Where is this water coming from?

[ZWExton]

Refusing to believe I was losing 4"+ of water per week to evaporation, I investigated and discovered that my backwash/pump valve was leaking water into backwash every second the pump was running. I seem to resolved this by taking the big key cover off, rebricaring the seal, and reassembling. I am no longer getting water in the little backwash window (upper right) but when I open the backwash spicket (lower right) I still get free flowing water.

I am a dummy when it comes to pool plumbing. Where is this water coming from? With no water going into that pipe (since there's none passing through the backwash window) how is this happening?

View attachment 82232

 

[jblizzle]

How long was the water coming out of the spigot? Did it ever stop? Perhaps the pipe has just not emptied?
Where does that backwash pipe go after entering the ground?

It is possible to there could still be a slow leak and you would not see it in the view glass.
Although given the orientation of the Tee and the spigot, I would be surprised that you would see water coming out the spigot if it was just flowing down into the ground and not under pressure.

 

[Jimrahbe]

z,

When you backwash do you have to open the spigot or put a hose on it? If not, where does the backwash go???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ZWExton]

I let the spigot run for about 2 minutes fully open - enough that I'd be shocked if there was still water in the backwash pipe.

I do not attach a hose or open the spigot to backwash normally - the pool is piped into a waste line that goes to sewer (or so I was told.) I can also drain water directly to waste without dumping it on the ground or into the yard.

I *assume* that pipe underground just goes to waste.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I let the spigot run for about 2 minutes fully open - enough that I'd be shocked if there was still water in the backwash pipe.

I do not attach a hose or open the spigot to backwash normally - the pool is piped into a waste line that goes to sewer (or so I was told.) I can also drain water directly to waste without dumping it on the ground or into the yard.

I *assume* that pipe underground just goes to waste.

z,

Are you sure the spigot is actually on the backwash line.. It is hard to tell for sure in your pic.

For water to come out the spigot, then the backwash line would have to be plugged up or has a valve that turns it off.

Most of the time when water enters the waste/backwash pipe with the multiport in the filter position, the spider gasket has to be replaced to fix it. A little lube will not do much.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ZWExton]

Here are some more pictures. Literally 0 water coming through the backwash "window" with pump running, and some better shots of the plumbing.

 

[jblizzle]

You could always open that union right by the backwash valve and confirm whether it is leaking. That is what I do and leave it open until I need to backwash.

 

[Richard320]

If that waste line is hard-plumbed straight to a sewer with no air gap, you could have a slow drain and what's coming out the spigot is backed up drain water from the house. Was someone in the shower, or running the washing machine or dishwasher when you opened it?

Because there's no way you can unscrew that sight glass and have nothing and have pool water coming out that spigot. It has to be somewhere else. As Sherlock Hoplmes would say, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

 

[JamesW]

The sight glass only gets water when the flow is high. At low flow, water won't show in the glass.

As noted, crack open the union.