Tension Control Clamp Bolt Stripped!

[cfherrman]

BTW, it looks like you take a hammer and punch to knock out a pin to remove the bolt

 

[Arizonarob]

Yeah, that threaded rod is pretty much hosed...using a die to cleanup the threads is simply a last-ditch effort. You may want to order that saddle clamp and then hope the die buys you a little more time. But definitely make sure you are only using the proper brass clamp nut and NOT a standard steel nut. Also, when installing the saddle clamp and tightening the nut, I usually give it one turn of the nut with my ratchet and then I bang on the saddle clamp with a rubber mallet all around the waist of the filter to help the clamp grip the filter body. Then I tighten some more and bang some more. If you simply just try to tighten down on the nut without banging the clamp, the resistance will build up and you'll likely exceed the shear strength of the threaded rod. I also use liberal amounts of moly-disulfide grease on the nut and you only need to tighten it until the tension spring is fully compressed, no further.

Yup yup. I learned that lesson in taking a bath when I turned on the pump. Why the frig is it leaking?! Then the lightbulb went off, rubber mallet to the rescue!!

 

[PoolguyinCT]

......

 

[JamesW]

BTW, it looks like you take a hammer and punch to knock out a pin to remove the bolt

How is that done?

I don't see a pin?

 

[cfherrman]

Must not be one there then

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I don’t think the T-bolt can be removed. It looks like it is installed and then the excess strap is bent over the tee and spot-welded. It would be a bit more complicated to make it serviceable. The suggestion I’ve seen online are to use a large pair of pliers to pry open the gap and pull the bolt out. It’s “field remedy” triage at best to get the clamp going again....unless you happen to have your own portable spot-welder

 

[EuphoriaOwner]

I just wanted to second the success of the procedure that dclynds outlined above. My year 2000 Clean and Clear Plus 520 filter finally had the brass nut on the filter clamp fail. When I was tightening the clamp after a filter cleaning, the brass nut just started to spin in place instead of continuing to tighten down the clamp. I went to my local Leslies Pool store and bought part 53108900Z for $36, which includes a new brass nut, spring and washers. My original brass nut/spring had the nut and spring attached to another so that I was not able to reuse the spring as some are able to do.

I then went to Harbor Freight and bought this tap and die set for $28 using one of their super coupons:

SAE and Metric Tap and Die Set, 60 Piece

Amazing deals on this 60Pc Sae/Metric Tap And Die Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

If you can wait for the shipping delay, you could also get a set like the one below from Amazon for $30:

https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Tap-Die-Set-Internal/dp/B08Z76S56X/ref=asc_df_B08Z76S56X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=563715124049&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5039042385457335486&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030084&hvtargid=pla-1565173055644&psc=1

It is getting to 100 degrees here in AZ, so I wanted to get our pool water circulating sooner than later. So I just drove over to HF to get the set that I needed. The bolt on my clamp required use of the 5/16 in.-24 die. I bought some cutting oil at Home Depot for $8 and ran the die up and down the bolt as per instructions on a youtube video that I watched to learn about how properly use a die on a bolt.

When I first bought the new brass nut, I tried to run the nut on the bolt and the nut went about 3 turns before I could not turn it by hand any further. I thought maybe I had the wrong size brass nut. After running the die up and down the bolt, the nut just twisted right on by hand all the way to the bottom of the bolt. In reading the reviews from people buying only the replacement brass nut on Amazon, a common complaint is that the brass nut seems way too tight or seems like the wrong size for the bolt. Most likely, those buyers are fighting against threads that are a bit damaged and need a clean up from a die.

So our filter is now back up and running and the clamp is holding fast and seems as good as new. The next time the brass nut fails, I should be able to just replace the brass for $10 to $15 instead of buying the whole spring plus nut kit that Pentair sells for $36. My 22-year old clamp and bolt were in overall good shape and not in need of replacement for $200 to $250. I recommend this procedure for those that have a stripped brass nut and a clamp that is not in need of replacement yet.

 

[Fpppool]

That’s really great to know. I’m sure this situation will come up for others and it’s a good DIY fix to have documented. Thanks!!

Yep, it just happened to me... reminder not to use power tools to screw/unscrew the brass nut

 

[bsgross]

FYI, my brass nut stripped the other day while replacing filters on my Pentair CCP420 and shot off bolt with velocity. Dangerous situation!
Unfortunately I was in a hurry and didn’t realize the bolt stripped when securing the clamp back on. Ran pump overnight and noticed the next morning I lost about 6” of water overnight. I checked the filter and the top half blew off. I then realized the nut was stripped and shot off the bolt with velocity. That nut and spring are at least 1lb and they were about 4 ft from the filter, I did not notice any chipping in the cinderblock wall but I need to check again. Just want to warn everyone if you suspect that nut is stripped at all do not run the pump. Might be obvious but for a relatively new pool owner like me I was just lucky that flying nut didn’t hurt anyone or anything.