Post Thaw Repair Plan

Jump to latest Follow Reply
PaigeMark

PaigeMark

Silver Supporter
Jun 13, 2019
196
Tulsa, OK
Pool Size
18000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
So far, the damage I can see above ground has been confined to the spa suction line. Four elbows and the short runs of pipe in between those are cracked due to the Great 2021 Freeze. I’m trying to get a head start on ordering the parts I’ll need for repairs once things warm up around here in a few weeks. I‘d love your thoughts on my plan to put this poor pool back together and I have a few questions about how that needs to happen and if there may be a better/more efficient way to plumb this line.

I think I need to buy:
4 - sch40 elbows
1 - length of sch40 pipe
1 - 3 way Jandy valve (no way to save this one, right?)
1 - union connector on pump side of Jandy valve

This is where the damage is (I’ll get a pic of the actual damage today...it‘s tented right now and I’m still working on my first cup of coffee 😬):
1613655850360.jpeg
This is what I think I need to replace:
1613655913740.jpeg
Would it be a bad idea to straighten that route to the jandy like this?
1613656040866.jpeg

Any advice on this pipe replacement is more than appreciated. I’m guessing that I’ll need to dig a little to check for more damage and to get to a point where I’ll have enough room to add a coupling at the ground level on that vertical pipe. Am I missing anything else?
 
Paige! you shouldn't have to lose the Jandy valve if you have to cut the pipe close to the valve. They work with 1.5" PVC stuck in or 2"PVC on the outside of the valve fitting. So you would just need a 2" coupler and a reducer there. And sure, re-routing the pipes as you indicated looks like a reasonable solution to me and uses one less El. That should change your parts list to 1 coupler, 1 reducer, 3 elbows and some pipe.

So which fitting cracked? .. you may want to wait until things thaw so you can see if other pipes have failed.. it may be a redesign of multiple pipes.. just sayin'
 
mguzzy said:
Paige! you shouldn't have to lose the Jandy valve if you have to cut the pipe close to the valve. They work with 1.5" PVC stuck in or 2"PVC on the outside of the valve fitting. So you would just need a 2" coupler and a reducer there. And sure, re-routing the pipes as you indicated looks like a reasonable solution to me and uses one less El. That should change your parts list to 1 coupler, one reducer and 3 elbows and some pipe.

So which fitting cracked? .. you may want to wait until things thaw so you can see if other pipes have failed.. it may be a redesign of multiple pipes.. just sayin'
Click to expand...
Good to hear that the valve can possibly be saved. I haven’t given it a really good inspection yet. I think the valve is already for 2” pipe. Is there some sort of extender for that? I will wait to see if there is more to be repaired. Just thinking I’ll order what I absolutely know is broken. All four elbow fittings and the short pipe between them is cracked. I’ll go get a pic today. Thanks for your help! You probably just saved me some $. Keeping fingers crossed for the rest of the pool.
 
You might want to consider replacing the two middle elbows with a single 45 degree elbow. The 90 that is on the pipe coming out of the ground can be rotated 45 degrees to the left and then you will only need a 45 on that straight run coming forward from the pump. It will get rid of 135 degrees of bending.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PaigeMark
MSchutzer said:
You might want to consider replacing the two middle elbows with a single 45 degree elbow. The 90 that is on the pipe coming out of the ground can be rotated 45 degrees to the left and then you will only need a 45 on that straight run coming forward from the pump. It will get rid of 135 degrees of bending.
Click to expand...
Definitely going to try that. Thank you!
 
Since that looks like a 1.5” inside, 2” outside Jandy valve you should be able to cut the existing pipe off and then slip a 2” 90 degree elbow right on the Jandy valve. You can reduce after that to 1.5” to match what you have now, or just keep it 2” piping all the way to the vertical coupling on the pipe coming out of the ground. You could cut off that coupling / reducer and replace it with a 2” coupling. Just make sure the water level is below the bottom of that coupling if you decide to cut it out.
 
mguzzy said:
I thought of that too, but decided not to mention it. I figured that would be a bit more challenging to pipe and really only really replaces an El with a 45 deg fitting. You don't really gain that much.
Click to expand...
You think it will be more challenging to fit due to the tight space?

MSchutzer said:
Since that looks like a 1.5” inside, 2” outside Jandy valve you should be able to cut the existing pipe off and then slip a 2” 90 degree elbow right on the Jandy valve. You can reduce after that to 1.5” to match what you have now, or just keep it 2” piping all the way to the vertical coupling on the pipe coming out of the ground. You could cut off that coupling / reducer and replace it with a 2” coupling. Just make sure the water level is below the bottom of that coupling if you decide to cut it out.
Click to expand...
I think it fits a 2” pipe inside and I’m pretty sure the pipe is 2” but I’ll go measure. I may be way off. No issue with the water level as the spa is above ground and once it thaws out, it’ll drain to pool level quickly.

Thank you both for walking me through this. I may be back with more issues after everything thaws out. Right now, my equipment pad looks like a war zone/homeless encampment. The tent is frozen over everything, blankets and tarps are still out there frozen in places to the ground and now broken pipes. But, it’s good to know I can repair some of this stuff myself. The travertine decking is more than I want to tackle and it has buckled all over the place. It’ll be a good time to add some umbrella stands under the tile and maybe a small trellis big enough for a hammock.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
PaigeMark said:
You think it will be more challenging to fit due to the tight space?
Click to expand...
You will be cutting the vertical pipe short.. so unless you bring the vertical run up to the same elevation and the horizontal pipes your 45 deg is going to be a 3D visualization exercise..that was my thought... but....

So after @MSchutzer 's comment I looked closer at your layout.. Yeah, they have 2" pipe coming up vertically and then reduced to 1.5" at the edge of your pad .. It's odd that they did it that way, unless the plumber's didn't know the Jandy valves would accommodate two different size fittings (yours are 1.5 and 2"). So yeah, I agree with him, cut the vertical pipe before the coupler with the reducer and do the whole thing with 2" fittings and pipe. And you can probably do the jog with a 45deg. as he suggested
 
  • Like
Reactions: PaigeMark
mguzzy said:
You will be cutting the vertical pipe short.. so unless you bring the vertical run up to the same elevation and the horizontal pipes your 45 deg is going to be a 3D visualization exercise..that was my thought... but....

So after @MSchutzer 's comment I looked closer at your layout.. Yeah, they have 2" pipe coming up vertically and then reduced to 1.5" at the edge of your pad .. It's odd that they did it that way, unless the plumber's didn't know the Jandy valves would accommodate two different size fittings (yours are 1.5 and 2"). So yeah, I agree with him, cut the vertical pipe before the coupler with the reducer and do the whole thing with 2" fittings and pipe. And you can probably do the jog with a 45deg. as he suggested
Click to expand...
Got it. I’ll be replacing the current reducing coupler with a reg 2” coupler and cutting out the extra jog. Thanks again!
 
Unfortunately, the three-way valve housing was cracked in two places. I couldn’t see the cracks until I cut through the pipe that I knew was broken. So, back to the pool store for a few more parts. There was a reason that pipe had so many 90 degree turns. I managed to get the line simplified but it was tight quarters. So much measuring!! I’m really glad that I could take care of this repair myself but I do not want to be a plumber when I grow up. 😳 I’m waiting on a replacement plug for my heater and a valve that was broken before trying to start everything back up to see if there are more leaks. Hoping this was the extent of the damage. Thank you for your help with the plumbing plan!
 
  • Like
Reactions: HeyEng and mguzzy
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply