Leaky Autofill

[Toxophilite]

I had always read into your original post that your issue was a pressure leak at cracked thread boss. If so, just plug equalizer port and see if can overflows, making sure float valve is fully closing. If can is suspect leak, same as above suggests.

 

[Oriluv]

@Toxophilite that is correct, how do I plug the equalizer (is the equalizer the port that is in the pool?) ?

 

[Oriluv]

@Toxophilite disregard my question on the equalizer, I’m still waking up. I will give that a try and see if the well floods. Thx for the help.

 

[Dirk]

I had always read into your original post that your issue was a pressure leak at cracked thread boss. If so, just plug equalizer port and see if can overflows, making sure float valve is fully closing. If can is suspect leak, same as above suggests.

Uhg. That's why I've been confused. I had misread and thought the well, or the supply line, or both, were leaking to air (outside of the well), not that the supply line was leaking into the well. Duh. Then you can disregard all that about the bucket test. Way back somewhere I gave you some tips about plugging up the equalizer pipe: #24

 

[Toxophilite]

Uhg. That's why I've been confused. I had misread and thought the well, or the supply line, or both, were leaking to air (outside of the well), not that the supply line was leaking into the well. Duh. Then you can disregard all that about the bucket test. Way back somewhere I gave you some tips about plugging up the equalizer pipe: #24

I know one thing about these autofills of this design, of all the maintenance and repairs that goes with the pool, my head has been in the autofill bucket 90% of the time. Anything is possible. There are better ones, but these vertical mount toilet bowl float ones are just poor choice. Of all the mods I can do, I'm still back to only available options being about 2 cheap. plastic, models of float assemblies. No tapered pipe joints, and limited vertical adjustment.

 

[Oriluv]

I know one thing about these autofills of this design, of all the maintenance and repairs that goes with the pool, my head has been in the autofill bucket 90% of the time. Anything is possible. There are better ones, but these vertical mount toilet bowl float ones are just poor choice. Of all the mods I can do, I'm still back to only available options being about 2 cheap. plastic, models of float assemblies. No tapered pipe joints, and limited vertical adjustment.

What do you recommend instead of this design?

 

[Toxophilite]

What do you recommend instead of this design?

It would take a different can configuration, as they screw in from the side, but many different makers of these and can get in solid brass, along with having much more in adjustment.

 

[Oriluv]

It would take a different can configuration, as they screw in from the side, but many different makers of these and can get in solid brass, along with having much more in adjustment.

Great, thank you, I will see if I can find the brand etc. we might be having some of our pool remodeled and I am considering having the concrete around the current autofill redone, so I am looking at replacing it. I was looking at the Jandy Levolor or the Pentair Intellilevel.

 

[Dirk]

As a general rule you never want to thread male metal into female PVC. Always the other way around. You already know how easy it is to destroy a female PVC fitting, and that was done with a male thread of plastic that isn't even as rigid as PVC male. Attempting to thread male brass into whatever is left of the female threads in your well could very easily finish them off beyond repair.

That's not to say doing so isn't possible. Just be aware of how easy it can be to over-tighten or cross-thread brass into PVC. There is also the issue of different materials expanding and contracting at different rates during temperature changes.

So that's why the general rule: it's because of the potential for cross threading, over-tightening and damage due to expansion/contraction...

 

[Flying Tivo]

I just bought this ones on ebay, because of the plastic nature of the original ones(slow leak). Chlorine will always attack plastics, just very slowly.