Pentair clean and clear plus leaking near band clamp

[kp326470]

Hello,

I was doing quarterly cleaning of my pentair clean and clear plus cartridge filter. After washing my filters, I will always lube the o-ring, clean the rims for any debris and make sure the lid is properly seated before I put the band clamp and tighten it. After a day I noticed there is a leak on the band clamp, so I tighten it a bit further, but the leak is still there.

One thing I have noticed is that before there always used to be around 1/4 inch of gap between the clamps after I screwed the nut tightly. But now I notice that there is no gap left between the clamping assembly. Now I am thinking that the clamp somehow deformed and lost its original shape and hence there is no gap left. As there is no gap left, I am guessing it is not tightening completely and hence there is a water leak. Does anyone have any guesses why this might be happening? I have attached the picture of the clamp assembly.

Thanks

 

[HermanTX]

Take a picture of the opposite side. Is it a hinge or is another screw & spring assembly.
Also, is your spring coils touching one another? You should tighten just enough for the spring coils to touch each other but do not over tighten.

 

[kp326470]

On the opposite sides they are all hinged. And yes my spring coils are touching each other. But this is the catch, before every time when I tighten those spring nuts with similar torque there always used to be a nice 1/4 - 1/2 inch gap. But now suddenly for the same tightness there is no gap remaining between the two sides that joins with the spring nuts. It's almost like the band clamp expanded suddenly. I have attached photos for all three sides (Two pics for the hinge joint and one where the spring nut assembly goes).

 

[sande005]

How old is the filter?
I had this happen on my previous really old sand filter (not Pentair). Some of the spot welds holding the parts of the band together started to fail, and the band seemed to stretch. One day it broke apart completely.
Perhaps see if you can find a place to order from, that has a generous return policy if it turns out the new has the same issue. A call to Pentair may get you more information.

 

[HermanTX]

That gap on the hinge looks wide. Can you take off the clamp (turn off pump first and open bleed valve first). Confirm that nothing has broken loose.

Ensure it is seated properly around the entire perimeter as you tighten up.
Also some times if you lift the top off and shift it an inch or so, it will reseat on a new area.

 

[TinFoilHat]

The gaps in the back side of the band clamp may be the cause of the lack of tightening but you might also just have a worn out tank o-ring.

 

[kp326470]

I have opened the filter twice and completely removed the internal assembly (Filters, the stand, the bleed tube etc..) and put them back as perfectly as I can. Also inspected the o-ring, the filter seat for hairline cracks and they look alright. furthermore I made sure the top of the filter sits nicely. But I do agree that the band clamp might have just stretched out over the time. And yeah gaps between the hinges on the back side does look a bit large and perhaps that might be the issue. I will just order a new band clamp and see if that solves the issue. This filter came with our house so I'm not sure how old it is.

I can't believe those genuine Pentair band clamps are close to $450. What a rip off. I have seen people have to replace the entire band clamp, just because the screw got stripped (No way just to replace the screws as they are inserted in a welded joint). Either its a poor design or Pentair knowingly made this choice to further make some more money.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Howdy, neighbor. When I damaged my CCP's band clamp, I went to my local Leslie's (in Danville) to see whether I could buy a replacement. Of course, this was not a part they kept in stock. But the store manager was kind enough to take the clamp off a display model filter and sell it to me on the spot - his idea, not mine. So you might want to wander in to your local pool store and give that a try.