Sequence Dart plumbing help, leaking

[dbrown]

I've been pulling my hair out trying to get my dart to stop leaking at the both the 1.5" input and 2" output. I've tried and tried with various amounts of teflon but they both continue to drip. I would go get new PVC and start over but I already glued them to the valves and dont want to drop another 40 bucks on valves.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated........

 

[marino420td]

On all threaded fittings, I used teflon pvc paste. It is the stuff you brush on and is kind of sticky and messy. Not as clean as teflon tape but no drips. I would try it first because it is very inexpensive.

 

[Bergovoy]

I like the paste, it may be a bit messy to apply, but when or after you torque the fittings, you just wipe the threads off and you got a really clean joint. (no tape to look at).

and besides the aestethics , I think the paste is supposed to be more foregiving on the leaks issues.

Good luck.

And I hope my new dart does not leak???

I will find out Friday

Bill b

 

[Cuby2k]

Use a bigger pipe wrench.

Unless the one that you had used was already too big.

Have you checked the casing to see if it's cracked? Or how about the bolts that hold the pump head on, are they snug?

Mine was leaking at the little drain plug at the bottom of the inlet, drove me crazy for a while.

 

[bureau13]

I'm a little baffled that it would be leaking at the input. Sucking air, maybe. But actually leaking?

I had a leak problem on mine at first when I was trying to use a ball valve on the output. Once I used a loop-back to my sump for excess flow and opened up the valve, all my leaking stopped.

jds

 

[israelnajar]

I have a friend having the same problem tonight. He just put siliconed it.

 

[Bergovoy]

Do not overtighten the fittings. Plastic fittings can not be 'torqued' too much.

If you are using tape, wrap the tape around the threads about 5-6 times, starting at the bottom and working up to the top. The top, shold be thicker so that the pipe is naturally flared and becomes harder to thread as it gets deeper into the housing.

The housing on the pump is some type of nylon or reinforced glass, so in other words it is more flexible then metal and it will deform if not done correctly.

I would re-do all the fittings, even if you have to get new tru unins for the pump.

Sorry,

Bill B

 

[Tigger240]

mine leaked from both intake side and discharge side until salt creep took care of it. i used pink teflon tape thats thicker than regular teflon tape and is (i guesS) supposed to be used in water appications. yea i dont like it either. id go with the paste next time.

 

[fewells]

I have had no problems with the pink tape. You can cut your pipe put new fittings to the pump and use a coupler to rejoin the pipes. May not look pretty but you will not have to buy new valves.

Also check the drain plug at the bottom of the housing. Sometimes they do not come tight enough. If you tighten it and it still leaks put teflon on it and it will stop.

 

[cstires]

I was just looking on their website the other day and they strictly say to use the Teflon Paste and NOT the Tape...

 

[wife no likey]

There are different kinds of white teflon tape, some of which isn't really teflon (which is crap)


As previously stated, pipe dope is the only way to go IMHO.

 

[Bergovoy]

I dont know about the pink stuff / tape. But the yellow or orange case tape is for gas. (Natural gas for your stove or heater)

 

[sabodish]

i had to take mine apart during my water test 2 weeks ago and use the paste also. even after 5 winds of tape it still leaked, now no leaks after all pasted up.

 

[dbrown]

I can't find any paste specifically called teflon paste. The best I could find was ACE brand "Pipe Thread Compound TPE Paste. Contains Teflon"

I'm nervous about using untested paste. Anyone familiar with this, is it the same?

 

[Bergovoy]

Pipe dope, or paste that contains teflon is the right stuff.

Basically what it is, just like the tape, is to create an anti-siezing joint. the threads do not stick to similar material with the teflon inbetween the sufaces. This allows an even torque or compression to create a better seal by creating a longer surface area of material in contact and so on..

Put the dope of evenly all around the , and if need be on the insideof the female fitting too, (on larger fittings) AFter the fittings are torqued together, then take a rag and wipe off the excess and create a clean joint.

That joint will look more professional too, as the tape tends to look wild andsometimes comes un wound.

Try it once and you will be hooked on dope from now on.

And if you need a good connection...

T

 

[marcrunner]

I had this problem as well. I tried various amounts of teflon tape. Then I tried none. I think it alowed the fitting to completly seat against the intake and it stopped leaking.

 

[dkreef]

guys, i also have dart leaking. and tried white teflon tape 6+ times around but still leaks. today i got a teflon paste. now do i use it with the tape or if not then do i apply thick amount all around the male thread then wipe off excess?

 

[sabodish]

take off the tape, apply the paste to both male and female parts, torque it down, wipe off the excess that squeezes out.

 

[salth2owannabe]

I thought I was maybe the only one. It sounds like many of these leak. Never saw the paste thing but that was my next try. After the third or fourth time with tape I got the leaks to stop. It appeared that only a short length of threads actually contact the female thread on the pump.

 

[mushumatt]

I used the paste on my setup and it leaked all over the place. So i replaced with the tape and I have yet to have a leak.