Suggestions for (re?)plumbing pool lines on an existing pool

[popechild]

We're replacing the pool deck on a pool that predates our moving in to the house 7 years ago. (The equipment has been disconnected all season during a larger house expansion/renovation, which is why the water isn't clear.) From what we understand, the previous owners re-surfaced the pool, but I don't have any info on the original age or style of the pool.

We haven't had any leaks or issues (that I've noticed anyway) during thee 7 years we've been here, but while the old pool deck is up, I want to replace some old sections that used flex pipe with schedule 40 pvc. While digging up all the lines, I noticed these sections behind the benches on either side of the pool. Both benches have what appear to be two normal return lines.

What am I looking at here? Were these contraptions setup for old therapy/massage jets that no longer exist? The vertical pipes came up to the old poured concrete surface but didn't do anything that I could tell, other than serve as a place for water to bubble up if you put your hand over the return to stop it up.

Any reason I can't just cut all this out and replace with a simple T to each return line, rather than whatever all this stuff is?

Appreciate any info on what this might have been for!

 

[1poolman1]

We're replacing the pool deck on a pool that predates our moving in to the house 7 years ago. (The equipment has been disconnected all season during a larger house expansion/renovation, which is why the water isn't clear.) From what we understand, the previous owners re-surfaced the pool, but I don't have any info on the original age or style of the pool.

We haven't had any leaks or issues (that I've noticed anyway) during thee 7 years we've been here, but while the old pool deck is up, I want to replace some old sections that used flex pipe with schedule 40 pvc. While digging up all the lines, I noticed these sections behind the benches on either side of the pool. Both benches have what appear to be two normal return lines.

What am I looking at here? Were these contraptions setup for old therapy/massage jets that no longer exist? The vertical pipes came up to the old poured concrete surface but didn't do anything that I could tell, other than serve as a place for water to bubble up if you put your hand over the return to stop it up.

Any reason I can't just cut all this out and replace with a simple T to each return line, rather than whatever all this stuff is?

Appreciate any info on what this might have been for!




View attachment 460373View attachment 460374

Yes, those are therapy jets, possibly Waterway. They can be replaced with a simple return line and wall fitting if you don't want them. Tehy are still used in some pools today that want "jet" action without the heated water of a separate spa.

 

[popechild]

Yes, those are therapy jets, possibly Waterway. They can be replaced with a simple return line and wall fitting if you don't want them. Tehy are still used in some pools today that want "jet" action without the heated water of a separate spa.

Perfect. Thanks so much for the confirmation. I'm not interested in therapy jets, and they already have normal return wall fittings, so I'll just plan to use them that way. I've got some other questions about how to best (re?)route the lines now that I've got everything dug up, but I'll post them as a separate thread.

 

[popechild]

I've got a pool of unknown age that was remodeled about 8 years ago prior to us buying the house 7 years ago. As part of a larger house project, we've torn up the old pool deck and are moving the equipment pad as well. Because of a few quirks of the previous plumbing, I'd love advice on whether to modify the way things were previously plumbed while I have all the old lines dug up and visible. I've attached a drawing to help explain. Love any suggestions!

- There are a handful of sections where flex pipe was used, so I'm replacing those with schedule 40 pvc. That part seems pretty straightforward.

- (Yellow) There are four returns (two per bench) in the middle of the pool that appear to have been old therapy jets (thanks to 1poolman1 for help ID'ing in my separate thread). These are all currently tied together.

- (Green) There are two additional return lines on the side furthest from the skimmer that tie together into one line.

- The yellow and green return lines were run through a diverter valve at the equipment pad.

- (Red) There's a line that hasn't been in use since we bought the house. It appears to be for an old vacuum/cleaner line. It connected to plumbing at the pad with a very old, unused "Ray Vac Energy Filter" that had a closed valve and looked like it had basically been bypassed for good. I'm not clear on how this type of vacuum works, so I'm guessing a bit here.

- (Blue) The skimmer line runs by itself.

- A final note: We've generally been happy with the way the pool has worked and while we're not pool experts, I haven't noticed any obvious problems that I'm trying to address, so "if it ain't broke" may apply here.

My questions:

1. Is the way the various return lines were setup the ideal, particularly since I'm not using the bench lines as therapy jets? If you had those 6 return lines available, how would you T them together, where would you use a diverter (or more than one), etc? All the lines are completely dug up, so while I'm replacing flex pipe, I have the option to change how or if they're tied together also.

2. We use a Dolphin vacuum that we've been fine with. Is there any benefit to switching over to the built-in cleaner line? Or if not, is there any benefit to using it as a return? In other words, what should I do with that line when I re-plumb the equipment pad?

3. You may have noticed I didn't include a floor drain line. I've never been able to find a line for it. All four lines from the old equipment pad were traced back completely and there are no visible junctions where a floor drain could be piped to, unless there's a pipe running directly to the bottom of the skimmer basket. We have two holes in the bottom of the skimmer basket but no valve or anything in the skimmer, and to be honest I've never noticed any suction in the floor drain. So either this runs through the skimmer and we've just never noticed the floor suction, or maybe it was sealed off during the renovation that the previous owners did?

Would love any advice before I start plumbing everything at the new pad, running pressure tests, then covering everything up with a new pool deck!

 

[popechild]

To reply to my own thread with my current thinking, I think I'm going to keep the lines tee'd together as they are, so that there's a diverter between the line running to the two returns furthest from the skimmer and the four bench returns. And I'm going to also tie the old cleaner line into the return line at the equipment pad, with a simple valve on that line so that I can choose to use it or not at any given time, or potentially add some sort of water spray feature to it at some point. If I quite using the robot vacuum and want a suction vacuum at some point, I'll either re-route the line at the equipment or just connect the hose in the skimmer.

Happy to be given other suggestions if anyone has any though!

 

[Bill1974]

Where the returns tee together by the equipment pad I would run the lines back to the pad and then tee at the pad above ground. Easier to find a leak and balance the flow if needed.

 

[popechild]

So you're saying where the bench lines tee together for example, and where the two farthest return lines tee together, remove the tees currently underground and run new pipe on each line to the pad and tee them above ground? I like that idea and it gives me options to put in valves if desired at those junctions, whether now or later. Just have to run additional pipe. I'll figure up the added cost and consider that. Those junctions are under a planting area and not pool deck fortunately, so getting to them in the future if needed wouldn't be as difficult, but still a good idea. Thanks.