Leak in the Return Line

by Amy
(Wallingford)

I have an above ground pool that came with the house we have just purchased. It is driving me and my husbands nuts. Now we have a leak near the return valve. Can you tell us what we should do?



Hi Amy. I just have one question before I get started, just how many husbands do you have? Kidding of course.

A leak near the return valve could mean a lot of different things. If you mean the valve assembly on the top of a sand filter, it probably needs the spider gasket changed. The top of the assembly unscrews and can be removed. The gasket should then be taken out and taken to the pool store to match with a new one.

If the leak is in the fitting coming out of the assembly it should be removed and resealed. I would use Teflon tape and the liquid form of Teflon called T+2.

Normally the term return valve is used when a valve is placed in the solid plumbing of a return line. These valves can be easily replaced but it does require some plumbing skills. You would need to cut and splice the PVC pipe to install a new valve.

It is also possible you are referring to the return fitting on the side of the pool. The most common of these is a Hayward return and they are very prone to leaking. If the return has a large white nut on the outside, it is probably a Hayward. You can start by tightening the nut with a large pair of channel locks. If the fitting has developed cracks, as so many of them do, tightening the nut will not help. The fitting would need to be replaced.

If I have not hit on your problem, or if you have more questions, use the comments button and leave as much information as you can.