I need some Intex hard plumbing help.

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poolnew-b

poolnew-b

0
Jul 6, 2010
131
laconia, NH
Ok what I would like to do is have my original hoses run to a piece of pvc that would be attached to the leaf basket on my intex sand filter.

Im not sure what to get for pipe and fittings. I have a couple of old intex hoses I can use the ends off of if I need too.

I bought a 2 inch cover but it doesnt seem to be exactly the same as the intex 2 inch cover. It only threads on so far then locks up. It was for the backwash port on my sand filter.

So in short I want my sand filter hard plumbed but I want the flex of the original hoses so I would like to have 2 spots on the PVC coming off the sand pump that I can screw my skimmer and intake into.

I will try to find the time to do a paintshop illustration of what Im looking to do.

My budgets tight so I cant keep running to the hardware store and buying pieces that wont work, Like I have done all week lol.
 
My budgets tight so I cant keep running to the hardware store and buying pieces that wont work, Like I have done all week lol.
Click to expand...
That's the story of my life. There is a distinct path worn in the highway between my house and Home Depot. :oops: A picture might be helpful if it's quicker than the diagram.
 
don't worry, lots of people hard plumb with pvc and it doesn't break.

this is what i have running down from a hayward skimmer.

skimmer
1. 1 1/2 male threaded adapter
2. 1 1/2 pvc pipe
3. 1 1/2 valve
4. 1 1/2 pvc pipe
5. 1 1/2 pvc t-joint (optional. i have another pipe that connects here from the original intake port for for pump)
6. 1 1/2 pvc pipe (if you don't have a t-joint, skip this step as it is already covered by step 4.)
7. 1 1/2 pvc elbow
8. 1 1/2 pvc pipe
9. 1 1/2 pvc connector
10. 1 1/2 box adapter
11. nut from intex hose
pump

the box adapter is found in the electrical section, not the plumbing section.
 
Ok so I can use 2 in fittings off the pump and it looks like I still would need to make adapters for the pool connections. That's not a problem.

The ball valves are the only thing holding me back from doing it this year. I'm just going to finish off this season with my intex hoses.

I have to take the pool down this fall so I can trim my neighbors pine tree back a bit.

So next spring the pool is getting hard plumbed and a nice little deck 1/4 the way around the pool.
 

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I just did my ProSeries pool plumbing, all hard 1.5" PVC and no problems at all.

The Intex hoses are a special size thread, you can buy an adapter that goes from the intex threaded fitting to a more conventional NPT fitting. This is what I did.

Let me connect to whatever I wanted on the other side.

To give you an idea, this is what is upstream of my sandfilter/pump combo:

Intex hose -> adapter -> 1.5" pvc -> 1.5" tee -> ball valve -> skimmer / suction cleaner.

Downstream I have an adapter to pvc, then a 3-way splitter to supply water to my return, my aqua luminator flow-through return, and a water feature I plan in the future.
 
Intex designed the OEM hoses for continuous flex.

They obviously had in mind that the pool is not rigid and pool walls move when the pool is occupied, so it is better to have the hose flex with pool movement, than put repeated stress to the attachment points at the pool walls by using a more rigid hose (which would be cheaper to produce, as well).

Although some pools do move more than others, ideally, this OEM flex hose design characteristic should be preserved when upgrading to hard plumping, by keeping at least some part of the OEM flex tubes attached to the pool walls and going to PVC from there on.
 
I'm not sure that continuous flex is really the driver for the corrugated hose. Setup (especially with repeated takedowns) is easier with flexible hosing, as rigid piping would require everything to be placed exactly right every time.

Plus, a lot of people cant really do freehand rigid pvc plumbing.

Also, most of the threaded plumbing connections are NPT (a tapered thread that seals, so it doesnt require an extra seal like an o-ring). The Intex connections use a rubber face seal with what I believe is a 1.75" NC straight thread, so different sealing mechanism that facilitates multiple makeups and breakdowns. Another reason to use a hose as opposed to rigid pipe.

JMHO
 
I agree that plain flexible hose can do the job, unless it is bent around a very small radius, in which case, flow through the bent section could be significantly reduced, depending on how flexible is the flexible hose.

My understanding is that Intex (and clones) had a real reason for not using plain flexible hose which is very cheap. Their choice of the corrugated design which tolerates bending around a small radius with no decreased flow, called for a significant increase in hose diameter, because with such hose walls design, good flow can only be achieved away from the hose walls towards the center, so the actual effective diameter is much less. Plus this OEM hose is still very lightweight and does not put much stress to its attachment points even when bent.

Just my 2c.
 
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