Need plumbing advise remodel

[roth79]

I am getting a new skimmer installed as it's an old hydro baker leaking, also doing a refinish yet tbd. I would like to run new 2" pvc lines as the pool is 1-1/2" now. I will split the skimmer and main drain back to the pad but my question is do I go the expense and effort to change the returns to 2" line as there is a lot of concrete deck from each return. I'm reading About head loss etc. the existing returns are just a single 1-1/2" line to each of the 2 returns, not individual lines.

Should i run 2" and just reduce it to 1-1/2 existing return lines as close as I can get to the existing returns or would the flow be ok with 2" suction lines and 1-1/2 returns. I didn't plan on doing any major plumbing replacement but if I'm doing a new skimmer and after reading a lot here I'm second guessing what to do.

thanks for advise

 

[JasonLion]

Typically you would use 2" on the skimmer and another 2" on the main drain and then use separate 1 1/2" lines for each return. A single 1 1/2" for both returns is fairly restrictive. Separate 2" lines for each return is overkill.

Perhaps you could leave the existing 1 1/2" line in place and run a new 1 1/2" line for one of the returns in a way that minimizes the amount of deck that needs to be broken up.

 

[roth79]

J I think that's doable, so leave the returns at 1-1/2" and that would be ok with 2" skimmer lines? I have to trench for the skimmer lines so I can drop in a new 1-1/2 return right near it and I can cut right at deck and join the 1-1/2 to a new line to the pad. Watcha think?

 

[diverminh]

I had my equipment moved about 60 ft from the the skimmer. As a result, i used a single 2.5" line from the skimmer/main drain. My return is a single 2.5" that was further split into four 1.5". I went with bigger pipes because my equipment is far from my pool. If my equipment were to stay in the old location (about 5 ft from the pool), I wouldn't have cared as much.

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PS - if you are having them dig the trench, why not just got with 2.5" line instead of 2" line. That extra 1/2 inch equates to 50% more area of of the pipe cross section. I even debated going with 3" line.