Need help FAST

[Kennetht]

I just finished plumbing my pump to my SCWD and fired it up...I'm getting micro bubbles like crazy, and I'm leaking at 2 joints. How can I fix the leaks without taking it apart? The water is in the tubs and I can't let it out on the carpet. Please help! Thanks in advance.

[Pete Jaenecke]

micro bubbles..sounds like your getting air in were the leaking is. could you use those metal clamps?

[Kennetht]

the leaks ar at PVC joints. I put some more glue around one joint, but it still looks like it's leaking.

[Pete Jaenecke]

PVC joints of the SCWD?

[imsqueak]

It's probably going to suck in the wet glue and keep it's hole open as long as you have the pump running. You cant shut down the pump for an hour or overnight while the glue dries? I proly dont understand, is this a return or closed loop? Either way, if you cant power it off without a flood your gonna be in trouble later when you have a power failure.

[Kennetht]

no....PVC joints from the pump

[Kennetht]

It's a closed loop system. The pump is turned off, but the water is still in the loop. I can't unhook the joints, because the water will pour out of them. Hope that makes it clear as mud LOL. I'm out of ideas.

[Sir Knight]

Kenneth,
You are not going to want to hear this but the best thing you can do is take it apart, fix it and add a couple of shutoff valves(ball valves). One on the intake and one on the output. I think that once you stop the leaks you will stop the micro bubbles as well.
If it is leaking from the input to the pump, that is where your micro bubbles are coming from.

[Sir Knight]

P.S.
lift the hole thing out of the tank and take it outside and drain it
If that makes sense

[Kennetht]

I'll see what I can do....may have to let it drip tonight, and get a drain pan or something under it before I take it apart

[Sir Knight]

I wouldn't let it sit over tonight. It may come completely apart when you are sleeping. Better to be safe then sorry.
:eek2:

[imsqueak]

Joe beat me to it. Pull it, yank it. Chances are slim that the joint will come apart (and at this time of night I'd probably put down a cake pan) but there is the chance...

You didnt put in unions and ball valves? Yank it, cut it, insert unions and ball valves because you will have to break it down later. They are an absolute necessity, not optional. Check Lowes for single union ball valves (2 in 1/union:valve). $10 ea if I remember correctly (but only 1.5" and bigger) but if youre running smaller pipes you can get 1:1.5 adaptors and not have to worry about cutting down flow volume~a plus!

If all else fails, clear a path, disconnect with a bucket under it and run fast to the door. (best to do this when the wife's not home)

Squeak

[Kennetht]

I have cutoff before the pump, but not after the SCWD. I'm gonna try to cut it off at the pump and hope I get most of the water back into the other line.

[Kennetht]

Alright......when I got home today I cut off the lines...I got a little water on the carpet, but got the water in the return line into a bucket, then stuck a powerhead in the pump output and pulled the water from the intake line out into the bucket. I couldn't get the fittings aparts, but I used a trick that a plumber told me, and they are drying now. I'm gonna fire it up again in a few minutes and see what happens. Thanks for all the help guys. See you all on the 6th and I plan to join the club that day also.

[Kennetht]

alright.....got a new leak and MORE BUBBLES! is there a sure fire way to not get bubbles? I hate to redo the whole ting, but it's looking that way. Here's what I'm trying to do.....I have a Quiet One 4000 pump that has 1" Fitings. I'm running 1" PVC to teh SCWD, then using a barb fitting to connect to the SCWD. Then coming off the SCWD is 3/4" PVC. The 3/4" split from a tee into 2 outputs on both sides. The pump sound slike it's straining when it starts and then the bubbles come flying out. What should I do to re-plumb it? I don't want any leaks or bubbles.....Thanks for all of the help I just wish I lived closer so I could have soem pros to help me out.

[SmartWrasse]

I am not sure how yours is set up, but my loop goes over the back with 1 1/2 in PVC. When I started mine (GenX to SCWD), I put as much water in the siphon part as I could by using a power head. Then I started the GenX. It put out bubbles like crazy for a couple of hours and then no more.

[Kennetht]

so, you think that the bubbles will stop after a while then?

[SmartWrasse]

THere will likely be air in the intake for some time, but it should stop maybe within a day. This might depend on the design for all I know. If it continues to put in lots of air then it must be sucking in somehow. Even now, mine will on occasion puff out a small amount of microbubbles. Usually on just one cycle, and not enough to bother me.

[Sir Knight]

How do you have the input line hooked up (getting water into the pump) ? If all your fitting are tight on the input side you should not have micro bubbles

[Kennetht]

I have a piece of PVC in the tank with a cap on it, and 1/8" holes drilled in it. That feeds into a tee, where I have a section coming off so that I can fill the loop with water to prime the pump. Then it goes down and into the pump.

[Sir Knight]

Send me a picture of the closed loop and I can walk you thru making any and all corrections to stop the bubbles and leaks