How To Hard Pipe Above Ground Pool

Plumbing an inground pool is actually easier than it sounds — equally long as you have a detailed program and work carefully. The last thing y'all want afterwards laying inground pool plumbing is to discover an underground leak!

Most of our DIY inground puddle kit customers do their own plumbing, or will take a worker practise it for them; there's no need to rent a professional plumber. Before we get into some detail well-nigh how to plumb an inground pool, let's define the what, where and when of inground pool plumbing.

Puddle plumbing are the buried pipes undercover, connecting the puddle with the filter equipment. The suction lines, skimmer and principal drain, are two pipes that connect into the pool pump, via a 3-fashion valve. The return line is the piping that carries water from the pool filter, back to the wall return inlets. Other plumbing lines may be continued to step jets, a pool cleaner line, or fountains and h2o features. Pool plumbing is washed after the pool walls are erected, most halfway through the process.

Materials for Inground Pool Plumbing

Offset, mensurate from your equipment pad to the skimmer, primary drain, returns and any other plumbing lines. Your suction pipes (skimmer, main bleed) typically come up on ane side of the equipment pad, and the return pipes come out of the ground on the other side of the pad. pipes or fittings.

In The Swim Pool Kits

In The Swim puddle kits come with all you demand to install an inground pool. But if your pad is located far from the pool, or if yous add a cleaner or fountain line, you'll need more piping, PVC fittings and valves.

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

When you measure your plumbing runs, do not forget to add together the vertical amount of pipe needed, and the pipe, fittings and valves needed in a higher place footing, to connect the pool plumbing to the pool equipment.

You volition also demand a measuring tape, a power saw, and sandpaper to smooth off edges afterward cutting.

Other supplies that you'll demand include a measuring tape, a power saw, either reciprocating or jig saw, with a few abrupt blades. Emory cloth or sandpaper tin be used to smooth off the burrs after cutting the piping. Teflon record and silicone is used for threaded fittings. I like to accept a on hand, to quickly wipe upward any mucilage that may ooze out, and run down the pipe – keeps information technology looking neater.

Differences in Sch xx, Sch 40 and Sch 80

This refers to the thickness of the piping wall. Sch stands for Schedule. A piping labeled Schedule twenty will have a thickness of 0.100″, and a Sch 40 pipe will take a 0.150″ wall thickness. Schedule lxxx pipe is a gray PVC, with a 0.200 wall. Sch 80 fittings can exist used on pumps and filters, if yous come across a trouble with Sch forty fittings melting and shrinking, and leaking. Sch 20 pipe should non exist used on pool plumbing, or pressurized lines, Schedule 40 is standard.

six commonly used PVC fittings

1. Coupling – Used for joining 2 sections of pipe.
2. 90 – An elbow plumbing equipment, turns the pipage 90 degrees.
3. 45 – A half-elbow, turns the pipe 45 degrees.
4. MTA – Male threaded adapter, Male person threads 10 Slip
5. FTA – Female threaded adapter, Female person threads x Slip
6. Tee – 3-manner plumbing equipment, i piping coming in, two going out.

Plumbing Your Pool Light Conduit

For the conduit that is used to bear power wires to the pool light, you'll need a quantity of 3/4″ gray conduit, which you tin buy in 10′ lengths. They have couplings built into the ends, but you may need to buy a few 90 or 45 fittings. Conduit can exist heated upwardly and bent gently with a small blow torch, to go effectually gentle turns.

Your conduit will need to exist run from the pool junction box to the pool light niche, which mounts on the wall of the pool. The junction box may be located at the equipment pad, if that is close to the puddle light, or a j-box tin be mounted closer to the pool light, to run into the 50′ pool lite cord. The j-box tin can't be closer than 10 feet from the pool, and must be eighteen″ higher up the water level in the pool, as shown in this prototype.

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

Backfill the Trenches

I like to wait to backfill the trenches until we accept the pool pump and filter operating; that's my method of pressure testing. The liner goes in and the pool is filled. And so we install the faceplates and flood the lines. Permit the system run for a twenty-four hour period, and if you practise not see any wet spots on dry soil, then nosotros're ready to backfill around the pool, and in the pipe trenches. Fill and compact the soil gently so that you exercise non put pressure on underground pipes and fittings. H2o-in the soil around pipes, to exist sure dirt gets underneath, for support.

Tips for Making a Mucilage Joint

• Brand straight cuts across the pipe.
• Remove rough edges or burrs on piping.
• Use primer on piping and fitting earlier gluing.
• Employ a liberal corporeality of fresh glue to pipe and fitting.
• Use only deep socket pressure fittings, Sch 40
• Push together and hold business firm for 20 seconds after gluing.

How to Plumb an Inground Pool

Continuing our serial of how to build an inground puddle, we at present achieve the phase of plumbing your pool, to connect the pool suction and return fittings to the filter and pump organisation. At this stage, the pool is dug, the walls are erected, and the pump and filter system are in identify, on a level slab of concrete or pressure treated forest.

There are dissimilar types of piping that can be used for plumbing an inground pool. Most popular is schedule 40 PVC pipe. Schedule twoscore pipe is available in rolls of flexible PVC or as rigid sticks, either 10 or 20 feet in length. Black Poly piping, also sold in rolls, can be used. Black poly pipe will use spinous plumbing fixtures inserts and clamps to connect to the pool and equipment, rather than glued PVC fittings.

The virtually commonly used piping for inground puddle structure is the 100 ft roll of flexible PVC pipage (ane.5″ diameter). Having a continuous roll makes it easier to wrap around corners and you will need fewer connectors. If you purchased youringround pool kit from In The Swim, the Palatial or Deluxe Plus puddle kits come with everything you need to plumb the pool.

Pipe & Fittings Kit includes:

• Schedule 40 Flex Hose 1-1/2″ x 100′ (1)
• PVC White Tee 1-1/ii″ (four)
• Male Adapter ane-1/2″ (4)
• PVC White xc-degree Elbow ane-1/2″ (v)
• PVC White Coupling 1-one/2″ (4)
• one-i/ii″ PVC 90 degree Street Elbow (4)
• i-1/2″ PVC 90 degree Street Elbow (4)
• 1 Quart Ultra Grip Blueish Cement
• 1 Quart Purple Primer

Also included in our DIY inground pool kits – two i-1/ii″, 3-way Jandy valves and the Hayward Pool Plumbing Pack (widemouth Skimmer, extension neckband, vacuum plate, 2 Returns, 2 VGB Chief Drains).

Plumbing the Chief Drains:

New master drain safety laws crave the use of dual main drains, to prevent entrapment on a single master drain. Dig a small pigsty in the lesser center of the floor, and identify the 2 principal drains, iii ft autonomously from each other. Run a flake of pipe between the two drains with a Tee fitting in the middle of the pipe. From the Tee, connect a pipe that will run through the deep cease slope, up underneath the wall. In one case outside of the wall, run this pipe all the manner back towards the filter pump. Connecting your main drain pipe into the skimmer is not recommended; this method won't allow y'all to accommodate the suction of the main drain and skimmers independently.

Plumbing the Skimmer:

Connect the Hayward wide rima oris skimmer to the wall panel with the cut-out. Connect a pipe to the rear hole of the skimmer, leave the front hole plugged. Utilize Teflon tape and silicone sealant on the fitting, and tighten securely, but don't over-tighten as you risk slap-up the skimmer torso. Connect the pipe to the fitting at the skimmer bottom, and run this pipe back to the filter pump.

There are two″ holes at the lesser of each skimmer. Employ Teflon record and a little piping dope or silicone to forestall leaking. In the other pigsty of the skimmer, thread in a pvc pipe connector and gum your skimmer piping into the fitting.

The adjacent footstep is to connect the skimmer line and the main bleed line into the pump. Install an MTA (male threaded adapter) fitting into the front port of the puddle pump. Apply a proper thread sealant so there won't be any air leaks. Once the MTA is installed, gum a 6-12″ piece of rigid PVC pipe, into the fitting. Glue the other end into the port labeled "Inlet", on one of your 3-mode Jandy Valves. I the other two side ports, glue in the 1-1/2″ Street Elbows, with the opening pointing down to the ground. Finally, connect your pipe from the skimmer and main drain into these two Street Elbows.

If you lot want to use rigid PVC on the plumbing, cutting the flexible pipe at the bottom of the trench and gum it into a SlipxSlip elbow fitting which points up toward the street elbow you glued into the Jandy Valve. In between these two elbow fittings, use a piece of rigid, schedule 40 PVC. Lengths of rigid PVC can be purchased at whatsoever abode store, or plumbing supply house.

Plumbing the Returns:

The 24″ sand filter that is included in our Deluxe inground pool kits will have a multiport valve that mounts on the pinnacle 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 Return – connect a pipe from this port towards the port labeled "Inlet", on your other 3-mode Jandy Valve. Using rigid pipe for these connections will look better, but is not required.

Coming out of the iii-way Jandy Valve, at 3 o'clock and nine o'clock, you will once more gum in two Street Elbows, pointing straight downwardly to the ground. Glue two equal lengths of rigid PVC into these Street Elbows, and on the other end, into two slip elbows. So glue your flex piping into the other side of the elbows, and run your piping to where the two returns are located, typically on opposite sides or ends of the pool. From your filter system, cull the shortest route around the pool, to reach the wall returns.

If yous take more than 2 returns or ii suction lines, yous tin add together another valve, either a brawl valve or a Jandy Valve, onto the render or suction-side manifold. Using a valve is important on each line, so that you take the nearly control over where and how your water flows.

Plumbing a Puddle Heater:

If you lot take a pool heater you would do the return side plumbing a niggling differently. Nosotros volition plumb the render side the aforementioned way, except that coming out of the multiport valve port labeled "Return", nosotros first run the pipe in and out of the heater. From your filter to your heater (or oestrus pump) and then out of the heater to your render side Jandy Valve, where the water splits into the ii dissever 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 but need to drill 2 small holes in the return pipe. If yous are installing a saltwater chlorine organisation or an In-line chemic feeder – y'all would install theseafterwardsthe filter, andafter any pool heater, on the return line –before the return side Jandy Valve.

If yous add together any water features such as a waterfall, or deck jets, or equipment like a slide or a pressure-side (return-side) pool cleaner – these will be fed water from the return side equally well. Typically, a tee fitting is installed on the render line, with a valve below the tee fitting, to command how much water is delivered or pumped to the device. Alternatively, instead of a tee plumbing fixtures and a two-manner valve, you tin install another three-way Jandy Valve to control the corporeality of water delivered to other equipment.

Plumbing with Blackness Poly Piping:

Blackness Polyethylene pipage tin can be purchased in long rolls, and is joined together using barbed PVC insert fittings, which are secured by stainless steel clamps around the pipe. Earlier inserting the fitting, apply pipe dope to the barbed fitting and insert the plumbing equipment deep into the pipe. Double clamp the pipe over the fitting with 2 clamps going in opposite directions. Tighten securely with a nut driver, so heat the pipe slightly with a torch. While still hot, tighten over again on the clamps to better the seal.

Black Poly pipe is not glued together similar PVC piping. Because of this, the joints are more probable to cause leaking bug years down the route. This is why some builders scoff and scorn at the idea of using Black Poly piping. If yet, you make up one's mind to use Black Poly, try to use as few hole-and-corner connector fittings every bit possible, to reduce this possibility. The advantage of Black Poly pipe is that it tin be purchased more cheaply than PVC pipage. This can relieve a few hundred dollars on large puddle installations.

As described to a higher place, some DIY inground pool builders volition use Black Poly surreptitious, up until the equipment pad, and so come upwardly out of the basis with rigid schedule 40 PVC, for a more secure and professional looking filter system installation.

Pressure Testing your Puddle Plumbing:

If you want to be sure that your pool plumbing job was done well, without leaks – earlier backfilling over the pipes, you tin can pressure test the plumbing. This is done after all plumbing connections are complete, including the filter arrangement plumbing. Allow the glue to cure for 24 hours.

Builders will commonly have a homemade PVC pressure level testing stick with a gauge. This is connected to the skimmer, and then all the other ports (main drains, returns, etc) are plugged at the pool using safe expansion plugs. An easier method than building a pressure stick is to buy a Drain King. Bachelor at nearly home stores, you lot 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. Plow on the garden hose and the plumbing will fill up with h2o. Advisedly check the unabridged run of plumbing for any leakage. It should be water tight, non even a drop should be discovered. Congratulations, at present you can backfill over the pipe and up confronting the walls.

Ouringround pool kits come with a starter plumbing kit. Nosotros requite y'all valves, unions, assorted schedule 40 PVC fittings and 100 ft of schedule 40 flex pipage. In some cases y'all will need additional pipage, depending on the size of the pool, how many returns and skimmers, and whatsoever other water features you are planning, and the distance to the pool equipment. Actress piping can be ordered at the time of the pool kit purchase and delivered along with the kit, or you tin go extra pipe locally, either flex or rigid PVC.

Flex or Rigid PVC Pipage?

Flex piping is much easier to work with; it lays flat in the trenches and makes turns without using catamenia restricting fittings. It also compacts in the soil more fully, and is less likely to break under compaction. Rigid PVC pipe is stronger against chemic deposition and resists problems from earwigs in the soil.

Many of our customers utilize rigid PVC where the piping comes up out of the ground, and apply flex pipe for the underground plumbing. Connecting the equipment with rigid PVC to a higher place the ground, looks neater, and makes the equipment less likely to move.

ane.5″ or two″ PVC Plumbing?

If yous are upgrading to a Variable speed pump and filter with 2″ ports, it is a good idea to increase the pipe size to 2″ instead of the standard 1.five″ pipe. Variable speed pumps need 2 inch pipe to give a better flow and nearly price savings – which is why yous are purchasing the variable speed pump. Large water features, or powerful spa jets are some other area where 2″ pipe may be used.

Puddle Plumbing Trench

Take the operator dig a trench from the pool to where your pool equipment will be (your equipment pad). This will save you from hand earthworks a puddle plumbing trench subsequently the machine leaves your yard. Make sure information technology is at least about 2 ft wide and at least 2 ft deep. This will ensure enough room to fit all your pool plumbing lines and electrical conduit also.

How Deep Should Puddle Plumbing Pipes be Buried?

Your plumbing lines should be about 2 ft hole-and-corner to protect them from surface soil slip and shift and from freezing temperatures. If your pool is in the southern U.S., with rare freezing temperatures, you can bury your pool pipes a bit shallower, merely if you can go deeper, it's always a good idea. And, practice not forget to telephone call your local Dig Safe service, to have your utility lines marked (for free), before starting time any excavation in your lawn.

If you lot're in a cold weather climate, you will need to winterize your lines and equipment before freezing temperatures hit. This is done by blowing the lines and equipment out with a small compressor or blower vac. After the lines are cleared of water, the returns and skimmers are plugged at the pool, to keep water from re-inbound the pipes during the winter.

Plumbing your Equipment Pad

• Infinite out your equipment for airflow and serviceability.
• All pipes coming out of the ground should accept the same height.
• Use as few ninety'south equally possible, to reduce resistance.
• Allow some room for future expansion.
• You can run a pipage for future use, capped off at the pad.
• Road your plumbing away from your electrical panel.

Your equipment pad is preferably a steel reinforced physical slab, just heavy duty HVAC skids, assail a 4″ gravel base can as well be used. Ready your pump, filter, heater, etc., on your equipment pad in a logical gild, leaving lots of room for future repairs or service. Also continue in mind whatsoever codes that may be for placement. Heaters or heat pumps have special installation requirements.

Now that you have all your lines run from the pool to the pad it is fourth dimension to start connecting to your equipment. Let's start with the pump. In the forepart of the pump install a PVC spousal relationship (non shown), and from that connect a short piece of pipe into a 3 way Jandy valve. Unions are useful for removing the pool pump hands for service or indoor wintertime storage.

Clean and mucilage your main drain pipe into 1 side of the valve and your skimmer to the other side of the valve. Later on the pump install a union, and then plumb to the inlet of your pool filter. If you have whatever other accessories that is where you pipe to next from the filter after putting in a union and then piping to either a heater, rut pump, salt organisation or anything else so from at that place to a Jandy 3-way valve. In one side of the valve goes your step jets and in the other side goes your return fittings.

Pool Plumbing Techniques

When gluing PVC puddle pipe into couplings, unions, valves or other fittings or connectors, the proper way is to clean the inside of the fitting and the exterior of pipe, get it skillful and clean with a PVC primer. A good rule of thumb is clean it until you no longer see whatsoever writing (or dirt), so you know its make clean. Within fifteen seconds of cleaning, employ a liberal coating of fresh PVC mucilage on the within of the fitting and the outside of the pipage. Push the pipe fully into the plumbing fixtures with a small turning twist, and hold it for xxx seconds before releasing.

Threaded fittings require extra care to prevent cracks and leakage. Utilise 3-four wraps of Teflon record, in a clockwise direction around threaded male fittings. For actress security, commencement spread a thin layer of silicone or pipage dope over the threads, earlier wrapping with Teflon tape. When tightening threaded fittings into pumps, filters, heaters, chlorinators… be careful non to over-tighten, only turn merely 1-ii turns beyond paw tight.

Pool Plumbing Tips

• Make a plumbing diagram, measure out twice – cutting once, and dry fit everything together first, earlier gluing your pipes and fittings.
• Use as few 90'southward and 45's equally possible, to keep full system resistance as low as possible. Remove unnecessary turns in the plumbing.
• Back up in a higher place ground pipes and let enough room for equipment services and repairs.
• Go out at least vi″ of clear directly pipe on both sides of whatsoever slice of installed equipment.
• Plumb in order, from Pump to Filter to Heater to Chlorinator or Salt System.
• Avoid plumbing loops where freezing water may get trapped.
• Brand straight pipage cuts with a precipitous hacksaw, or reciprocating saw.
• De-burr the pipe after cutting, using rough sandpaper.
• Clean the piping and fitting immediately before gluing with PVC pipage cleaner.
• Apply PVC glue liberally to both plumbing equipment and pipe, and apace join, with a twisting motion.
• Hold the joint together for x-15 seconds before releasing.
• With a wet textile, wipe off any excess glue.
• Use a layer of silicone (I similar 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. Paw tight, plus ane-1/two turns with large pliers.

Future Pipe Plans

If you lot know when you install your pool that downward the road you may want to add some water features, or an automated puddle cleaner, it is a skilful thought to run the underground piping when you install your inground pool kit. Unused pipes tin just "stub-upwards", out of the footing at the equipment pad, and exist capped off above ground level for fountains, or connected through the pool wall with a wall return plumbing fixtures.

At the filter stop these would necktie in on the filter side or return side of the equipment, you tin simply stub it up at that place and cap information technology also. Any water features should have their own valve to turn them on and off, you could install it at present on the render side of the equipment, stub a piece of PVC out of it and glue on a cap at the cease and when you practise install your waterfall or whatsoever the water characteristic – you'll be set up to go.

If you take any questions almost inground puddle kit plumbing, or run into any troubles while plumbing your inground pool, give our pool plumbers a call here at In The Swim – we're here to help!

I hope that this piddling article nigh how to plumb and pressure examination a swimming pool has been helpful and informative. Pool plumbing is not hard to do, just be sure to programme each department of pipes and fittings. Thousands of homeowners just like y'all have figured out how to build an inground puddle, from pool guys like me. Plumbing an inground puddle is one of the fun parts of building your own inground puddle – enjoy it.

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

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