How to replace pipe section fixed at both ends?

[gregch]

We inherited an ageing pool that we're trying to keep going for a little while longer until we can afford to update it. I managed to fix a couple of leaks in the waste line by cutting out old bits of pipe and gluing in the new sections, and that worked fine.

The latest leak though, is from a hairline crack in a pipe immediately next to its junction into the multiport. My original plan was to saw off the pipe at the junction with the threaded bit going into the multiport (which appears glued in place), and then insert one of those joiner pieces that slots inside the pipe one side (mulitport side) and is standard pipe width the other, ie can then be joined with a new section of pipe.

My concern is, having done that, how do I now insert a new section of pipe given that both multiport and pump are fixed? i.e. don't I need to move them apart to get a new section of pipe in, then glue & push it all together?

The connection into the pump has a joint that looks as though it should unscrew, but it won't budge - and I'm concerned if I force it, it'll bust the actual join into the (Sta-rite) pump below - which seems to be held with some kind of sealant!



Any ideas/help really welcome!

Thanks!

 

[atttech-2]

Generaly speaking there is no good way or repairing bad PVC joints short of replacing them and I normally would not recommend this but as it seems you don't have much to lose so I wold clean the joint as best you can and use some masking tape to create a reservoir of sorts and fill it with JB weld quick. They do make a JB weld for plastic the only reason I am not recommending that one is because I have no experience with it. I have a 90 elbow out of my filter that has a poor joint that was dripping I was able to stop the drip by sanding the area and using tape in the method mentioned above. It has been almost 2 years, I expect it will fail some day but at this point if it starts leaking tomorrow I will be just fine with the time I got out of it.

 

[pooldv]

The unknown joint into the pump is called a nipple and it screws into the pump housing.

 

[Jimrahbe]

G,

The joint at your pump has sealant because they often leak. This is why they make pump unions.

I suggest you scrap the whole pipe, replace the part the goes into your pump with the right type of union.

Pump unions have a O-Ring on the threaded end to prevent leaks and the need for sealant...

You could also use them on the multiport end also if you want..

They look like this...

Jim R.

 

[borjis]

+1 on the unions!

I had a leak in the same exact place once.

I didn't know any better and tried sealing it with silicon glue...haha no chance
that would work (it was on the output though not the input like yours)

any way it was only a drip, but could fill a bucket 1/3 by the end of each day.

Had someone out to repair it...turned out they had not used any pipe glue!

 

[gregch]

Thanks for all the helpful replies - what an excellent forum this is! Given the circumstances, I think I'm going to bodge it with JBweld, just to try and limp it through the season without risking any further damage. For example, I have a concern that the threaded nipple into the pump could break off leaving the threaded bit inside the pump, meaning I guess having to replace the pump, etc... or that trying to insert the new pipework causes some other damage to pump or multiport... And if the JBweld doesn't hold, well then I'll have to go ahead and chop it all out and do it the correct way. I have all the bits to do that. Just trying to limp through the rest of the season without risking having to replace any equipment that I can't afford to replace right now!

 

[retfr8flyr]

you should get a strap wrench Husky 8 in. Strap Wrench-H8STRAPWR - The Home Depot to undo the fitting and you can cutout the pipe and still save the fitting, or the pump housing, by using this method How to Unglue PVC Safely and Quickly - YouTube

 

[kj5kb]

Thanks for all the helpful replies - what an excellent forum this is! Given the circumstances, I think I'm going to bodge it with JBweld, just to try and limp it through the season without risking any further damage. For example, I have a concern that the threaded nipple into the pump could break off leaving the threaded bit inside the pump, meaning I guess having to replace the pump, etc... or that trying to insert the new pipework causes some other damage to pump or multiport... And if the JBweld doesn't hold, well then I'll have to go ahead and chop it all out and do it the correct way. I have all the bits to do that. Just trying to limp through the rest of the season without risking having to replace any equipment that I can't afford to replace right now!

Many of us assume you are in the US, "bodge" is a dead giveaway for those who didnt read your location in your profile. Replacing that bit of pipe sounds like a good plan in the long run,...with a disconnect in the middle. Not a hard or expensive job over here.

 

[gregch]

Many of us assume you are in the US, "bodge" is a dead giveaway for those who didnt read your location in your profile. Replacing that bit of pipe sounds like a good plan in the long run,...with a disconnect in the middle. Not a hard or expensive job over here.

Haha! Yes, busted, here in the UK! I put the JBweld on there and it hasn't cured yet but my gut feel already is that it's not going to work.

Ordinarily I wouldn't hesitate to do it properly and replace the pipework, but this is a very old installation and I just don't know what previous guys have done ie whether supposedly threaded joints into pump and multiport have at some point been glued. One of the ports into the multiport has what looks like glass fibre and resin binding the pipe to the multiport! I'm hoping it's actually PTFE tape and pipe cement, but... seems every time I replace a joint or bit of pipe it stresses the rest of it and a leak pops up down the line! Hopefully, I'll be able to replace the whole lot for next season.

Either way I strongly suspect that one way or another I'll be doing this particular job the right way in the next couple of days.

 

[atttech-2]

Just curious did the JB weld work or did you end up having to replace parts?

 

[gregch]

Apologies for taking a while to post this update, but I wanted to be sure... it seems the JBWeld is holding well!

It's now been running a while and has gone through several backwash/rinse cycles (which normally highlights any leaks or weeps!) and everything's fine so far - hopefully this will see us through the rest of the season.

Thanks again for all the great help on here as always.