Auto-fill through pressure line?

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Sammy0815

Active member
Mar 9, 2021
25
Austin, TX
Hi guys,
I never connected a pressure pump to my 2" pipe that was intended for it. In other words, I have a 2" pipe running from my equipment pad into the pool that is not used.

Question: Could I use that pipe as a self-made autofill?
I am thinking I could connect a smart faucet timer to my outdoor faucet, then connect that to that very pipe, and whenever I need more water in the pool, I would just fill it through there.

"Genius" idea or stupid? :)

Thanks for any input.
Sammy
 
Do you have an overflow pipe? With only a timer, you run the risk of overfilling and wasting tons of water. To avoid that you'll need some sort of level float. The only one I know of is the kona labs which is kinda spendy but several on here have reported works well.
www.konalabs.com

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Sammy,

I'm not a fan of using a timer to 'turn on' a fill line...

The pool uses different amounts of water each day..

I have a fill line that I manually turn on when the pool needs water.. It automatically turns off after a preset amount of time..

It has worked great for the past 12 years..

I use a paint stir-stick that is marked in 1/2 inch marks that I use to measure the water at the mouth of the skimmer. When it gets to about 1 1/2" I know it is time to add water.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Sammy0815 said:
Well its just the 2 inch pipe at the equipment pad and and normal return jet in the pool. I planned to put a pressure pump in but decided to just go with a robot, thats why I have this unused pipe now. :)
Click to expand...
With a pipe that fills below the waterline and no auto shut off it is very easy to overfill a pool by forgetting that the water is running.
 
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1poolman1 said:
With a pipe that fills below the waterline and no auto shut off it is very easy to overfill a pool by forgetting that the water is running.
Click to expand...
Well a hose across my patio should be enough reminder, but i assure you it's not. :ROFLMAO:


I'm not sure how the Frankenfill system would classify but I'm 99% sure it would require a backflow preventer like any auto fill.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
I have a fill line that I manually turn on when the pool needs water.. It automatically turns off after a preset amount of time..

It has worked great for the past 12 years..
Click to expand...
Just curious. Does this cut off after a set amount of GPM?

I have used a basic water timer on a lawn sprinkler with good success.
Rachio makes a water controller (in addition to a full sprinkler controller) that works on time or GPM. I have a friend that uses it for watering potted plants.

Not able to put a device on my pool fill line.
For my pool - it is manual on and off - so I depend on Siri using the alarm feature on my phone. I have to admit, I got sidetracked once even after the alarm sounded and let it run longer but it did not overflow.
 
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Thanks guys for the input and the backflow preventer was also a thing that came to my mind to make it at least somewhat code compliant.
In regards to automation, I would not totally automate it, just whenever I see I need water, go in my b-hive app and click "turn on" and chose a time.
So what I am saving is an ugly hose that I need to get and put away afterwards, and of course the manual turning on and off of the faucet outside.
 
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