Hoping to get my pool running for the year, waiting on some new parts (simple stuff, gaskets, etc). Today I was moving some ornamental grass that was too big/too close to the pump and filter and managed to break the pvc return line. Oops. I don't think it will be a huge repair, but my husband was wondering if we should replace the old ball valves, which led to the question of whether or not there was some plumbing updating/upgrading we could do since we're doing plumbing anyway.
The pool was built in the '70s and has a very simple plumbing setup. The pump and filter are near the pool, no changing that (the ornamental grass was to buffer the sound of the pump). Pipe comes from the skimmer to the pump, to the filter, and then back to the pool. There's a ball joint where the pipe comes up through the ground to the pump, and another from the filter before the pipe goes back underground and back to the pool. The ball valves don't completely close off the pipes anymore and that's where we were thinking there might be another option.
When we vacuum to waste, we have to hook up a flexible vinyl pipe to a different (Hayward brand) ball valve and run it to the driveway. There is no option to bypass the filter and just recirculate the water. We vacuum through the skimmer. No water feature, main drain non-functional, no swg (not opposed to one, this is only the third summer in 21 years that we haven't used pucks).
Any thoughts or advice? I can post pictures if that would be helpful (after I've figured out how to do it).
The pool was built in the '70s and has a very simple plumbing setup. The pump and filter are near the pool, no changing that (the ornamental grass was to buffer the sound of the pump). Pipe comes from the skimmer to the pump, to the filter, and then back to the pool. There's a ball joint where the pipe comes up through the ground to the pump, and another from the filter before the pipe goes back underground and back to the pool. The ball valves don't completely close off the pipes anymore and that's where we were thinking there might be another option.
When we vacuum to waste, we have to hook up a flexible vinyl pipe to a different (Hayward brand) ball valve and run it to the driveway. There is no option to bypass the filter and just recirculate the water. We vacuum through the skimmer. No water feature, main drain non-functional, no swg (not opposed to one, this is only the third summer in 21 years that we haven't used pucks).
Any thoughts or advice? I can post pictures if that would be helpful (after I've figured out how to do it).