Attempting A Do-It-Yourself Leak Fix In Pipe

[DougB]

Hi all.

So, I'm not sure if I can post pictures or not, I shrunk them all down so they don't take up much room. I made a single webpage also, just describing my issue, in case it's too much to put here. But here we go.

The short:

I found a leak, uncovered it, and now what do I do?

The long:

So, this is my attempt to fix a leak in the pool plumbing.

I'm NOT a DIY specialist. Rather, I'm that guy that loves walking around in Home Depot, with a new idea on what I can do with every aisle. I'm that guy that buys tools that sit in the garage and take up space, never getting used.

But fixing a leaky pool pipe? Dig up some dirt, find a pipe, Take out the leaky part and put in some fresh pipe. I did it with the sprinkler system, how much different can it be?

Egad! The dirt is either really soft (and wet and mushy) or thick clay. At least there's not much for rocks! Most of the digging isn't toooo bad. But digging around and between pipes was a PITA!

First, I will describe the basic setup of my pool. There is the pump, and attached to the pump is a spot that sucks water in. There is a valve on this, that splits between sucking from Pool or sucking from Spa. I think this is called a Jandy Valve?

And of course, the 2 pipes that go OUT, with a similar valve choosing Pool or Spa. It was easy to remember which is which, it looks like a little n and a bigger n on top of it, so the little n on the IN-side is pulling water IN and the bigger n on the outside is sending water OUT. And left is Pool, right is Spa.

And, I found the leak, it's on the Pool IN, which is the second pipe coming up from the left.

I still haven't uncovered all the dirt yet, but I'm pretty sure I can that there is the row of 4 PVC pipes and they all connect to the 4 intake and outtake pipes. There's another pipe that goes from the filter to the street (backwash?) And there's a handful of the smaller PVC, I'm guessing that's all electric.

So, first question. It LOOKS like it was copper pipe through the cement, and into the filter, and in the ground it connects to PVC. When they fixed my pump a few years back, they put in PVC for the valves, the copper still in the cement.

When fixing this, do I want to use copper or PVC? And, while I'm on this project, do I want to replace the OUT pipe that is copper also, even though it's not leaking?

Second question, how do I get the leak to stop long enough for me to work on this? Where is the water coming from? I have a hose from the pool vacuum plugged into the skimmer, with the other end sticking up outside the pool.

Which brings me to a silly third question. Is it worse andmore harmful to have the pump running and sucking AIR or with the suction blocked? I guess if the suction is blocked, it might lose it's prime, although I really don't know what that means.

So, my goal for tomorrow so far is really just to dig more around the spot where the copper meets the PVC at the bottom, and figure out how to stop the water dripping long enough to be able to get rid of more dirt. And probably chip away at more of the cement that is around the back of the pipes.

The most current photo is the first one, up top of this page, and also below.

Any help or comments are absolutely welcome! I have a feeling I'm farther from finished than I think.

[brettnolan]

Wow! That's a lot to follow. My response will be a little shorter.

First things first, since you are agreeable to it...get rid of the copper! Schedule 40 PVC and fittings all around. My opinion. Also, if you convert it all to PVC (the leak is right there by the pump, right?), it will be much easier to plumb back together. You won't have to make crazy loop or dig up way more pipe to get the flexibility needed.

Second, is your pool higher than the equipment? If so, you will need to plug every line in the pool to stop the water, with the pump off obviously. Probably a good idea to plug them all anyway. When you cut the pipes, whatever water is left in them will run out so you might want a shop vac to get the water out of the hole.

[DougB]

Hi Brett. Thanks for the response. Sorry, it was a bit much, I tend to be wordy.

I drained about 2 or 3 feet of pool, the leak finally stopped dripping. I drilled a small hole in the top of one of the PVC pipe lines, and water only leaked out for a moment, so I think my water level is down enough. Not sure the right way to plug the pipes, otherwise. Might have been easier (or quicker or cheaper) than draining water from the pool, but that's done.

Right now, I'm waiting on my two Jandy valves. Also, I need to figure out what that copper pipe is that runs between the out-to-pool and the out-to-spa. It's some type of water-balancing thing, not sure how that works or what it's called. Do I need one of those?

One last question... Where should I use threaded fittings and where should I use glue? Should I put a threaded adapter right onto the Jandy so it's re-usable?

Thanks again for any responses.

Doug B.

[Wizzard of spas]

Really looks like an older system, Great photos, however really hard to follow. Best bet is to have a professional technician come out and assess the situation, any Tech worth his salt will have an answer for you in 5 mins.

[brettnolan]

Sorry I didn't get back. Threaded vs. slip fittings...I prefer slip. When threaded fittings start to leak, you generally have to cut back more than you like to repair it anyway.

Hard to say if you need the line connecting the out to pool/out to spa lines without looking at the system as a whole.

[Jacob Stinger]

It's not a major leak (I need to sit tight a moment or so for a drip to show up). I've taken care of the fitting a considerable total to get it to this point and am concerned that I may break something if I attempt to fix it up any more.

[JasonKnight]

I will advice you to better go with the professional help.