Darren needs help with an air leak in his system
 

Darren posted this on rec.ponds as rpm was unavailable. Could anyone
help him?

His address is darrengeathotmail.com

*** I don't have rec.ponds.moderated in my newsgroup listing so, I
just have
to go here ... ***

I have a stream between two ponds with a Sequence pump pumping the
water.
For a long time (several years) it was working fine but then I noticed
my
water flow reducing to about half of what it normally does. I thought
the
pump was going out, but if I turned off the pump and turned it back
on
again, the water flow would increase back to normal. Then it kept
getting
worse (reduce quicker and wouldn't recover as much). Then a few
months ago
my pump went out. It would stop and just hum and nothing would pump.
I
took it out and everything is locked up ... just dead. I replaced the
pump
with a new Sequence and it works for a while but within a few hours
the flow
reduces.


When I turn off the pump, the water in the pipe runs back down into
the
primer pot and leaks out the top a bit. I talked to a pond place and
they
said the pot shouldn't leak at all and so that is the place the air
could be
getting in. I put a silicon caulk around the seal and it sealed it so
when
I turn it off, the water comes down and doesn't leak out at all.
However,
now turning it off then on doesn't help any more. If I remove the lid
and
let water flow out to the top of the pot and put it back on, then it
runs
fine for a few hours again.


Couple thoughts:
* When it was leaking out in the past, it was also pushing out the air
when
it pushed out the water
* I can fill the primer pot to the top (and seal it), but once I turn
on the
pump, there is about an inch gap from the top of the water to the lid
- is
that normal?
* I think it is safe to say it isn't leaking air in from the top of
the pot
... so where else could it be? If there was a crack in the primer
pot, it
would leak water and I would see it (plus visual inspection had the
pot
looking ok).
* I don't think it is the pump, but maybe it could be. Is that a
common
symptom with pumps?


Any help on this would be great.


Thanks
Darren

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

Ha! I have finally made it on to pond.moderated ... I used news.aioe.org.

One question for you folks ... I am probably just going to take my pump out
and and redo all the piping around it (especially the intake part).

I want to use a "quick release" type system as well. Ron sent me a link
on the ones he uses (can't seem to find it now - can you send me the URL
again?). What else do people use? My PVC from the pump is a 1.5" pipe but
it goes to a 2" PVC pipe to the top of the pond.

Currently, I use a PVC "collar" type fitting. Sorry - long tired day, so I
can't remember it and can't seem to find it online. But it basically is a
threaded PVC pipe that allows you to take your pump out etc without gluing
up PVC pipe to it. The bad thing is that if you tighten too much it leaks
... tighten too little it leaks. It is hard to tighten because it gets
slippery etc.

Thanks
Darren

"Phyllis and Jim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Darren posted this on rec.ponds as rpm was unavailable. Could anyone
help him?

His address is darrengeathotmail.com

*** I don't have rec.ponds.moderated in my newsgroup listing so, I
just have
to go here ... ***

I have a stream between two ponds with a Sequence pump pumping the
water.
For a long time (several years) it was working fine but then I noticed
my
water flow reducing to about half of what it normally does. I thought
the
pump was going out, but if I turned off the pump and turned it back
on
again, the water flow would increase back to normal. Then it kept
getting
worse (reduce quicker and wouldn't recover as much). Then a few
months ago
my pump went out. It would stop and just hum and nothing would pump.
I
took it out and everything is locked up ... just dead. I replaced the
pump
with a new Sequence and it works for a while but within a few hours
the flow
reduces.


When I turn off the pump, the water in the pipe runs back down into
the
primer pot and leaks out the top a bit. I talked to a pond place and
they
said the pot shouldn't leak at all and so that is the place the air
could be
getting in. I put a silicon caulk around the seal and it sealed it so
when
I turn it off, the water comes down and doesn't leak out at all.
However,
now turning it off then on doesn't help any more. If I remove the lid
and
let water flow out to the top of the pot and put it back on, then it
runs
fine for a few hours again.


Couple thoughts:
* When it was leaking out in the past, it was also pushing out the air
when
it pushed out the water
* I can fill the primer pot to the top (and seal it), but once I turn
on the
pump, there is about an inch gap from the top of the water to the lid
- is
that normal?
* I think it is safe to say it isn't leaking air in from the top of
the pot
... so where else could it be? If there was a crack in the primer
pot, it
would leak water and I would see it (plus visual inspection had the
pot
looking ok).
* I don't think it is the pump, but maybe it could be. Is that a
common
symptom with pumps?


Any help on this would be great.


Thanks
Darren

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

On Thu, 3 May 2007 23:02:05 CST, "Darren"
wrote:

Currently, I use a PVC "collar" type fitting. Sorry - long tired day, so I
can't remember it and can't seem to find it online. But it basically is a
threaded PVC pipe that allows you to take your pump out etc without gluing
up PVC pipe to it. The bad thing is that if you tighten too much it leaks
... tighten too little it leaks. It is hard to tighten because it gets
slippery etc.

Teflon tape cures leaking through the thread.

Regards,

Hal

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

For some reason, I thought you weren't supposed to use teflon tape when
dealing with threaded PVC piping ...

Darren

"Hal" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 3 May 2007 23:02:05 CST, "Darren"
wrote:

Currently, I use a PVC "collar" type fitting. Sorry - long tired day, so
I
can't remember it and can't seem to find it online. But it basically is a
threaded PVC pipe that allows you to take your pump out etc without gluing
up PVC pipe to it. The bad thing is that if you tighten too much it leaks
... tighten too little it leaks. It is hard to tighten because it gets
slippery etc.

Teflon tape cures leaking through the thread.

Regards,

Hal

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

On Thu, 3 May 2007 23:02:05 CST, "Darren" wrote:

Ha! I have finally made it on to pond.moderated ... I used news.aioe.org.

Welcome! :-)

One question for you folks ... I am probably just going to take my pump out
and and redo all the piping around it (especially the intake part).

I want to use a "quick release" type system as well. Ron sent me a link
on the ones he uses (can't seem to find it now - can you send me the URL
again?). What else do people use? My PVC from the pump is a 1.5" pipe but
it goes to a 2" PVC pipe to the top of the pond.

I'm not Ron.... but....
These are the quick disconnects I used on my filter/pump connections:
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/...etail/iid/8104
female
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/...etail/iid/8161 male

Other parts and parts list can be seen on my website below listed under
Demo Pond Filter. The page numbers are not correct, but the parts numbers
are still usable. One has to click on the title to the right of the part to
see all the sizes. HTH's, ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

On Fri, 4 May 2007 12:36:37 CST, "Darren"
wrote:

For some reason, I thought you weren't supposed to use teflon tape when
dealing with threaded PVC piping ...

I'm not aware of any. A quick look did find a comment not to use
Teflon tape in PVC pipe joints, not threads. I don't glue my pump in
place, but simply slip the pipe joints together so they will come
apart for cleaning. I do wipe a finger of sandstone dust on the
(Actually ABS instead of PVC.) pipe before inserting it into the
mating part so the plastic takes the abrasive charge and provides some
friction to hold the parts together. Teflon wouldn't work here, but
it would make it easy to take apart.

Regards,

Hal

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

In article , "Darren"
wrote:

Ha! I have finally made it on to pond.moderated ... I used news.aioe.org.

One question for you folks ... I am probably just going to take my pump out
and and redo all the piping around it (especially the intake part).

I want to use a "quick release" type system as well. Ron sent me a link
on the ones he uses (can't seem to find it now - can you send me the URL
again?). What else do people use? My PVC from the pump is a 1.5" pipe but
it goes to a 2" PVC pipe to the top of the pond.

Currently, I use a PVC "collar" type fitting. Sorry - long tired day, so I
can't remember it and can't seem to find it online. But it basically is a
threaded PVC pipe that allows you to take your pump out etc without gluing
up PVC pipe to it. The bad thing is that if you tighten too much it leaks
... tighten too little it leaks. It is hard to tighten because it gets
slippery etc.

I use plumbers tape (that really thin white plastic) for threaded pipe
when I need a foolproof watertight fit. Cheap and always works.





Thanks
Darren

"Phyllis and Jim" wrote in message
ups.com...
Darren posted this on rec.ponds as rpm was unavailable. Could anyone
help him?

His address is darrengeathotmail.com

*** I don't have rec.ponds.moderated in my newsgroup listing so, I
just have
to go here ... ***

I have a stream between two ponds with a Sequence pump pumping the
water.
For a long time (several years) it was working fine but then I noticed
my
water flow reducing to about half of what it normally does. I thought
the
pump was going out, but if I turned off the pump and turned it back
on
again, the water flow would increase back to normal. Then it kept
getting
worse (reduce quicker and wouldn't recover as much). Then a few
months ago
my pump went out. It would stop and just hum and nothing would pump.
I
took it out and everything is locked up ... just dead. I replaced the
pump
with a new Sequence and it works for a while but within a few hours
the flow
reduces.


When I turn off the pump, the water in the pipe runs back down into
the
primer pot and leaks out the top a bit. I talked to a pond place and
they
said the pot shouldn't leak at all and so that is the place the air
could be
getting in. I put a silicon caulk around the seal and it sealed it so
when
I turn it off, the water comes down and doesn't leak out at all.
However,
now turning it off then on doesn't help any more. If I remove the lid
and
let water flow out to the top of the pot and put it back on, then it
runs
fine for a few hours again.


Couple thoughts:
* When it was leaking out in the past, it was also pushing out the air
when
it pushed out the water
* I can fill the primer pot to the top (and seal it), but once I turn
on the
pump, there is about an inch gap from the top of the water to the lid
- is
that normal?
* I think it is safe to say it isn't leaking air in from the top of
the pot
... so where else could it be? If there was a crack in the primer
pot, it
would leak water and I would see it (plus visual inspection had the
pot
looking ok).
* I don't think it is the pump, but maybe it could be. Is that a
common
symptom with pumps?


Any help on this would be great.


Thanks
Darren


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To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

In article ,
Hal wrote:

On Fri, 4 May 2007 12:36:37 CST, "Darren"
wrote:

For some reason, I thought you weren't supposed to use teflon tape when
dealing with threaded PVC piping ...

I'm not aware of any. A quick look did find a comment not to use
Teflon tape in PVC pipe joints, not threads. I don't glue my pump in
place, but simply slip the pipe joints together so they will come
apart for cleaning. I do wipe a finger of sandstone dust on the
(Actually ABS instead of PVC.) pipe before inserting it into the
mating part so the plastic takes the abrasive charge and provides some
friction to hold the parts together. Teflon wouldn't work here, but
it would make it easy to take apart.

Regards,

Hal

Yes, I use the teflon tape (not plumber's tape, I mentioned in my other
post) all the time for this. It's thin enough that it won't hurt the PVC
threads, which is the only reason I could think of that someone would
suggest not to use it.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

Darren needs help with an air leak in his system - I MADE IT!
 

snip

I use Gas PTFE tape - its thicker than the normal plumbing tape and gets a
good seal on the pond screw fittings

Cheers

Gordon