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Sealing A Leaking Return Port Flange On Gunite Pool


etbrown4

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Sealing a leaking return port flange on gunite pool

In trying to winterize this year we find that we have 2 return ports that are leaking between the return port flange and the pool wall.

What the best product to seal this?

I've considered:

putty-like epoxy

polyurethane caulk

silicone

silicone glue

other?

Tips appreciated

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I'm hoping to try one of these this weekend, so any tips would be appreciated!

I have used the putty like epoxy on leaking spa fittings, even leaking or with some moisture present, so since the pool walls will still contain some moisture, the epoxy putty might be my first choice, but I'm open to new ideas!

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"Sealing a leaking return port flange on gunite pool

In trying to winterize this year we find that we have 2 return ports that are leaking between the return port flange and the pool wall."

So the leak is between the return port flange and the wall.

It is clear that the 1 1/2" pvc that is glued into the back of the return port flange is leaking at that joint.

So when you pressurize the return line with air, and plug the port, you get air leaking into the pool. You can see lots of air bubbles coming out between the back of the flange and the pool wall.

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Well, i was going to suggest A+B epoxy. But that probably would only help you in a water leak situation. If you are trying to pressurize and hold pressure on that line, You would want to chip out, and replace the fitting. Simply putting glue on the outside of a joint will not seal good enough to hold pressure, but may work for a suction line leak. You would be sucking the glue into the joint and possibly seal back up, but pressure would just blow out the glue. That's why you need to "redo" the joint.

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It's a two fold problem. For now I'm trying to complete winterization. So for now, I want to keep the water in the pool and out of the return pipe. Seems like epoxy and lots of sealants could do that successfully.

As Spa Guru suggests, the problem comes in when the pool is re-opened and that line pressurized. It does seem likely that the return pressure with a running pump could defeat any 'external' sealant applied between the return flange and the pool wall.

I have had pretty good luck repairing fittings on spas that I could not otherwise reach, using the two part green epoxy, even when under active pressure. Do you think that applying this inside the return port at the 'internal' junction of the pvc pipe and the port might work?

Logic suggests that if epoxy is applied internally, that once it sets up, the pump pressure would only try to push that epoxy into the joint and it seems unlikely it could blow out!

Anything has to beat chipping out the return port and likely an inch or more of the plaster so we can get enough clean pvc exposed to glue on a new port. An added problem sets in if we chip off, break off, or dremel off the pvc too far back, then it may not be long enough to glue to the new return port. hum

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Unfortunately, for better or worse, i prefer to repair things right the first time. Chip out is the only way to repair it properly with confidence that you wont have to go back in again.

I have no experience with the "green" epoxy, so i cannot comment on it. You can try the a+b that i recommended, but you really need to get the epoxy between the leak, and the water.

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