Flexible PVC

[Ambull]

Hi everyone. I have a less than one month old pool and I just now started reading up on the differences between Flexible PVC vs Rigid.

Like many, I was totally unaware of this topic during the planning / negotiating process, and only learned about it after the fact. Shame on me.

My PB has a great reputation and I put a lot of trust in them that they would just "do the right thing" in all aspects of my install, or at the very least make me aware of any areas that could have been upgraded (for a cost) such as my PVC runs.

Anyway, too late now of course.

So my questions specifically is, how real is the threat of Termite damage to the flexible pipes underground here on the east coast US. Is that really more of a dry climate issue? Reason i ask is because our community does have termites. Confirmed termites by the developer. He even paid for everyone to have treatment plus one follow up treatment when the community first went up 10 years ago. Since then there has not been any damage to anyone's homes that I am aware of, and many residents continue to perform yearly preventative treatments, but the termites still do exist (of course), and in the spring it is not uncommon for residents to find termites in their pools and skimmer baskets. As a matter of fact I have many floating in my pool right now as I type this post....

So, thoughts? Do I need to spend the next X number of years not sleeping at night over this? And if yes, how costly would one estimate, aside from the removal and replacement of concrete (I am aware of that cost), would it be to dig out and replace all flex pipes with rigid ones? I would imagine the biggest cost and biggest part of the job would be getting down to the main drains at the bottom of the deep end.....

 

[ajw22]

Seems like it is a real problem based on reading

Termites Damage Pools Inground, Above Ground or Pipes

Pool Liners and Pipes can be damaged by Termites

poolpatcher.com

Termites and Underground pool pipes

I never heard of this but termites are eating holes in the PVC pipes under ground. My sons pool is only 1 year old and was obviously loosing alot of water. The company that installed it spent alot of time looking for leaks and after digging up one line they found the termite holes. IT seems the b...

www.stripersonline.com

Swimming Pool Plumbing: Rigid PVC vs. Flexible PVC, Which is Better?

Should your pool have rigid or flexible piping? What are the right materials for your inground pool plumbing? In this article, we discuss which PVC pipes are best for inground pool projects and how they differ from one another.

www.riverpoolsandspas.com

Application Guide Lines for flexible pvc pipe at FlexPVC.com® PVC pipe, hose, & pvc fittings online @ wholesale discount prices (flexible)

Application guidelines for Flexible PVC pipe, shipped from 6 warehouses, delivery usually in 2-3 days. flexible PVC, PVC pipe, PVC hose, spaflex, pvc fittings, pvc glue, pvc tools.

flexpvc.com

It is not resistant to insects, in particular, termites have been known to eat it. Research has shown flexible PVC does not attract termites, however if flexible pvc is placed in between a termite nest and a food source, they may try to eat their way through it. (They are too dumb to go around it.) FlexPVC.com will not be responsible for failure due to insect damage, nor rocks rubbing against the pipe and wearing a hole in it. You can lace your backfill and trenches with boric acid to reduce the likelihood of termites, but it won't last forever. If you have termite infestation and want to use Flexible PVC pipe, you should retreat your trenches every few years to be safe, just like you do your house, garage, etc.

You can live with it for a while and see what happens. It will likely be hard to tell if you have evaporation or small leaks developing with water loss from the pool.

Do you have an autofill on your pool?

 

[Ambull]

Hi, thanks for your post. I do not have an autofiller but have considered getting one.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

I would avoid the autofill at this point if you're worried about your pipes. The autofill will hide an issue if you're losing excessive water (over the normal evaporation daily).

Maddie

 

[ajw22]

What Maddie said. I asked about an autofill and if you had one I was going to tell you to turn it off. It will only mask any developing problem. If you keep the PVC you need to monitor how much fill water your pool takes and be alert for anything unusual that indicates a leak may be developing.

 

[Ambull]

I was really hoping for someone to make me feel better by saying that termite eating through flex PVC is more of a dry climate issue because they are more in search of water in those areas. However, I guess I probably shouldn't expect to receive that kind of feedback since these are pool forums and not exterminator forums...

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Hey, I'll tell you honestly, we've not heard of this problem that I'm aware of. So consider it unusual.

Sleep well at night, because its out of your hands. IF it happens, then you'll change the pipes to hard ones, and if it doesn't well....why lose sleeep!?

Maddie

 

[ajw22]

@PoolguyinCT Ray, is termites a real worry with the use of flex PVC?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I would say your fears are wildly overblown. While Google Scholar returns many scientific review articles on improving the resistance of buried electrical cable sheathing against termite damage (PVC is widely used as wire insulation), there is little hard data on water pipes. The termites do not seek out the PVC as a food source, they simply damage it while looking for food.

I live in a very arid climate and here in AZ, termites are a HUGE problem (because it never gets cold enough to kill them). Never once have I heard of someone saying their pool pipes were destroyed by termites and we have A LOT of pools here in the desert.

Get a good night’s rest and stop worrying about a one-in-a-million event...

 

[ZcottD]

My pool is plumbed with flexible PVC. It was installed in 1989, and there are termites in the area, even had some in the backyard earlier this year when I cleared out some rotting branches and logs. Never had an issue with termites and the pipes yet.

Part of my clean up project is to get rid of things termites and voles like so that I can reduce their presence around my pool.

Know the issues that can affect you, and keep them in mind when you add or change things around the pool so that you don't encourage pest activity.

 

[PoolguyinCT]

It may not be termites, but when they do attack; the pattern is very similar to a termite chewed board. Very expensive to detect & locate these leaks.

Credible sources have told me pests are not attracted to the material, but the vibration & noise. They think prey is inside the pipe.

Every time I have found damage to flex, insect or rodent - it has been near mulch beds or paver decks. This may just be a correlation.

To the op, rigid pipe should be at the skimmer port and used as a riser to pad.

Flex expands and contracts when charged,if not accounted for it will fail or kink.

 

[Poolbrisket]

Hi everyone. I have a less than one month old pool and I just now started reading up on the differences between Flexible PVC vs Rigid.

Like many, I was totally unaware of this topic during the planning / negotiating process, and only learned about it after the fact. Shame on me.

My PB has a great reputation and I put a lot of trust in them that they would just "do the right thing" in all aspects of my install, or at the very least make me aware of any areas that could have been upgraded (for a cost) such as my PVC runs.

Anyway, too late now of course.

So my questions specifically is, how real is the threat of Termite damage to the flexible pipes underground here on the east coast US. Is that really more of a dry climate issue? Reason i ask is because our community does have termites. Confirmed termites by the developer. He even paid for everyone to have treatment plus one follow up treatment when the community first went up 10 years ago. Since then there has not been any damage to anyone's homes that I am aware of, and many residents continue to perform yearly preventative treatments, but the termites still do exist (of course), and in the spring it is not uncommon for residents to find termites in their pools and skimmer baskets. As a matter of fact I have many floating in my pool right now as I type this post....

So, thoughts? Do I need to spend the next X number of years not sleeping at night over this? And if yes, how costly would one estimate, aside from the removal and replacement of concrete (I am aware of that cost), would it be to dig out and replace all flex pipes with rigid ones? I would imagine the biggest cost and biggest part of the job would be getting down to the main drains at the bottom of the deep end.....

Hey Ambull, in the last 2 years since your post, have you found any problems with your flex PVC? Just curious.