Did my hose shrink? And other plumbing questions

[Fronzizzle]

Hello all,

So, I started getting my filter & pump ready for the season. I put the pump base (with attached pump) in place, put the filter in its location...and found that the hose I used last year no longer reaches from the pump up to the filter. Huh? I left it on the valve in my barn all winter, not sure if the cold weather did something to it? I made sure everything else is as it should be, if I get one end of the hose where it goes the other end definitely will not reach. This leads to a few questions:

1) The Hayward manual has the valve on the top, facing forward (toward the pump). It uses a 27" hose down to the pump. Due to how everything else was piped, I rotated the valve 90 degrees and got a longer hose...someplace. I assume it's fine to have the valve facing in this direction?

2) Since I don't remember where I got the current hose, I'm not sure where to but a replacement. Other models of Hayward filters use a 31" hose, I might have bought that one. I went to the local hardware and bought some braided 1.5" hose but man - that stuff is STIFF and nearly impossible to get it on and off. I would need to use a heat gun to soften it and get it on, not sure how I'd get it off come fall.

3) I assume that it's best to leave a hose from the pump to the filter and not hard pipe it with a union?

Mike

 

[ajw22]

I would hardpipe it with Sch 40.

 

[Arizonarob]

I would hardpipe it with Sch 40.

With unions also, so you can remove everything if need be.

 

[Fronzizzle]

This might be a dumb question, but do I use normal 1.5" threaded PVC fittings for going into the pump and filter, or are they special? Seems like I remember reading that the threads in some filters and/or pumps are different than normal threads.

 

[setsailsoon]

Use sch 40 PVC pressure fittings. Be sure not to use DWV. They are in the same aisle at HD and are both sch 40 so it's easy to get the wrong ones. You can tell the right ones because they are the same diameter for the entire fitting and they are the more expensive one. As Rob pointed out be sure to use unions close to each piece of equipment so you can remove it for maintenance.

Chris