This flexible pvc pipe, w/threaded male fitting, comes out of the ground between the pump and filter. The pool came with the house we bought 2 years ago. Last year I asked the pool company that originally did the installation what it was for, and they said that basically it was a drain below the main drain, kind of a french drain, so to speak. We have a vinyl liner that currently has a lot of water behind it due to the high water table from recent rain. The fitting on this pvc pipe looks like it might connect to the inflow on the pump. If it does, can we attach the pool pump (leaving the basket in) to this drain line and pump the water to waste via the waste setting on the filter valve? If we do nothing, it will take at least a week for the liner to settle. Thanks.
Can I use this drain pipe? (pic)
- Thread starter edweather
- Start date
I know very little about french drains, but I believe they are passive drains. The water perculates through the soil until it gets into the drain and then it drains naturally. The problem with hooking a pump up to the drain is you would not be able to keep it primed. You would pull the water out that is in the drain and then the drain would not fill again until hours. So I would not try it. Maybe someone else on the board knows different and will speak up.
Yes, that is certainly worth a try. The pump might not prime, and it will lose prime eventually, so watch it the whole time you are running this way and turn it off when it loses prime. If the water table is especially high you may need to repeat each day for a while.
This kind of setup is not exactly common, but you see it fairly regularly. It is designed to take care of this exact situation (high water table). There should be gravel under the pool, so that quite a bit of the water under the pool will flow easily to the pump through the gravel before you lose prime.
This kind of setup is not exactly common, but you see it fairly regularly. It is designed to take care of this exact situation (high water table). There should be gravel under the pool, so that quite a bit of the water under the pool will flow easily to the pump through the gravel before you lose prime.
OK, thanks Jason and Txmat. It's definitely worth a try. We've got nothing to lose. As long as I can contort the pump somehow, and get it hooked up, primed, and eject the water to waste, there should be plenty of water to pump. I feel like I'm trying to lower the water table of half the neighborhood, but it's still worth a try. I have a 12" section of flexible pvc I might add to extend the piece coming out of the ground, and make it easier to hook up the pump. I'll let you know how it works.
You wont be able the get a centrifugal pump to prime on a pool undersuction.
You need a diaphragm pump to remove the ground water, as they easily move both air, and water.
You need a diaphragm pump to remove the ground water, as they easily move both air, and water.
OK racket, you are probably right. But before I go and buy a separate pump, I'd like to try the pump I have. The water table is almost at the surface, so the water presently doesn't have far to travel to get to the pump.
It all depends on the depth of the water table. An in-ground pump can pull water up from a couple of feet down. It isn't certain to work, but chances are that you wouldn't be having a problem in the first place if the water table wasn't high enough for the pump to be able to prime.
The drain worked really well!! I hooked the pump up to it, and it took a minute or so for the pump to fully prime, and then it pumped continuously full blast for about an hour and 15 minutes. Then it lost prime, but not before 99% of the water was gone from behind the liner. AWESOME. Things are fun when they work!
That is great. I told you I was no expert and you proved I was correct :lol: I was concerned you would loose prime right away, but as Jason said give it a try and that the pump would pull water into the french drain. Glad I was wrong.