Spa Remodel - How to plumb

I have a neighbor who got so excited about seeing our pool being built, that she got motivated about "remodeling" the old IG pool/spa in their backyard.

She said that she's always been a little dissatisfied with the spa pressure. They have a spa with a little 1.5 hp motor, and they don't have a suction line besides the spa drain. The spa rail is 2" pvc but the drain line is only 1.5" pvc and she wants to add some new high-flowing 15gpm jets. (8 jet ports)

She wants to add a suction line, but doesn't know who to trust and has gotten opinions ranging from, "you can't do it", to "just get a 2 inch masonry drill and drill through the wall," to "use an electric chisel".

How would you pool pros go about installing a separate suction line in an already existing spa so that she can get a balance between intake and jet output? Drill? Chisel? Blast? :) Forget it?

Thanks :)

Need more information.

Stand alone spa (not connected to the spa and no spill-over)?
Pool spa combination (spa spills over into the pool)?
Is the circulation pump used as the jet booster pump also?
Is the spa raised or at pool level?
If the pool is raised what is the outsided faced with (brick, rock or tile)?
Will the pool deck surrounding the spa be taken out?
Is there a clear path to the equipment pad for new plumbing?

Send pictures

Hi Fig Newton,

Thanks for the reply. She doesn't really need to know what plumbing to add. Everyone seems to agree about that.

Just HOW to bore through the thinnest part (about 12 inches, I think) of the spa wall for a 2 inch PVC pipe? Drill? Chisel? Etc. Her estimates are all over the place, and no one seems to have actually DONE it before. Hence the request. :)

It's a pool/raised spa combo with plenty of room for plumbing. I'm occupied with work and my own pool project, otherwise I'd probably help her. But I just thought I could get her a little objective advice from one of the pros here.

If your friend wants 8 jets at 15gpm she will need at a minimum 3" suction and 3" return to to feed these jets. To install the plumbing they need to core drill thru the spa wall to install the plumbing. Use a Waterway Plastics Poly Gunite jet body, with this you will have a 2 1/2" pipe coming thru the spa wall. The jets need to be plumbed in a loop to get equal flow.

Thanks for the core drill suggestion, IFN. That's a much better idea than a 2 or 3 inch masonry drill bit.

Only problem is.......with all the helpful suggestions I'm giving her, I may wind up being the one to try to actually DO it....lol

The lowest bid she's gotten so far, for the single suction line alone, is over $1000! I checked out equipment rentals, and it's possible to rent a 3" bit with drill hammer for $160/day.

I think I'm in the wrong business. :)

Thanks again.