This is why you test

[jeflogan]

Did pressure testing of my new plumbing yesterday and had a hard time getting any good seal in my skimmer. Tried Sced 40 plug, but the pressure type plug had too big of nut to turn in the round skimmer. Ended up buying 2" galvanized pipe, but I could not get a 100% seal on that either. What are people using?


I decided to go ahead and try to pressure up the system anyway and see if I could see any leaks in my fittings. I put it under 50PSI and and blew out a fitting. The force busted the return

 

[Texas Splash]

Ugh! That stinks.

 

[PoolGate]

Sounds like someone forgot PVC glue!

 

[borjis]

Looks like the glue blew off at 50psi. or is that just primer?
I'm curious, how much psi is standard for the pressure test?

 

[jeflogan]

It was glued, but I can't say if it backed off or was held till set ( I did not do the plumbing). This is what I went by. Maximum operating pressure for a pool system is. 30 PSI is the standard maximum operating pressure that pool equipment is made to handle. 50 PSI represents the hard maximum beyond which failure is imminent.

Swimming Pool Pressure Testing

 

[PoolGate]

It was glued, but I can't say if it backed off or was held till set ( I did not do the plumbing). This is what I went by. Maximum operating pressure for a pool system is. 30 PSI is the standard maximum operating pressure that pool equipment is made to handle. 50 PSI represents the hard maximum beyond which failure is imminent.

Swimming Pool Pressure Testing

huh? 2" Schedule 40 is good up to 280 psi. If that blew at 50, they forgot to glue it. And that is what it looks like too in the pic - No glue.

 

[borjis]

I think they meant pool equipment like the filter or pump.
A filter would surely fail beyond 50psi.
That purple stuff is the glue.

On a related note, I had a funny/odd leak that had started on my last sand filter on the outlet pipe seam,
slow drip. Turned out the installer used NO glue whatsoever. I can't believe that thing ever held pressure.

 

[PoolGate]

I think they meant pool equipment like the filter or pump.
A filter would surely fail beyond 50psi.
That purple stuff is the glue.

On a related note, I had a funny/odd leak that had started on my last sand filter on the outlet pipe seam,
slow drip. Turned out the installer used NO glue whatsoever. I can't believe that thing ever held pressure.

I believe the purple is primer. I think he forgot the glue. PVC glue does not fail in that manor.

 

[jmhjgh]

In a past life we did burst testing on PVC pipe and end caps to qualify assemblers and verify quality while building filtration equipment . A proper glue joint is stronger than the pipe and as Poolgate mentions will not fail in that manor.

 

[MinerJason]

I believe the purple is primer. I think he forgot the glue. PVC glue does not fail in that manor.

Agreed. I see no evidence of glue on the failed fitting in the photo, and the primer appears totally undisturbed. Hard to tell for sure, but the other fittings in the photo appear to have been glued with clear PVC cement.

 

[jeflogan]

In a past life we did burst testing on PVC pipe and end caps to qualify assemblers and verify quality while building filtration equipment . A proper glue joint is stronger than the pipe and as Poolgate mentions will not fail in that manor.

Agreed! I also learned today that you should use teflon tape instead of pipe dope in swimming pools due the hardening of the dope over the years. I know he used pipe thread dope and I will re-do those also.

This is paragraph from the link I posted.

" If you are not pressure testing your systems then how can you be sure there is not a hairline fracture in a pipe section, or in a fitting? How can you be sure that you did not forget to glue a fitting, or what if your glued fitting leaks? Don't even try to tell me that you are so good that you never miss a glue joint. I probably killed half of my brain cells due to PVC solvent and cement over the years for all of the thousands of hours I have spent gluing pipes together. I always felt as though my joints were 100% solid, but the reality is that it is easier to mess up a glue joint then you might think. "