Plumbing

Teald024...I appreciate your expertise, and the expertise of all the others who have contributed to this thread. Your advice and encouragement has been a great help to me in my plumbing journey and has lead me to better understand plumbing and the direction I should go. (A few years ago I had the same exhausting discussion when selecting the Pentair pump/filter combo) I do understand what you're saying though. At some point enough is enough....

Whenever I ask a question, I am reminded of the importance of research into the basics once again. (Pool School and Hydraulics 101,for example.) Expanding my knowledge base is always a fun thought exercise, and as a bonus, I am able to put that knowledge to practical use in my own backyard, in my own pool. But in the end, whether the pool is 12 x 24 AGP or a 24 x 48 IGP we all want the same thing, to get the most out of our equipment and to keep our water crystal clear.

I'm not too worried about squeezing every last ounce of efficiency out of the system, but assuring that what I've done makes best use of the equipment I have and that I'm getting the best value for the money I've spent. It would be a shame to bury 50 feet of PVC, move a power source, and connect everything up only to find I had better results with my little Intex sand filter. And thinking towards the future, will what I have done now be enough if I were to upgrade to an AGP pool twice the size I have now. The Pentair pump/filter AGP combo I purchased was with that in mind.

In your last sentence...."And to put the exclamation point on it, you will likely be running on low speed most of the time. Water flows and velocities will be well below the limits and all this will be mute points of design limits."....I get it. At some point a design can reach maximum efficiency and continuing to add larger pipe and more pipe runs is of no value. More and more may not do any harm, but will not add anything to the design or it's efficiency.

What I have been able to do, and what all of you all have helped me to do, is to better understand why a certain plumbing plan is better than another, and how much is too much..:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Thanks again....Let the digging begin!!!
 
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Teald024.. I'm re-considering:brickwall:... Your post #40 got me thinking....in that post you mentioned this:

"If you have a 2 suction points, piped with 1-1/2" pipe to a 3 way valve near the pool. Then 2" back to the pump. Then 1-1/2" pipe back to the pool. Split with another 3 way to the 2 returns. That would be a very robust layout and would not leave you wanting more. Keep in mind you have a 12x20 pool and this layout you are proposing is "better" than 95% of all AGP users since you have 2 suction points and 2 returns."

I understand that would work on low speed, but would it be sufficient plumbing/flow with the pump on high speed, if there is ever a need?? For example if Solar Heat , gas heater, or if I need to vacuum. (Pentair 2HP/2SP Pump & 150sqft Cartridge Filter PNCC0150OP2160)
I've attached the Optiflo pump label and the pump manual.

My apologies...:hammer:
 

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I’ll let Teal answer most of your questions, but I’m here to vote for NEVER vacuum. Robot, robot!
 
Me Too! I'm just looking towards the future.
Since I installed my Intex return side robot (?) I haven't had to vacuum, just brush the walls and floor and empty the robot. It's been awesome:whoot:!!!
 
Me Too! I'm just looking towards the future.
Since I installed my Intex return side robot (?) I haven't had to vacuum, just brush the walls and floor and empty the robot. It's been awesome:whoot:!!!
It’s kind of a robot, but not really. A robot runs independently of the pump. You can toss it in even if pump is broken.
 
I understand that would work on low speed, but would it be sufficient plumbing/flow with the pump on high speed, if there is ever a need?? For example if Solar Heat , gas heater, or if I need to vacuum.
Yes, it would work great on HS and LS.
like I said, most above ground pools have one suction (skimmer) with 1-1/2” pipe back to the pump pad and then 1-1/2” from the pad back to the pool with a single return. And that design works perfectly well for solar and heater and filtering and vacuuming.
Many homeowners don’t even bother upgrading above the flexible houses that come with the pool.
 
You're good sport for answering my latest post, #47, after my earlier passive aggressive post (#41):giggle:. While I was digging Sunday and Monday, I was thinking about what you said in post #40. (Enough is enough and too much accomplishes nothing.) It just kept bouncing around my head. I had asked cowboycasey a question about the setup for his first build, a 16x32 Intex, through email and he ended his response with, "I love simple." So, I read your post (#40) again, and re-considered what you said. Simple IS good, simple IS BETTER......
Again, I appreciate all of you who responded to this post and your willingness to share your knowledge with all of us. I also appreciate that you don't share just knowledge and leave us hanging, but you also offer suggestions to make your expertise relatable to the novice. We can follow the advice or ignore it....it's totally up to us as individuals..
Please excuse the ramblings of an old man......I'd like to say that's the last of my questions, but you know how that goes...;)

I think it may be time to donate again to TFP.......
 
Yes, it would work great on HS and LS.
like I said, most above ground pools have one suction (skimmer) with 1-1/2” pipe back to the pump pad and then 1-1/2” from the pad back to the pool with a single return. And that design works perfectly well for solar and heater and filtering and vacuuming.
Many homeowners don’t even bother upgrading above the flexible houses that come with the pool.
Look what I found from a post I started in 2016 from Mark (ms985)
Actually, to maintain the safety feature of an equalization port, you don't want the lines too long so I would treat that as a dual MD with a single line to the pump.
HMMMMM!!! Same information separated by 5 years.... :hammer:

So, one 2" suction split at the pool & one 1-1/2" return split at the pool. Enough overkill for anybody...
Before I bury it, what are some of the signs I look for to be sure its operating properly??
 
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I've got 40' of 2" and 40' 1-1/2" plumbing set in the trench. Boy, oh boy, there's a big difference between gluing 1" PVC for irrigation pipe and 2" pipe for pool plumbing!! Thought it might be a good Idea to pressure test before I back fill. Is it just the underground plumbing that's tested or do I test from the pool side (Before the PVC is connected to pool unions.) to the equipment pad, including pump and filter? Or should I simply run the pump before I bury everything??
I realize there are safety concerns with pressure testing, but I think I can do it. What say you guys.....Thanks, Bob
 
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