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Help please! I need to move my pump and filter 15 feet away from the pool and add 2-3 90 degree turns on each suction (MD & Skimmer) and return lines. I have 1.5" PVC lines on everything. The pump is 1/2" hp. The pool is 12k IG Vinyl.
My questions are:
What is the additional head per foot of piping and for each turn? Is this additional head a problem? Are long elbows better than short ones? What problems might I encounter? Should I forget about it and go have a cold one?
Thanks!
Steve
You might want to read this thread when it comes time to cut your main drain line. http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=6207
To minimize the impact of the additional pipe, you could always increase the size for the new section. That way your head should not increase very much. 2" pipe should do the trick and doesn't cost much more than the 1.5". Just use a reducer bushing where they meet.
Or flex PVC to avoid the 90s, if it makes sense.
i'd go flex if that would help as well. i have flex all around my pump and it's 21 years old and still solid as can be with no leaks or issues.
In terms of head loss, I believe that flex ends up worse than an elbow for head loss. Even two 45's is about the same as 1 90, they both add about the equivalent of 8-10 feet of pipe.
However, there are large radius 90's which can reduce head loss since they are smooth like normal 90's but have less of a transition.
One other option if you have a lot of room to make the bends is to heat up the pipe with a heat gun and put very long radius turns in the pipe itself. This has the lowest amount of head loss possible since you are only limited by how fast you need to make the turns.
I don't think smooth bore flex (flex PVC) has higher flow resistance than regular Sched40. The inside has a very slight ridge. I can't imagine that a 4 ft radius 90 with flex PVC would have a higher resistance than a 4" 90 or even 2 45s. My entire pool is piped in flex except for the pad.
The AG ridged stuff, yes.
Thanks everyone for you tips. They all are helpful. I'll be doing this job over the next few afternoons and I'll post my results when finished. With so much discussion in this forum about pump motor size, pipe size, etc., I'm a little hesitant about adding footage with only a 1/2 hp motor. But, it has to be done. I'll upgrade the pump motor if I have too. Thanks again!