Pool plumping spaghetti

[Ds3161]

Does this plumbing look normal? Is pool plumbing usually so haphazardly piled on top of each other? Any concerns with this after backfill? The PB assures me it will be backfilled with gravel and it will all be fine in the end. I want to make sure it is done right as this area will be covered in concrete next week and there's no fixing it after that!

 

[Lake Placid]

Watching this one for the experts to weigh in…looks like a 4 year old finger painted with purple primer and rain r shine.

 

[Wolfepack88]

Does this plumbing look normal? Is pool plumbing usually so haphazardly piled on top of each other? Any concerns with this after backfill? The PB assures me it will be backfilled with gravel and it will all be fine in the end. I want to make sure it is done right as this area will be covered in concrete next week and there's no fixing it after that!

Not an expert but I would be like what the heck. To me that shows no thought or pride in doing the work. Come on man!

 

[Toxophilite]

Some crossover would seem unavoidable, and I had some, but each in final should be supported runs. There's little way they will be able to support each of those in your situation with them weaved together like they are. Notice where I had crossover, they buried the lower runs to build support for others on top.

 

[wireform]

What is done is done but there's at least one pipe if not more that needs to be cut and brought to the top of the pile. They will also need to be pampered and carefully supported while back filling with a shovel.

 

[needsajet]

Welcome to TFP. Nice to meet you

I'd much prefer toxophilite's plumbing, but yours is probably more the norm.

It's not crazy unusual and mostly suggests the pool has some water features, or in-floor jets, or some such, and also suggests they've used individual lines for everything from equipment pad to pool, which is a good thing. It's also quite apparent they used primer (the purple stuff) - also good. (just trying to find the positives )

There is one 1" pipe holding another 1" pipe higher than need be. The lower one should be lengthened so the top 1" pipe lays a bit lower, but it will work just fine as is - just looks lazy to me.

With it getting concreted over, I'd be thinking about settlement over time. If it were mine, I'd backfill with fairly fine material, pushing it around with the shovel blade to ensure it's somewhat packed in around the pipes, doesn't leave voids, and rocks are not holding the backfill up. I'd use that material until the pipes are well covered (around 3" above the pipes), then run a compactor over it, then finish the backfill and compact that as well. Even with all that, I would not concrete over it right away, but rather allow it time to settle, ideally. If that's not possible, be sure the concrete is thick enough, and with sufficient rebar, to bridge the gap when the ground settles under it. A temporary gravel path over it all would be safest because it can easily take a year for ground to fully settle.

The purple spots are primer drips and smears and won't affect anything. It does need to be pressure tested before backfill and/or before concreting. Has pressure testing been done to your satisfaction?

 

[wireform]

Hold off burring this mess till it passes pressure testing with flying colors.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

That is going to be hard to properly compact due to the multiple voids from stacking the pipes five high.
This level of workmanship is not typical when a professional is hired with years of experience.

 

[Ds3161]

Welcome to TFP. Nice to meet you

I'd much prefer toxophilite's plumbing, but yours is probably more the norm.

It's not crazy unusual and mostly suggests the pool has some water features, or in-floor jets, or some such, and also suggests they've used individual lines for everything from equipment pad to pool, which is a good thing. It's also quite apparent they used primer (the purple stuff) - also good. (just trying to find the positives )

There is one 1" pipe holding another 1" pipe higher than need be. The lower one should be lengthened so the top 1" pipe lays a bit lower, but it will work just fine as is - just looks lazy to me.

With it getting concreted over, I'd be thinking about settlement over time. If it were mine, I'd backfill with fairly fine material, pushing it around with the shovel blade to ensure it's somewhat packed in around the pipes, doesn't leave voids, and rocks are not holding the backfill up. I'd use that material until the pipes are well covered (around 3" above the pipes), then run a compactor over it, then finish the backfill and compact that as well. Even with all that, I would not concrete over it right away, but rather allow it time to settle, ideally. If that's not possible, be sure the concrete is thick enough, and with sufficient rebar, to bridge the gap when the ground settles under it. A temporary gravel path over it all would be safest because it can easily take a year for ground to fully settle.

The purple spots are primer drips and smears and won't affect anything. It does need to be pressure tested before backfill and/or before concreting. Has pressure testing been done to your satisfaction?

I watched them pressure test all the lines so I at least know it was done. Done correctly? That I don’t know.

This plumbing job has been a bit of a mess. First plumber who the PB has used for years took 2 months to finally come start the work, worked for 4 hours, then left and never came back. PB I believe ended up firing the guy and found someone else to complete the work. This is the result which is a bit of a mess. Some of the pipes you see on top are actually just carrying wires for lights, but at least two are for bubbler returns and those are the big ones I have concerns with. The waterfall 3” line seems to be on the bottom and the other larger lines for drains and returns seem to be on the bottom.

I wish they had trenched slightly wider and taken more care when making turns to ensure the pipes didn’t have to stack up. But I’m kind of stuck with that now.

I’m pretty nervous though the backfill won’t be done properly to support everything. Pretty sure he plans to backfill with course gravel, nothing that will really compact at all.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

The pool builder works for you.
Stop the progress of the job and have it corrected.
Think of the possibility of this having to be repaired after time and the amount of time and money that will take.
This is not the standard for pool plumbing.

 

[Toxophilite]

On the end nearest in pic, you have 7 layers of pipe laying on top of one of the other. Fixing the broken PVC behind a poured slab is going to cost way, way more than just doing what needs done while the trenches are open.

 

[needsajet]

You could call him out on using water pipe as conduit, especially with short right angle 90s which make wire pulling impossible (it ain't easy even in proper conduit sweep 90s).

But on the other hand, these days with all the skills shortages isn't helpful. I'd probably take a day and backfill myself with soil or a soil-sand mix around and under the pipes if that was my only option.

 

[Ds3161]

You could call him out on using water pipe as conduit, especially with short right angle 90s which make wire pulling impossible (it ain't easy even in proper conduit sweep 90s).

But on the other hand, these days with all the skills shortages isn't helpful. I'd probably take a day and backfill myself with soil or a soil-sand mix around and under the pipes if that was my only option.

I am quite concerned about those short 90s. Each run for lights has AT LEAST two short 90 bends (a couple more for the bubbler lights). These are all Pentair GloBrite lights which is a non-servicable light so would have to be fully replaced when there is an issue. If it is impossible to pull new wire using the existing wire, how would these ever be replaced? Wire splicing seems like a really bad practice to have to do to replace these.

 

[mknauss]

Pentair GloBrite lights

You WILL be replacing those, often. They last, at best 2-3 years.