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A week ago, I managed to shut off the inflow valve to my Polaris vacuum pump but I forgot to turn off the pump itself. Pressure built and the the hose (flex hose rather than rigid PVC) permanently formed a balloon and water started leaking from the connection.

I sawed off the ballooned area of the hose and reconnected (there was just enough length) - but there was some minor leaking around the area where the hose meets the plastic connectors.

Can I caulk that and expect the caulking to hold up to the water pressure?

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Not a chance that will hold – Steven Jul 13 '12 at 12:07
What's the nature of the connection? If it is something that threads on, all you should need is PTFE tape. If it slips on, PVC primer and glue may work, but you should call the manufacturer. – Michael Jul 13 '12 at 12:41
Sure enough, the caulking made a very minor difference - the water pressure carved a few pinholes through it in no time. – Cory M Jul 14 '12 at 12:48

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Caulking is designed to keep water out of cracks. It remains relatively soft and pliable even after it sets up so that vibrations do not cause it to crack. One thing it does not have is great adhesion properties. If you've ever started peeling it you will know what I mean - it pulls off relatively easily. Because of this, I doubt it will hold up to water pressure in a pipe.

The connection type will determine how you should connect this. If it is a push-on barbed connection then you can use a pipe clamp around the connection to tighten it up.

Pipe Clamp

If it is a threaded connection then you can use teflon tape or pipe dope. If it is a glued connection then likely you did not glue it correctly and you will need to re-do it.

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Thank you. Since I can't post images, this is difficult to explain. Caulking and rubber stretch & seal tape did no good at all. The connection involves a tapered plastic piece that the hose fits over. Attached correctly, it looks like a good 2-3 inches of the plastic would be inside the hose. The issue seems to be that I cannot get the hose as far down onto that piece as it ought to go. I don't know of a method that wouldn't risk breaking the pump below. I may just have to call in a professional for this one which is irritating - quite an expensive mistake on my part. – Cory M Jul 16 '12 at 20:23
Sounds like you need to add a union to make the hose longer so that it will fit all the way on the connection – Steven Jul 16 '12 at 20:49

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