What are these pipes?

[SoCalDIYWannabe]

Pool is getting resurfaced. (if it ever stops raining!) And during the process, I'm going to replace this old DE filter with a cartridge filter.
Planning to DIY, I mean it's just a bunch of pvc and gluing. I can manage that. (Famous last words, just before "Hello, Pool Guy? I think I made a mistake...") But alas, I think I'll be fine.

Planning out my rework and replumb, just wondering what these pipes do.
One looks like some type of air vent, it comes up, hits a 45, then a 90, and is not capped or connected to anything.
The second one is a smaller diameter, and is capped.
Are these pool / water things?

The third one, I know is for backwash, which I won't use with the new filter. Wondering best way to disconnect / plug.

Thoughts on any of this?

Doug, a diy-wannabe.

 

[Ahultin]

The 2" looks like spa air intake

 

[1poolman1]

#1 probably air for the spa jets, #2 capped pipe may have been for future solar installation, #3 can be cut, extended with a 2" pipe extender and then a 2" pipe cap just pressed on the extender incase that pipe needs to be used, perhaps for draining the pool.

 

[SoCalDIYWannabe]

#1 should be easy enough to test, just cover it up or put my hand near it when the spa is running, and see if it affects the bubbles. Thanks.
Not sure if that #2 cap comes off easily, I'll probably ignore that for now.

I don't think I could use #3 for pool draining, as it runs about 20 to 30 feet away, and comes up through probably 2 or 3 inch pvc, straight up about 2 or 3 feet, then over, then down, and 'free falls' into a ptrap that goes into the side of the house (sewer drain I believe). So, just running water into that wouldn't drain it, would it? Since the other end opening is about 2 or 3 feet higher? If I plumbed that to the drain valve of any random cartridge filter, would that work? Or would I have to bypass the filter? Or possibly put a diverter after the filter, normally going to the heater, but could be diverted down into that backwash valve. Would that work similar to how the DE backwash is? (not necesariily taking backwash junk, but at least dumping the water)?

 

[SoCalDIYWannabe]

Sorry, me again. If I'm doing some replumbing, it appears that I can disconnect stuff from the heater. This is a coupling, I guess. But is the black part touching the white PVC likely glued to it? Will I need to replace that black piece? If so, what's it called?

 

[Newdude]

Its called a union. In this case, it's a Hayward *** heater union.

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[Jimrahbe]

S,

Yes, the black Heater coupling is glued to the white PVC pipe..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[1poolman1]

#1 should be easy enough to test, just cover it up or put my hand near it when the spa is running, and see if it affects the bubbles. Thanks.
Not sure if that #2 cap comes off easily, I'll probably ignore that for now.

I don't think I could use #3 for pool draining, as it runs about 20 to 30 feet away, and comes up through probably 2 or 3 inch pvc, straight up about 2 or 3 feet, then over, then down, and 'free falls' into a ptrap that goes into the side of the house (sewer drain I believe). So, just running water into that wouldn't drain it, would it? Since the other end opening is about 2 or 3 feet higher? If I plumbed that to the drain valve of any random cartridge filter, would that work? Or would I have to bypass the filter? Or possibly put a diverter after the filter, normally going to the heater, but could be diverted down into that backwash valve. Would that work similar to how the DE backwash is? (not necesariily taking backwash junk, but at least dumping the water)?

You will not backwash a cartridge filter, so that backwash pipe will not be needed for normal pool use. There's not that much water in even a large cartridge filter that just draining it onto the yard will hurt unless there are delicate plants in the area, which don't usually do well around pool equipment. If the other end of that pipe is higher than at the pad, gravity draining won't work any way. If you had to drain the pool with a submersible pump, allowing the water to go down that pipe would be a great place to put it if it will accept the flow.

 

[HermanTX]

Sorry, me again. If I'm doing some replumbing, it appears that I can disconnect stuff from the heater. This is a coupling, I guess. But is the black part touching the white PVC likely glued to it? Will I need to replace that black piece? If so, what's it called?

View attachment 632528

I would NOT cut where the white pipe meets the black pipe. That black half union has special threads on it that matches to the mating half on the heater. Cut the white pipe where it meets the white elbow - see my BLUE line -. This way you can add a standard PVC coupling on to that white short pipe.