2" vs 1.5" for equipment pad?

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C

coilerman

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Bronze Supporter
Sep 29, 2008
172
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
My builder plumbed my pool with 1.5" pipe throughout. I'm in the midst of replacing heater, pump and SWG and wondering if this a good opportunity to re-plumb the pad in 2". I figure it will cost me an extra $800 to do it since I would have to replace the valves (Jandy NeverLube) and perhaps the sand filter. The filter looks like it has 1.5" ports.

The new heater and SWG come with 2" fittings. The Pentair Superflow VS pump I bought has 1.5" fittings but I think I could probably exchange it for a 2" model.

My question is, am I going to see a lot of benefit from going to 2" considering the piping to the pool is 1.5"?

Photo of pad attached. I've removed pump, SWG and old heater. The new heater is not yet connected.

100858
 
If it's just the pad probably not, you could run the numbers to see the head difference

Check your valves to see if they take 2" on the outside of them.

A 2" going down to a 1.5 fitting is no big deal, same as a 1.5" going up to a 2" fitting, the reason is just because it's such a short run.

If you had 50' of 1 1/2 bring replaced with 2" that helps a lot
 
CF,

I doubt that you would ever be able to tell the difference in operation..

But, if you are replacing a bunch of equipment anyway, it would make it easier to plumb everything one size on the pad...

I don't understand why it would cost $800, even in funny money, as the Jandy valves are around $100 CDN and you can reuse the actuators.

Use "Pump Unions" on the pump.. They have an O-Ring on the threaded end and look like this... Amazon.com: 2 PACK -CMP Hi-Temp Union 2" inch 2MIP x 2" inch PVC Whisperflo & Intelliflo - 2 PACK: Garden & Outdoor

They work on some Multiport valves also..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
$800 because I would replace the sand filter which has 1.5" ports. It's getting old and I'll probably need to replace it soon anyway.

My pump, SWG and heater all came with those unions. The SWG and heater are 2" so I need to reduce those down to 1.5" if I stick with the 1.5" plumbing.
 
Your pad looks like 1.5". The superflo vs has 1.5" fittings on the inside and 2" fittings if you put couplings on the outside of it. I would add valves to all those individual pipes. I would just keep everything 1.5" and it should really be just fine and you won't notice a difference. I've seen both the superflo vs with 1.5" and 2" and it is very powerfull ether way
 
I've posted a few times with specific questions but I thought I would post up a schematic of my pool pad plumbing and get your advice for changes. I'm replacing heater, SWG and main pump so this is the time to make changes. I've omitted a check valve between my SWG and heater based on comments I've read here about it not being necessary due to low chlorine concentrations from an SWG.

Someone mentioned adding valves but I'm not sure where and for what purpose. Is it to control the velocity of the water flow? I read the Hydraulics 101 sticky but I have to admit most of it is over my head.

SWG is a Jandy True Clear
Pump is a Pentair 1.5hp Superflo VS
Heater is a Raypak 366k btu digital
Valves are Jandy NeverLube

Thanks for all the advice past, present and future!
 

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I always suggest installing a heater bypass using a 3 way Jandy valve on the heater in pipe feeding a T on the heater out pipe and a CV between the T and the heater. It can protect your heater if your pH gets out of wack or you have other water quality issues. It also lets you take your heater offline for maintenance or if it begins leaking.

Both arrows show water into your heater. Don’t mix up the heater in and out lines. Sone folks have reversed them when plumbing.

Use pump unions on the pump.

Valves to drain to waste or recirculate water to bypass your filter can be handy if you ever need to fight a big algae problem or have real dirty water.
 
So long as you're redoing it all anyway.... put a hose bib somewhere between the pump and the filter. If you need to lower the water level, it's a simple way to do it and you won't have to deal with the massive volume that the backwash hose spews out. I've been known to use pool water on the lawn when reducing Calcium and also to stick the hose down the plumbing cleanout. A few thousand gallons of water should've done wonders at flushing any buildup out of the pipes..

Second thought: you probably want to put the SWG in the pool return line after the spa-pool valve. If it's running while you're in spa mode, you might over-chlorinate.

With the exception of the SWG, that layout is what I have. In normal operation, I draw only from the pool and split the return about 80/20 pool/spa.
 

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Richard320 said:
Second thought: you probably want to put the SWG in the pool return line after the spa-pool valve. If it's running while you're in spa mode, you might over-chlorinate.
Click to expand...

I thought the SWG always has to have water running through it if it's turned on. If I put it after the spa-pool valve, there would be no water running through it when I'm in spa mode.
 
Did you purposely leave out a recirculate bypass on your filter? You got everything else discussed.

Can you put a MPV valve on your filter that gives you waste, recirculate, backwash, and filter settings?

What automation do you have? With Pentair automation you can adjust the SWG cell output between POOL mdoe and SPA mode to reduce or turn off the SWG output when in SPA mode. SWG is normally placed where you have it.
 
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I do have a MPT on top of my filter. I left it off the diagram for simplicity.

I have a rudementary x10 automation system. The plan is to replace this with an Arduino based DIY system.

I also had a thought - my pump only takes water from the skimmer. The builder did not put in a intake pipe from the main drain. So I have wide temperature differential between the top and bottom of my pool.

A possible solution to this is to repurpose the port for the vacuum. I no longer use it since I bought a robotic cleaner.

If I take water in from the vacuum port, that would pull water from about 2' down which is a lot better than just off the surface. As well, this would prevent a problem I have with the skimmer getting clogged and the pump getting starved for water.

I wonder though - is this a safety issue? Is the suction from the pump enough to possibly hold someone against the intake?
 
Here's another photo that shows the lines for the defunct vacuum. I have them capped off right now. If I make the vacuum line a return, it's nice and close to the existing pool return. The problem is if I just install a T, I assume the water will just take the path of least resistance and shoot down the straight riser and never make it to the other pipe. I suppose a 3 way valve might solve that.

Whether I install a T or a valve, I need to cut the pipe to install it. How can I slip a T or a valve in the cut if neither end of the pipe will move? In a similar situation with copper plumbing, I would use a slip coupler that doesn't have a stop in the middle of it. But with copper, I can easily draw solder into the joint after the parts are assembled. I can't do that with PVC.

101033
 
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