Begin assembly today. My plan Is in jeopardy. Seems the 1 1/2” spa flex tubing is not fitting snug into the schedule 40 parts. I have never had this problem working with other sizes of this tubing. So disappointing because now I have to completely rework the plan. I don’t want to hard pipe everything because of the warnings from other people that movement in the pool can cause connections to leak. I should’ve probably stuck with my original plan of using the Intex tubing for connections at the pool. All of the sudden, this has gotten much more expensive.
Costco Bestway plumbing conversion
- Thread starter Rocky_Bullwinkle
- Start date
So, I used flex PVC with 1.5 fittings and had no issues. Is it not dry-fitting well? Have you done a practice piece with primer and glue?
Also, what kind of movement happens in your pool? If you don’t have a bunch of kids wrestling in the pool, you shouldn’t have any problems with regular PVC.
Also, what kind of movement happens in your pool? If you don’t have a bunch of kids wrestling in the pool, you shouldn’t have any problems with regular PVC.
All above ground pools vibrate and move. All pipes vibrate and move because there is water going through them. You might have problems if an earthquake happens. Otherwise use a generous amount of PVC primer and glue and you should be fine. I used spa flex and schedule 40 fittings without any problems. Make sure it is 1 1/2 and not 1 1/4.
I did verify that the sizes are correct on both the tubing and the parts. It has 1 1/2” printed right on the tubing. The tubing is just not snug at all in the parts and they mostly slide freely in them. One strange thing I noticed was that they really feel loose in the ball valves but a tiny bit more snug in couplings, wyes, etc. makes no sense at all. Nevertheless, the first section I did in spa flex I left and in the end I will try it and hope. The rest I will do in rigid. Here’s a couple of photos.
Guys, I know this is going to seem impossible. In the video, I was using a cut piece of tubing from a large 25 foot roll I bought on eBay. Just for giggles, I tried the parts on the other end of the 1 1/2 roll and it’s more snug!!! In fact, it may actually work. So is there a possibility that the tubing itself is suffering from QC issues?
I thought the same thing and bought the flexible PVC pipe. I have been doing PVC plumbing for many years. Never had as much difficulty in getting the pieces to meet. You need to use the cleaner in excess and make sure you cover all areas that will touch the glue. Use copious amounts of glue (aka don't skimp). It takes up to 15 minutes for PVC glue to properly set. Might even want to try the heavy duty stuff. And don't make the mistake I made using DVW vs the sched 40. The flex absolutely needs the 1.5" glue connection. In the end, I removed it and just went hard pipe. My pool is rectangle, my son is 8. He loves to take inflatable rings and make waves (I loose 1-2 inches daily because of this). The rectangle pool is built to move much more that the round variants. To date none of the hard piping has had any issues.
My intakes and pump/filter connection are now hard piped as well and the only hose left is to the return. But here is a picture of my hard pipe test to make sure it held up to my son. There were others that noted there would be no issues when I also started to talk about the flex pvc stuff.
My intakes and pump/filter connection are now hard piped as well and the only hose left is to the return. But here is a picture of my hard pipe test to make sure it held up to my son. There were others that noted there would be no issues when I also started to talk about the flex pvc stuff.
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You mentioned using DVW. I hope that’s not what I’m using. I have in the past by mistake used a thin walled PVC but this time I made sure I bought schedule 40, even though the price is insane. But I have the initials DWV on the pipe so just wondering. Here is a photo
It is possible that the pipe is dual marked but would need to look at the entire tag and research it...
I had to go back to Home Depot today. That pipe above is the only pipe they carry. You never mentioned what the problem was. This stuff is thick walled, schedule 40. It fits all the parts just fine.
Made some progress today but really blew it with the skimmer location. I didn’t realize that all the YouTube videos I have watched were the Hayward being installed on 90° vertical walls. As shown in the photo earlier, the walls of this Costco pool are substantially angled therefore the skimmer now sits at maybe a 60° Angle. This will most certainly impact the water capacity of the skimmer itself. I do have another 1 1/2” return on the same line so it should not be a huge issue. I’m just angry with myself for not thinking about this before putting the holes in the vinyl for installation. In fact, if I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that right next to the pump near the end of the oval pool, the wall is 90° And would have been perfect. Hey, this info is for the next guy trying to do something similar. Pictures to follow tomorrow.
DWV - Drain/Waste/Vent pipe is not designed to work where there is pressure being exerted. Many have used it, some have experienced blow outs when used with their pools. YMMV
I am not 100% certain but the best way I think to identify the difference might be the where the pieces slip together (connection points) where DWV has about 3/4" and schd 40 is 1.5" Unfortunately I found this all out after one of the members here pointed it out when I posted a picture of my setup. I'll be redoing my hard pipe in the fall, as well as making some adjustments just to be on the safe side...
As for your skimmer, I have not put one in *yet* and had some concerns with the angle and was told you can run the water line to about 2/3rds of the height of the mouth. While not ideal, it will still perform its function.
I am not 100% certain but the best way I think to identify the difference might be the where the pieces slip together (connection points) where DWV has about 3/4" and schd 40 is 1.5" Unfortunately I found this all out after one of the members here pointed it out when I posted a picture of my setup. I'll be redoing my hard pipe in the fall, as well as making some adjustments just to be on the safe side...
As for your skimmer, I have not put one in *yet* and had some concerns with the angle and was told you can run the water line to about 2/3rds of the height of the mouth. While not ideal, it will still perform its function.
The difference here is that OP is using the pipe itself that is marked that way, not the fittings. I have never seen it marked both ways before. 
This is why I believe the pipe is universal. A store like Home Depot is not going to carry only drain pipe. I’ve you schedule 40 many times in the past and this is the heavy stuff that I’ve always used. There is no way something blows through this
Question. See photo below for the products I’m using:
I was trying to find information on what the normal pressure should be on the filter now that I have it running. Currently it is at 12 psi.
I was trying to find information on what the normal pressure should be on the filter now that I have it running. Currently it is at 12 psi.
We have identical setups. I do not have a skimmer but I do have a fountain and a SWG. With all 1.5" plumbing my filter is between 16-18 psi. Prior to the SWG I was right about your 12 psi mark. The Intex makes the water do 2 90 degree turns. Next year I will be upgrading it preferably with one that is straight.