PVC size

[orthofish]

I asked this before, but situation is a little different.
Pool has 2 main drains, 3 returns, and 1 skimmer. 1 of the 3 returns is for the pressure cleaner.
That would be the one in the middle on the left. Skimmer is directly across from it. 1 return in the deep ind and one in the shallow end to the right of the steps.
I see alot of 1.5" PVC in the yard along with some 2". I asked for 2" throughout.
Should I run 2" on both sides or 2" on suction side and 1.5" on pressure side????
Which senario will my pump like best

Thanks
BTW The equipment pad will be 6" off of the deep end. Kinda where the Bobcat is.

 

[JasonLion]

It really depends on how many runs they are making back to the equipment pad. If they run a separate pipe for every fitting then 1.5" is fine. But the fewer pipes there are going back to the equipment pad, the more important it is for them to be larger.

You should double check your contract to see if the 2" pipe made it into the contract and if it didn't, how much you want to insist on them doing the plumbing your way. Right now they can still change the pipe size, but real soon now it will be come very difficult to change the pipe size.

 

[orthofish]

Thanks Jason. It is in the contract. But doing it my way might not be the best way :? That is why I'm asking the experts here. :-D
Everything is gong to have its own line. So the 2" pressure side won't cause my pump to cavitate???
In addition to the returns, 4 deck jets also.

 

[orthofish]

 

[JasonLion]

If the contract says 2" pipe, then they should use 2" pipe for everything except the pressure side cleaner line. Pressure side cleaners are normally plumbed with either 3/4" or 1".

A dual main drain is normally plumbed with a single pipe (by code). That pipe should be 2", and the pipe coming from the skimmer should be 2". It is really nice if these two lines are plumbed to the pad separately.

If the two returns are plumbed on one line, it should be 2". If they are each plumbed back to the pad separately, it would be alright if they were each 1.5". It is fairly common to put two returns on a single line.

Having larger pipe will not cause the pump to cavitate. It is possible for the flow resistance in the larger pipes to be so low that the pump moves outside it's highest efficiency range. The nice thing is that you will presumably have valves on each line back to the pump, and if the flow resistance is too low you can partially close one or more valves and thus fix things very easily. While if the pipes are too small, there is nothing you can do.

 

[orthofish]

Thank you Jason. That is what I needed. Everything is going to have it's own line and valve. I wanted to be able to control every line coming and going at the equip. pad. Even each deck jet. Didn't realize the pressure cleaner needed a 1" line. Good to know. They probably won't get plumbing done till Tues.
If you think of anything else, please let me know.

Thank you

 

[orthofish]

One other thing :blah: If I had a 1.5" return for the pressure cleaner instead of 3/4 or 1" and it wasn't getting the job done, couldn't I reduce flow to the other returns to compensate??? I guess I've got in my head, larger pipe can be rectified but smaller can't.

 

[orthofish]

 

[JasonLion]

The pressure side cleaner can be larger pipe without any problem. The reason I mentioned it is that even if the contract calls for 2" pipe, they won't necessarily want to plumb the pressure side cleaner with 2" pipe. The advantage of using a larger pipe is that you could in the future switch it to a suction side cleaner, which would want the 2" pipe. 1.5" will work for a suction side cleaner, but 3/4" won't. Switching to a suction side cleaner isn't likely or something I would recommend, but it is nice to be ready for anything.

 

[orthofish]

I don't anticipate ever going to a suction cleaner. That being said, will this work or am I getting too complicated. I just want the best setup for my pump.
Main drains 2"
Skimmer 2"
2 returns 2"
Presssure cleaner 1.5"
4 Deck jets 1.5"
Everything has its own run and valve. Even the individual deck jets.

 

[JasonLion]

That will work just fine. Some people would consider it overkill. Still, pipe is fairly cheap compared to the total cost of the job.