I'm thinking my pool is plumbed wrong, above ground with a center drain. The center drain is plumbed directly to the waste port on the filter. There is a plug which I can remove to actually use the waste line as an actual waste line, but the line continues underground and back to the center drain. If I'm correct, shouldn't it be plumbed to the intake line, along with the skimmer, with a valves on both lines so I can choose which side I'm using(or both)? Pool came with the house. This came up because of the spring clean out(Nasty storm before I was able to cover it, resulting in a ton of debris in the pool, finally it's clear, now working on getting the levels correct.) A diagram would be useful, but something just seems off with the way things are done. I'll try to grab a couple of pics of the system later. As it sits right now, I just vacuumn through the filter, and hook a hose to the clean water return to flush. Thanks for any help.......
Question about plumbing/routing
- Thread starter Ozzie
- Start date
If you are correct about how the pipes run, then someone was having a really bad day when they plumbed your pool. Plumbing the main drain to the waste port on the multi-port valve is insane. Is there any chance you are wrong about that?
JasonLion said:
Possibly, according to my wife I'm always wrong...... But, There is one line coming out of the ground that I assume is coming from the center drain, it goes into the pump house and straight to the waste side of the filter. One valve, and a removable plug, set up so that closing the valve will allow water to leave the filter, and exit the plug port, without flowing into the pool. With the valve open, and the plug in, water would just flow from the waste port, directly into the center drain of the pool. but it just didn't make sense to me. The only other lines are for the skimmer(completely visible, going direct to pump, then to intake at the filter) and the return line(comiing directly from the filter and back to the pool) also completely visible. I kept reasoning that there was no way, in it's present configuration, to actually drain the pool, Looking around I started to think it was plumbed wrong. Apparently I was right....but I won't tell the wife....
So, I need to reroute the plumbing, so both the center drain and the smimmer feed into the intake side? And the waste line just runs out and terminates in a shut off valve?
Makes sense to me, but this is why I'm asking......
I will definately grab a couple of pics tonight.
Can you see the bottom of the skimmer? With in-ground pools sometimes the main is connected to the skimmer with a diverter valve inside, if this was the case there'd be 2 pipes going to the bottom of the skimmer. If it's buried you could look inside the skimmer for 2 holes. If that were the case the waste pipe could be for waste with 2 outputs which would make more sense.
msgtdan said:
Yup, skimmer line is out in the open, nothing hidden from view, my pool is AB. My original explanation was flawed. The plug is actually in the return line, with a valve, so I assume this is how the PO was vacuuming the pool. In the pics you can see:
Pic 1: Line coming out of ground for center drain
Pic 2: Return and skimmer
pic 3: return and skimmer, showing plug and valve in return, center drain line is the bottom one
More pics to come.....
Attachments
and on we go:
Pic 4: Filter: Input from skimmer, Top right line.
Output to return lower right line
Left line is waste, connected to center drain.
Pic 5: Left-Waste line
Middle-Return Line
Right-Input from Skimmer
Pic 6: Uppermost line is Return to pool
Middle-From Skimmer
Lowest- To/from center drain
Pic 4: Filter: Input from skimmer, Top right line.
Output to return lower right line
Left line is waste, connected to center drain.
Pic 5: Left-Waste line
Middle-Return Line
Right-Input from Skimmer
Pic 6: Uppermost line is Return to pool
Middle-From Skimmer
Lowest- To/from center drain
Attachments
Have you tried running the filter on waste and seen water flowing back up into the pool from the drain? (no danger here as it would actually act like recirculation if it is indeed plumbed how you think it is) Have you never backwashed and seen gunk flow back into the pool?
Any chance the center drain is not actually hooked up to anything any more and that the waste is really running to a sewer drain?
Any chance the center drain is not actually hooked up to anything any more and that the waste is really running to a sewer drain?
jblizzle said:
I'm on septic, highly unlikely that the return line goes to it, backwashing goes straight to return line(which is why I hook up a hose to the outlet, and direct the water elsewhere) gonna give it a shot, be right back.......
(theme from jeopardy playing in the background.........)
Ok, well, that was interesting. On waste, the filter made a nasty groaning sound, the pressure shot sky high, and the cap blew off the strainer at the pump(broke the clip entirely off, but that makes no sense, because that's not on the pressure side), but nothing came out of the center drain, I'm assuming it's plugged. Next step: pull the center drain cap and see if it's physically plugged inside( maybe the line broke in the past? Just theorizing here now) Cap now being held down with vise grips.........
I may be into one of those "leave well enough alone" scenarios.
Backwash, waste and rinse should have the water exit at the same place. I am clearly not understanding 
jblizzle said:Backwash, waste and rinse should have the water exit at the same place. I am clearly not understanding
Yeah, me neither,,,,,,,,,,,,,