What sealant to use.

[MoogMan]

Hi all.

Pool return jet caulk has started to come off. I take it I can just drain to below return and seal myself. Any particular type/brand?

Thanks!

 

[1poolman1]

Hi all.

Pool return jet caulk has started to come off. I take it I can just drain to below return and seal myself. Any particular type/brand?

Thanks!

View attachment 569370

Is that a vinyl pool?

 

[MoogMan]

Fiberglass.

 

[griffths]

When I rehabbed my hybrid pool eight years ago I used Vulkem 116 and it has held up well.

The instructions for Vulkem say that it should not be used in contact with chlorinated water but I could never get a definitive answer why. Some responses indicated that it would discolor, others said it would deteriorate and fail prematurely. If you are concerned, you could use a small brush and topcoat the sealant with paint to protect it but I think that is unnecessary.

The downside is that it has to be applied to a dry surface so that would require that you drain to below the return.

Another option is to use two part epoxy which can be applied underwater.

One other thought just came to mind. Are you sure that there is a leak? Typically there is a rubber gasket between the wall fitting and wall so sealant is more of a belt and suspenders solution and likely not needed to prevent/fix a leak.

With the pump off and in still water use a leak detector solution or dark colored food coloring and see if it is drawn into the edge of the fitting. If not, then there is no leak and nothing to fix.

 

[MoogMan]

Thanks for the reply - there is no leak, or at least I don’t think so. Pool has been fine and this sealant has been like this for a few weeks!

 

[Morpheus321]

I don’t mean to hijack your thread, but is caulking pool returns like that common or standard? My repair guy is proposing caulk as solution to a leak I have around the return and I am just wondering if this is a band aid solution to a bigger problem that needs to be fixed?

 

[griffths]

If there is a leak between the return fitting and pool wall, using sealant is a much quicker and easier repair than removing the pool fitting and replacing the gasket.

I would not consider it a band aid over a larger problem as the goal is to prevent pool water from leaking out.

Aesthetically, it will not look as clean to have a bead of sealant or two part epoxy around the wall fitting but will work equally well to stop the leak and unless there is a significant problem behind the wall, is as valid a fix as removing the fitting to replace the gasket.