Near disaster - Polaris pump Quick connect failed today

[run53]

A couple of years ago, I had to replace my polaris booster pump with a new one. The new ones come with quick connect plumbing to suck the water from the return line and then send it to the dedicated polaris line.

This morning, while the booster pump was running, one of the disconnects failed and before I had noticed I had lost about an inch of water from the pool. All I could think about all day was what if I wasn't home. The pool would have been drained, not to mention where the water might have gone since the equipment is right next to my bsement.

Has anyone ever had this happen? I normally don't run the polaris while I'm not home, but would it be possible for a connection to fail even if it was not running? Probably less less likely since no pressure, but it still worries me.

I'm trying to come up with a way to protect my water level from draining should this happen while I'm not home. The only idea I could come up with was to shut off my bottom drain so that the worst that could happen would be to burn out the pool pump once the water level got below the skimmers. Any other ideas out there?

 

[YesRushGen]

I don't have a solution to offer, but I do share your concern these days. Having our pool for 12 years, I never used to think twice about the booster pump and quick connect fittings... That is until this year. On opening day, my knee got in the way of one of the quick connect fittings and snapped it right in half.

This thread details my fix: Broken Fitting RepairJob - Good Enough, or go with OEM?

The repair continues to hold, but I find myself sharing your concern... If one of these were to "blow" while the pool was unattended or if I weren't home, I'd probably loose my motor due to running dry. (No drain line on my pool)

I wonder if some sort of device exists that could be wired into the electrical, which would cut power if the water fell below a certain threshold? If so, I imagine it would be "messy" to install for an already build pool.

Sorry I don't have an answer, but if someone does, I'd like to know too.

 

[run53]

I checked your previous thread. That Polaris quick connect connect kit is exactly what I have. I guess they ship that type of connection with their new pumps now.

Anyways, this is what failed on me. Thankfully I was home and heard the gushing water. I'll be honest, I didn't check the fittings for tightness when I opened the pool this year but I will check weekly from now on.

As you mentioned, it would be great to find a device that could be wired into the electrical, which would cut power if the water fell below a certain threshold. In my case, since I have a main drain, the entire pool would empty before the pump failed due to running dry. I am considering closing my main drain valve so the worst thing that could happen is losing my 12 year old pump when it runs dry. That way I'll only lose water to the skimmer level.

 

[YesRushGen]

I found a few TFPF posts that talks about this from a "prevent pump from running dry" perspective. Here's an example:

Automatically shut off pump when intake is dry?

Then, after a ton of google searching, I came across this product that fits me needs exactly. It would work for you too, but you'd need shutoff your drain line for your use.

Pump Run Dry Protection Model SDC-101 - Harwil

Looks like they make it for various sized pipes. It even has a built in time-delay feature for pump startup while priming!


Hopefully a more informed person will have some more info,
Kelly

 

[sktn77a]

I wouldn't get too paranoid about it. Hundreds and thousands of pools are in use daily and don't have any problems. Yours was bad luck (or bad installation) and you were able to catch it before any damage was done. Hopefully, lightning won't strike in the same place twice (if it's repaired properly).