannot open the lid to the diverter valve. It feels like it's glued on and I don't want to risk damaging it. Is there a trick to removing it?

 

[JamesW]

Give it a slight twist.

 

[PoolStored]

The diverter assembly (vertical post with the actual "gate") is a tight fit in the body, and the gate exerts pressure on the post. It is done that way to get a good seal on the gate.

It is a bit fiddly to remove and re-insert.

Gently rock and twist the cover plate. It will come out. You will have the reverse problem when you reassemble.

 

[JamesW]

Put the handle on and rotate the valve while lifting up.

When reinstalling the screws, make sure that they go back into the exact threads and not crossthread.

When reinstalling the screws, rotate counterclockwise with light pressure until you feel the screw drop into the original threads and then go clockwise.

 

[ajw22]

Put the handle on with the screw to give you leverage to rock and lift off the cover.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Thanks for sticking with me. I reassembled everything before I saw the "put the handle on" trick. I'll try that tomorrow.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I finally got ready to attempt this repair. But when I went to the valve, it was not dripping and there was no wetness. I love it when things fix themselves.

 

[ajw22]

I finally got ready to attempt this repair. But when I went to the valve, it was not dripping and there was no wetness. I love it when things fix themselves.

Is the temperature warmer now then when it leaked?

 

[Newdude]

+1. Mine drips when it's cold. I figured i'd deal with it in the spring when it started dripping with 2 weeks left in the season. It didn't drip in the spring but started again when the temps dropped a couple weeks later. By the time the 10 pack of gaskets came from Amazon, it stopped again and now that i have them, it hasn't dripped since.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

It is a little warmer today than when I found the drip, but only by about 5 degrees. I'll hang on to the o-rings for sure.