Plumbing new manifold - spacing?

[WestTampaGuy]

I decided to redesign all the plumping on my manifold. The valves are 23 years old (Jandy grey) and previous owner didn't maintain them. Also lots of extraneous street elbows. So I'm going to have lots of questions. Basic plan is to draw it all out, think about it over the summer, get the parts, and then do the work in the fall when it's cooler here.

#1. The old pipes are 1.5" PVC, should I move up to 2"? The lines from the pool are about 50 feet, I don't plan on doing anything with those. There are four pipes coming into the suction side, one of which is the spa drain (normally closed). So it would be reducer (expansion?) couplings to/from the in-ground lines, and 2" above-ground.

Question #2. What length should I allow for straight pipe between the 3-way valves, check valves, and unions? I'm thinking 5" minimum, mainly for repairs down the line, but space is very tight. If it wasn't for future repairs, I would use zero-length exposed, with just enough for the sockets.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

1. I would switch the pad plumbing to 2" (would not bother trying to dig up and replace all the 1.5"). I would also just stick with normal schedule 40 elbows, no need to try to find or pay the extra money for sweeps.

2. Well, your available space is going to be a factor. The more straight the better for repair purposes, but if you use good valves, they are rebuildable and you should not need to do any plumbing. If you do not think you will need to repair anything for another 23 years, then maybe the amount of straight does not matter