Size of plumbing to slide 2 or 2 and 1/2 inches

[ned8377]

I have a slide that is plumbed 2" from the shut off valve. The slide only takes a 2" pipe. The rest of the pool is 2 and 1/2 inch pipe. I've always wondered why, when I would turn on the slide, nothing would come out until I turned down the other jets that are plumbed 2 and 1/2 inches. I realized the difference in piping this week. My question is should they have run 2 and 1/2 inch from the valve and then reduced it to 2 inch just before it went in the slide? Would that have given me more of an equal flow or would I still have the same situation of having to turn down the other jets to make the slide work. Is there anything else that could have been done to make the system work better? I know how to operate it but it is hard for other people to get the hang of it.

 

[jblizzle]

Even if the slide was 2.5" it would not likely have gotten any water. The water will take the path of least resistance ... and that is staying below ground and going to the pool ... not up 8+ feet into the air.

You are going to have to close valves to force water to the slide.

 

[crabboy]

I agree with Jason. A larger pipe to the slide would make no difference.

My builder used a separate pump for our slide, but now that I think of of. I could have probably lived with one.

 

[ned8377]

Thanks for clearing that up for me. It would be great but much more expensive to have a separate pump and possibly even a remote to cut the pump on when one of my grand kids say "Hey pop, can you turn on the slide?" I usually just turn it on and leave it on when they are going to be here.