How To Plumb A Pool Pump And Filter

Plumbing an inground pool is fairly simple stuff, but information technology'southward not hard to mess it up – if you exercise not have a program and proceed advisedly. The concluding thing y'all want is to accept a leak cloak-and-dagger because of a bad glue joint, or a slip fitting left unglued, or a threaded fitting without sealant.

Most of our DIY inground pool kit customers do their own plumbing, or volition have a worker do it for them; there'southward no need to rent a professional plumber. Before we get into some detail about how to plumb an inground pool, allow'due south ascertain the what, where and when.

Pool plumbing are the pipes that are cached hugger-mugger, connecting the pool with the filter equipment. The suction lines, skimmer and main drain, are two pipes that connect into the pool pump, via a 3-way valve. The return line is the pipe that carries water from the pool filter, dorsum to the wall render inlets. Other plumbing lines may be connected to step jets, a pool cleaner line, or fountains and h2o features. Pool plumbing is done after the puddle walls are erected, almost halfway through the process.

The conduit or piping that carries the power to the underwater pool light is likewise a part of pool plumbing, and so we'll touch on on that as well. And the plumbing that you do on the equipment pad, connecting pump, filter, heater, chlorinator is another important office of pool plumbing that we'll cover below.

How to Plumb an Inground Pool

– Supplies and Materials list

Take some measurements, outset of all – from your equipment pad to the skimmer, main bleed, returns and any other plumbing lines. Your suction pipes (skimmer, main bleed) typically volition come on one side of the equipment pad, and the return pipes come out of the ground on the other side of the pad. If you haven't erected your puddle walls at this signal, make your all-time judge on the location, but earlier you brainstorm to plumb, measure again, to be sure you lot do not run curt on pipes or fittings.

Our Pool Kits Include:

• 100′ – i.5″ Sch 40 Flex pipage
• iv – one.5″ Tee fittings
• five – 1.5″ 90 fittings
• 4- one.5″ Couplings
• iv – 1.5″ Male person adapters
• four – 1.5″ Street elbow
• 2 – 1.five″ 3-way valves
• 2 – 1.5″ Unions
• i Qt Ultra Grip Blue
• 1 Qt Purple Primer
• Teflon Record

In The Swim Puddle Kits come with all you need to install an inground pool, but if your pad is located far from the pool, or if you add together a cleaner or fountain line, or additional steps jets, or a slide water line – you'll need more pipe, PVC fittings and valves.

When you lot measure your plumbing runs, do not forget to add thevertical amount of pipe needed, and the pipe, fittings and valves neededabove ground, to connect the puddle plumbing to the pool equipment.

Other supplies that you'll need include a measuringtape, a abilitysaw, either reciprocating or jig saw, with a few sharp blades. Emory textile orsandpaper tin be used to smooth off the burrs after cutting the pipage. Teflon record and silicone is used for threaded fittings. I like to have arag on hand, to quickly wipe upwards any glue that may ooze out, and run down the pipage – keeps it looking neater.

Differences in Sch twenty, Sch xl and Sch 80

This refers to the thickness of the pipe wall. Sch stands for Schedule. A pipe labeled Schedule xx will accept a thickness of 0.100″, and a Sch 40 pipage will have a 0.150″ wall thickness. Schedule 80 pipe is a gray PVC, with a 0.200 wall. Sch 80 fittings can be used on pumps and filters, if you encounter a problem with Sch twoscore fittings melting and shrinking, and leaking. Sch twenty pipe should non be used on pool plumbing, or pressurized lines, Schedule 40 is standard.

6 ordinarily used PVC fittings

1. Coupling – Used for joining two sections of pipe.
2. 90 – An elbow fitting, turns the piping 90 degrees.
3. 45 – A half-elbow, turns the piping 45 degrees.
4. MTA – Male threaded adapter, Male person threads x Slip
5. FTA – Female threaded adapter, Female threads ten Slip
6. Tee – three-way fitting, 1 pipe coming in, two going out.

Plumbing Your Pool Light Conduit

For the conduit that is used to carry ability wires to the puddle light, you'll need a quantity of 3/four″ grey conduit, which you can buy in 10′ lengths. They take couplings built into the ends, merely you may need to purchase a few ninety or 45 fittings. Conduit can be heated up and bent gently with a small blow torch, to go around gentle turns.

Your conduit will demand to exist run from the pool junction box to the puddle calorie-free niche, which mounts on the wall of the pool. The junction box may be located at the equipment pad, if that is shut to the pool light, or a j-box can be mounted closer to the pool calorie-free, to meet the l′ pool light cord. The j-box can't be closer than 10 feet from the pool, and must be 18″ higher up the water level in the pool, every bit shown in this image.

Run your conduit from the pool light niche, to the junction box, which is where the pool light string meets the power cord from the billow box, which also needs to be encapsulated in electrical conduit, rigid or flexible.

Backfill the Trenches

I like to look to backfill the trenches until we have the pool pump and filter operating; that's my method of pressure testing. The liner goes in and the pool is filled. Then we install the faceplates and inundation the lines. Allow the organization run for a twenty-four hours, and if you do non run across whatever wet spots on dry soil, then we're prepare to backfill around the pool, and in the pipe trenches. Fill and compact the soil gently so that yous exercise not put pressure on underground pipes and fittings. H2o-in the soil around pipes, to be sure dirt gets underneath, for support.

Tips for making a good glue joint

• Make directly cuts across the pipe.
• Remove crude edges or burrs on pipage.
• Utilise primer just earlier mucilage – on pipe and fitting.
• Use liberal corporeality of Fresh glue, on pipe and fitting.
• Employ only deep socket, pressure fittings – Sch 40
• Button together and hold business firm for 20 seconds after gluing.

When y'all reach the stage of plumbing your inground pool, the SPP Pool Experts are right in that location with you – ready for any questions or concerns, or just to review the plan, and the supplies on manus.

How to Plumb an Inground Puddle

Continuing our series of how to build an inground pool, nosotros now reach the phase of plumbing your pool, to connect the pool suction and return fittings to the filter and pump organization. At this phase, the pool is dug, the walls are erected, and the pump and filter organization are in place, on a level slab of concrete or pressure level treated wood.

There are dissimilar types of piping that can be used for plumbing an inground pool. Nigh popular is schedule 40 PVC piping. Schedule 40 pipage is available in rolls of flexible PVC or as rigid sticks, either 10 or xx anxiety in length. Black Poly pipe, also sold in rolls, tin be used. Black poly pipage will use barbed fitting inserts and clamps to connect to the puddle and equipment, rather than glued PVC fittings.

The near ordinarily used pipe for inground puddle structure is the 100 ft roll of flexible PVC pipe (1.5″ bore). Having a continuous roll makes it easier to wrap around corners and y'all will need fewer connectors. If yous purchased your inground pool kit from In The Swim, the Deluxe or Deluxe Plus pool kits come up with everything y'all demand to plumb the pool.

SPP Piping & Fittings Kit includes:

• i-1/ii″ x 100′ Schedule 40 Flex Hose (1)
• 1-i/2″ PVC White Tee (4)
• 1-1/two″ PVC White ninety-caste Elbow (5)
• one-i/2″ PVC White Coupling (4)
• 1-i/2″ Male Adapter (4)
• one-ane/2″ PVC 90 degree Street Elbow (4)
• one-ane/2″ PVC 90 caste Street Elbow (4)
• one Quart Ultra Grip Blue Cement
• one Quart Regal Primer

Also included in our DIY inground pool kits – two 1-1/2″, 3-way Jandy valves and the Hayward Puddle Plumbing Pack (widemouth Skimmer, extension collar, vacuum plate, 2 Returns, ii VGB Main Drains). With these supplies, y'all are set up to start plumbing your inground swimming pool!

Plumbing the Main Drains:

New main bleed safety laws require the use of dual primary drains, to forbid entrapment on a single principal drain. Dig a small-scale pigsty in the bottom center of the floor, and identify the 2 principal drains, 3 ft autonomously from each other. Run a scrap of pipe between the 2 drains with a Tee fitting in the middle of the pipage. From the Tee, connect a pipe that volition run through the deep end slope, up underneath the wall. One time outside of the wall, run this piping all the way back towards the filter pump. Connecting your master bleed pipe into the skimmer is not recommended; this method won't allow you lot to adjust the suction of the main drain and skimmers independently.

Plumbing the Skimmer:

If you haven't done so already, connect the Hayward widemouth skimmer to the wall panel with the cut-out. Connect a pipe to the rear pigsty of the skimmer, go out the front hole plugged. Use Teflon tape and silicone sealant on the fitting, and tighten deeply, only don't over-tighten as you risk cracking the skimmer body. Connect the pipe to the fitting at the skimmer bottom, and run this pipe back to the filter pump.

There are 2″ holes at the bottom of each skimmer, one gets plugged (usually the front end hole) with the PVC plug included with the skimmer. Be sure to use Teflon tape and a lilliputian pipe dope or silicone to prevent leaking. In the other pigsty of the skimmer, thread in a pvc pipe connector and glue your skimmer pipage into the fitting.

The next step is to connect the skimmer line and the main drain line into the pump. Install an MTA (male person threaded adapter) plumbing equipment into the front port of the pool pump. Apply a proper thread sealant and so in that location won't exist any air leaks. One time the MTA is installed, glue a half dozen-12″ slice of rigid PVC pipe, into the fitting. Glue the other end into the port labeled "Inlet", on one of your 3-way Jandy Valves. One the other two side ports, glue in the 1-ane/2″ Street Elbows, with the opening pointing down to the ground. Finally, connect your pipage from the skimmer and main drain into these two Street Elbows.

Some people edifice their own pool will apply rigid PVC on the plumbing that is visible above ground, which looks a niggling ameliorate, and can provide more rigid support. If you lot want to practice the aforementioned, cut the flexible pipe at the bottom of the trench and glue it into a SlipxSlip elbow fitting which points upward toward the street elbow you glued into the Jandy Valve. In between these two elbow fittings, apply a piece of rigid, schedule 40 PVC. Lengths of rigid PVC can be purchased at any home store, or plumbing supply firm.

Plumbing the Returns:

The 24″ sand filter that is included in our Palatial inground pool kits will have a multiport valve that mounts on the top of the filter tank. This valve has 3 ports, one labeled Pump – connect a pipe from the pool pump into this port, and one labeled Render – connect a pipe from this port towards the port labeled "Inlet", on your other 3-fashion Jandy Valve. Using rigid piping for these connections will look better, but is not required.

Coming out of the 3-way Jandy Valve, at 3 o'clock and nine o'clock, you will again mucilage in ii Street Elbows, pointing straight downward to the ground. Mucilage ii equal lengths of rigid PVC into these Street Elbows, and on the other end, into two sideslip elbows. Then glue your flex pipage into the other side of the elbows, and run your pipage to where the ii returns are located, typically on opposite sides or ends of the pool. From your filter system, choose the shortest route around the puddle, to attain the wall returns.

If you have more than 2 returns or two suction lines, you tin can add another valve, either a ball valve or a Jandy Valve, onto the return or suction-side manifold. Using a valve is important on each line, so that you accept the most control over where and how your water flows.

Plumbing a Pool Heater:

If yous have a puddle heater y'all would practise the return side plumbing a little differently. We will plumb the return side the same way, except that coming out of the multiport valve port labeled "Return", we starting time run the pipage in and out of the heater. From your filter to your heater (or heat pump) and then out of the heater to your render side Jandy Valve, where the water splits into the ii divide return lines going back – "returning" to the pool.

Plumbing Other Pool Equipment:

Our Deluxe puddle packages include an Off-line chemical feeder. To install this you only need to drill 2 small holes in the render pipe. If you are installing a saltwater chlorine system or an In-line chemical feeder – you would install theseafterthe filter, andafter any puddle heater, on the render line –before the return side Jandy Valve.

If you add together any water features such as a waterfall, or deck jets, or equipment like a slide or a pressure level-side (render-side) pool cleaner – these will be fed h2o from the return side as well. Typically, a tee fitting is installed on the return line, with a valve below the tee fitting, to control how much water is delivered or pumped to the device. Alternatively, instead of a tee fitting and a 2-way valve, you can install another 3-way Jandy Valve to control the amount of h2o delivered to other equipment.

Plumbing with Black Poly Pipage:

Black Polyethylene piping can be purchased in long rolls, and is joined together using barbed PVC insert fittings, which are secured past stainless steel clamps effectually the pipe. Before inserting the fitting, apply pipe dope to the spinous fitting and insert the plumbing equipment deep into the pipe. Double clench the piping over the fitting with two clamps going in contrary directions. Tighten securely with a nut driver, then heat the pipage slightly with a torch. While still hot, tighten once again on the clamps to improve the seal.

Black Poly pipe is not glued together like PVC piping. Considering of this, the joints are more likely to cause leaking problems years down the road. This is why some builders scoff and contemptuousness at the idea of using Blackness Poly pipe. If however, you decide to use Black Poly, try to use as few surreptitious connector fittings every bit possible, to reduce this possibility. The advantage of Black Poly pipe is that it tin can be purchased more than cheaply than PVC pipe. This can relieve a few hundred dollars on large puddle installations.

As described higher up, some DIY inground puddle builders will use Black Poly underground, up until the equipment pad, so come up out of the ground with rigid schedule 40 PVC, for a more secure and professional looking filter arrangement installation.

Force per unit area Testing your Pool Plumbing:

If you lot want to be sure that your puddle plumbing job was done well, without leaks – before backfilling over the pipes, yous tin pressure level test the plumbing. This is done subsequently all plumbing connections are complete, including the filter system plumbing. Allow the glue to cure for 24 hours.

Builders will commonly have a homemade PVC pressure testing stick with a gauge. This is connected to the skimmer, and then all the other ports (chief drains, returns, etc) are plugged at the puddle using rubber expansion plugs. An easier method than edifice a pressure stick is to buy a Drain Rex. Available at most home stores, you connect this to a garden hose, and push it into the skimmer. Plug both drains and returns, open all valves. Open the air bleeder on the filter to allow the air to escape. Plough on the garden hose and the plumbing will make full up with water. Carefully check the entire run of plumbing for any leakage. It should be water tight, not fifty-fifty a driblet should be discovered. Congratulations, now you can backfill over the piping and up against the walls.

Our inground pool kits come with a starter plumbing kit. We give you valves, unions, contrasted schedule forty PVC fittings and 100 ft of schedule 40 flex pipe. In some cases you will demand additional pipe, depending on the size of the pool, how many returns and skimmers, and any other h2o features you are planning, and the distance to the pool equipment. Actress pipe can exist ordered at the time of the pool kit purchase and delivered along with the kit, or yous tin get actress pipe locally, either flex or rigid PVC.

Flex or Rigid PVC Pipe?

Flex pipe is much easier to work with; information technology lays flat in the trenches and makes turns without using flow restricting fittings. It also compacts in the soil more fully, and is less likely to break under compaction. Rigid PVC pipe is stronger confronting chemic degradation and resists bug from earwigs in the soil.

Many of our customers use rigid PVC where the pipe comes upwardly out of the ground, and employ flex pipe for the clandestine plumbing. Connecting the equipment with rigid PVC above the ground, looks neater, and makes the equipment less likely to move.

1.v″ or two″ PVC Plumbing?

If you lot are upgrading to a Variable speed pump and filter with 2″ ports, it is a good idea to increase the pipe size to two″ instead of the standard ane.5″ pipe. Variable speed pumps demand two inch pipe to give a better menses and nigh cost savings – which is why you are purchasing the variable speed pump. Large h2o features, or powerful spa jets are another area where ii″ pipe may be used.

Pool Plumbing Trench

When your pool is being dug, have the operator dig a trench from the pool to where your pool equipment will be (your equipment pad). This will save you from paw digging a puddle plumbing trench later on the auto leaves your grand. Brand sure information technology is at least almost 2 ft wide and at to the lowest degree 2 ft deep. This volition ensure plenty room to fit all your pool plumbing lines and electrical conduit too.

How Deep Should Pool Plumbing Pipes be Buried?

Your plumbing lines should exist about 2 ft underground to protect them from surface soil skid and shift and from freezing temperatures. If your pool is in the southern U.S., with rare freezing temperatures, y'all can bury your pool pipes a scrap shallower, simply if yous can go deeper, it's always a good idea. And, exercise not forget to call your local Dig Safe service, to accept your utility lines marked (for gratis), before beginning whatsoever earthworks in your backyard.

If you're in a common cold weather condition climate, you will demand to winterize your lines and equipment before freezing temperatures hit. This is washed past blowing the lines and equipment out with a small compressor or blower vac. Afterward the lines are cleared of water, the returns and skimmers are plugged at the puddle, to keep water from re-entering the pipes during the winter.

Plumbing your Puddle Pump and Filter

Plumbing your Equipment Pad

• Infinite out your equipment for airflow and serviceability.
• All pipes coming out of the ground should have the aforementioned meridian.
• Use as few 90'due south equally possible, to reduce resistance.
• Allow some room for future expansion.
• Yous can run a pipe for future use, capped off at the pad.
• Road your plumbing away from your electric console.

Your equipment pad is preferably a steel reinforced concrete slab, but heavy duty HVAC skids, assail a 4″ gravel base of operations can also be used. Set your pump, filter, heater, etc., on your equipment pad in a logical order, leaving lots of room for future repairs or service. Likewise continue in mind whatever codes that may exist for placement. Heaters or heat pumps have special installation requirements.

Now that y'all have all your lines run from the pool to the pad it is time to start connecting to your equipment. Lets start with the pump. In the front of the pump install a PVC union (not shown), and from that connect a short piece of pipe into a three way Jandy valve.Unions are useful for removing the pool pump easily for service or indoor winter storage.Check valves can be used if desired; they are especially helpful if the pump and filter is located more than 12″ above h2o level.

Clean and glue your main drain piping into 1 side of the valve and your skimmer to the other side of the valve. If there are ii skimmers, a secondiii-fashion valve is used, as shown in the pool plumbing diagram above. After the pump install a marriage, and so plumb to the inlet of your puddle filter. If you have any other accessories that is where you pipe to next from the filter afterward putting in a union and and so pipe to either a heater, rut pump, salt system or anything else and then from there to a Jandy 3-way valve. In one side of the valve goes your stride jets and in the other side goes your render fittings.

Pool Plumbing Techniques

When gluing PVC pool pipe into couplings, unions, valves or other fittings or connectors, the proper way is to clean the within of the fitting and the outside of pipe, get it adept and clean with a PVC primer. A adept rule of thumb is make clean it until you lot no longer see any writing (or dirt), so you know its clean. Within xv seconds of cleaning, apply a liberal coating of fresh PVC glue on the within of the fitting and the outside of the pipe. Push the pipe fully into the plumbing equipment with a small turning twist, and hold it for 30 seconds before releasing.

Threaded fittings require extra care to prevent cracks and leakage. Use three-iv wraps of Teflon record, in a clockwise management effectually threaded male fittings. For extra security, kickoff spread a sparse layer of silicone or piping dope over the threads, before wrapping with Teflon tape. When tightening threaded fittings into pumps, filters, heaters, chlorinators… be conscientious not to over-tighten, but turn only i-2 turns beyond hand tight.

Pool Plumbing Tips

• Make a plumbing diagram, measure twice – cut once, and dry out fit everything together first, before gluing your pipes and fittings.
• Use as few 90'south and 45'south as possible, to keep total arrangement resistance equally low as possible. Remove unnecessary turns in the plumbing.
• Higher up ground pipes should be supported, and permit room to service equipment and motion around without damaging pipes.
• Exit at to the lowest degree vi″ of clear direct pipe on both sides of whatever piece of installed equipment.
• Plumb in order, from Pump to Filter to Heater to Chlorinator or Salt System.
• Avoid plumbing loops where freezing water may become trapped.
• Make straight pipe cuts with a sharp hacksaw, or reciprocating saw.
• De-burr the pipage after cutting, using crude sandpaper.
• Clean the pipage and fitting immediately earlier gluing with PVC piping cleaner.
• Apply PVC mucilage liberally to both fitting and pipe, and quickly join, with a twisting movement.
• Hold the joint together for 10-xv seconds before releasing.
• With a wet cloth, wipe off whatsoever excess glue.
• Use a layer of silicone (I like Blueish RTV) on threaded fittings, then 3 layers of Teflon tape, wrapped over the threads in a clockwise direction.
• Don't over-tighten threaded fittings into pump, valve, skimmers, drains. Mitt tight, plus 1-ane/2 turns with large pliers.

Futurity Pipage Plans

If you know when y'all install your pool that down the road you may desire to add some water features, or an automated pool cleaner, information technology is a adept thought to run the hush-hush piping when you install your inground pool kit. Unused pipes can just "stub-up", out of the ground at the equipment pad, and exist capped off above ground level for fountains, or connected through the pool wall with a wall return fitting.

At the filter end these would necktie in on the filter side or return side of the equipment, y'all can just stub it upwards there and cap it also. Whatever h2o features should have their own valve to turn them on and off, you could install information technology now on the return side of the equipment, stub a slice of PVC out of it and glue on a cap at the end and when you practice install your waterfall or whatever the water characteristic – y'all'll be fix to go.

Plumbing your own swimming pool, equally you build your backyard paradise is no big deal. With the trench dug, the pipes from the pool to the equipment pad and back to the pool can exist connected in just a few hours.

If yous have whatever questions about inground pool kit plumbing, or run into any troubles while plumbing your inground pool, give our pool plumbers a phone call hither at In The Swim – we're hither to aid!

I hope that this trivial article well-nigh how to plumb and pressure exam a swimming pool has been helpful and informative. Pool plumbing is not hard to do, merely be sure to plan each section of pipes and fittings. Thousands of homeowners simply similar you have figured out how to build an inground pool, from puddle guys like me. Plumbing an inground pool is one of the fun parts of building your own inground pool – relish it.

Larry Weinberg
In The Swim Pool Adept

How To Plumb A Pool Pump And Filter,

Source: https://blog.intheswim.com/inground-pool-kit-plumbing-how-to-plumb-a-pool/

Posted by: dunnfamenter87.blogspot.com

Share this post