Did you put your old cell back on to test it for water tightness? I had a similar issue which required me to rotate my cell around to get the best fit.
leak from salt cell union
- Thread starter crackers8199
- Start date
i have not, but that's an interesting idea. i do still have it. i'll give that a shot this afternoon and see what happens.
at this point, i'm wondering if maybe there's some sort of small nick in the groove the o-ring sits in that isn't quite sealing. if that were the case, i'd see it when i put the old cell back in (as it would also leak even though it never did before).
also pay attention to whether it feels any different tightening the nuts. If the threads are different enough such that they are not bringing the mating surface together on the new cell, you should feel it in the twist.
Working with pvc is easy but making the final fit super precise is not. Don’t want to have u cut it apart for no reason and end up with a worse fit than you’ve got
Back off one side at a time and visually check alignment. Pvc should be forgiving enough to push the two ends into alignment and the use the union collar to make the final seal.the collar/nut isn't strong enough to correct misaligned connections but it'll do its job if it need to just pull them together.
Take a real close look at the two cells and figure out whats different
i did that when we talked about this last week. i'll check it again, but i can't see any noticeable difference. if there is one, it's minute.
i'll try that tonight or tomorrow too. the frustrating part is that only one side is leaking...the side the water enters the cell. the side that leaves the cell is fine. also, it sure as heck seems like it's fitting perfectly. there's no discernable gap when i screw the new cell in, it looks like it fits just as tightly as the old one did...it just won't seal.
i also ordered one of those split nuts from amazon and tried that today...what a joke that thing is. i have no idea how those things have such good reviews...
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If we can get some equipment pad pictures it may help. I've once advised a ratcheting tie down strap to bring the connection ends together but that's dependent on the plumbing configuration.
here's a wider shot of my equipment pad. let me know if i need to take any additional photos that will help...
Is the pipe coming to the back of the cell actually level? It looks off but that could be the angle of the photo.
i'm not sure. it looks level in person, but i've never actually put a level on it because i never had any issues with it until i had to change out the cell. this is the first time i've had to do that.
it's definitely slightly off level after checking it...but why would that cause a leak now that doesn't appear when the other cell is back in?
This ones wierd. Pvc work is not hard. But you can also expect your redo to be that little bit off from perfect. Theres always some give in the pipes and as long as things are close, it comes together when the unions are put on to bring it all together. Redoing the pvc I don’t think is the right move if the current fit seems pretty good. You probably won’t improve the fit with a redo.
My best guess is theres some small difference in the shape of the cells which you haven’t seen and is throwing your fit off just that much. Not sure what else it could be.
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- May 27, 2021
- 1,278
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Check the union that is leaking visually with a fine tooth comb. With the cell removed, pull on the sealing flange of the leaking union a bit while holding the back of the flange steady and see if a crack opens up. I’ve seen unions that had a hairline crack where the sealing flange was supposed to meet the rest of the union. The new cell could be off just enough from the old cell that a hairline crack opens under tension with the new cell but not the old one.
i've double checked this a few times since my last post on this thread, and i still can't see any obvious difference between the old cell and the new one. if there is something different, it's so minute that i can't visually see it.
i've also tried several more times taking the cell out, re-wrapping the threads with seal tape, tried various different tightness adjustments on the unions themselves, took the little screen out and tried moving that around in case that was causing an issue...it still leaks.
i'm out of ideas other than actually swapping out the unions. even then, i don't understand how that's going to fix anything since the union on the outflow is the same and is not leaking...only the inflow side is. so frustrating.
i've also tried several more times taking the cell out, re-wrapping the threads with seal tape, tried various different tightness adjustments on the unions themselves, took the little screen out and tried moving that around in case that was causing an issue...it still leaks.
i'm out of ideas other than actually swapping out the unions. even then, i don't understand how that's going to fix anything since the union on the outflow is the same and is not leaking...only the inflow side is. so frustrating.
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Try using grease or Vaseline on the threads and also on the rubber seal ring to allow for easier tightening.
- May 27, 2021
- 1,278
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Did the unions leak without the thread tape? The sealing surface is sealed by an o-ring. Thread tape does nothing on the union except bind the union and keep it from tensioning correctly. If you haven’t I’d remove all the thread tape and try to seal them.
Last edited:
- May 27, 2021
- 1,278
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40