Leaking around return jet flanges when pump runs after pool replaster

[skyeboysteve]

I tried some searching on this forum; but apologize if this question has already been answered elsewhere that I missed.

We recently got our pool re-plastered by a company that came with rave online reviews--though our experience with them was less than stellar with their sloppy work and lack of communication.

Last night we went swimming for the first time after the re-plastering (about 3 weeks ago). My wife went about sanding down the plaster in areas where it had been left rough (with trowel marks and other unknown reasons). I turned on the pump to check for pressure from the return jets. Earlier, I had noticed that even though the filter pressure was in normal range; the return jets themselves seemed to have much lower pressure than usual when felt with my hand. The company we had hired installed new (DE) filter elements for us free of charge the day before, (to my pleasant surprise) and sure enough the return jets seemed to be shooting water back into the pool at about the same pressure as before the re-plaster. However, we also noticed that jets of water were also shooting out from some points from behind the flange of the return jets.

I figure this is probably not a good thing; as it could erode the plaster around the fittings and/or be locations where the pool could also leak water OUT as well. Granted, if it's just a leak between the PVC pipe and the fitting it's probably not that big an issue.

Is this something that I should be concerned with? Honestly I never specifically checked for leaks around the flanges of the return jet fittings before; though I think I may have noticed them if there had been.

Any recommendations for getting this fixed? I'm thinking about trying to get the contractor out again to fix it if it's an issue; but I don't want to complain about something that may be too petty or easily fixed myself.

 

[sktn77a]

If they are the standard Hayward rotating fish-eye type return jets, I'd try unscrewing them and putting some teflon tape on the fitting threads and then screwing them back in. Do this with the pump off and don't overtighten when you put them back in. If you still have a leak, you may have a cracked pipe/wall fitting.

 

[skyeboysteve]

Thank you for your response, but we don't have the Hayward kind. Actually, I think we figured it out. It might have helped if I had tried taking them apart to see for myself first; but it looks like the pipe has it's own flange that the eyeball fitting flange attaches to with four screws; and apparently some plaster got on the flange of the return jet pipe, thus not providing a uniform seal when the new eyeball fittings were screwed on. In any case, it looks like any leaking there was, was only between those flanges and would have had no effect on a pool leak (which my wife also confirmed while I was at work)--she did find a leak though around where the Polaris booster pump pipe penetrates the plaster though; but we plan to just put epoxy putty around that.