I'm totally refurbishing my 30+ year old IG gunite/plaster pool.

I have new pool equipment on it's way: pump, DE filter, salt system, pool light, etc. I will be doing all the work myslef, and it's well within my DIY capabilities.

Since, my pool is of an older design, it's lacking a lot of features that newer pools have. One of the items on the top of the list I'd like to add is a dedicated vacuum port. But, I have a few questions that some of you can help me with.

• How far down from the tile line do most have their vacuum port installed? I figured 5"-6"...
• When I drill through the wall of the pool to install the line to the pump. How much bigger should the hole be compared to the PVC line to allow for a proper seal with plaster, cement, etc...
• What should I use to seal/patch around the new line? (pool plaster, cement?)
• I have drained, cleaned, power washed, acid washed and painted the pool with pool epoxy paint (3rd time I've painted in the 18 years I owned the house). I still have plenty of epoxy pool paint to clean up and blend the work. How long should I wait for the plaster/cement to dry & cure, before I can paint over it? It should help with water proofing...
• I figured I would use a masonary drill bit and maybe a hole saw to cut through the wall of the pool.
• Is there anything else I should be thinking about?

Reason for the dedicated vacuum port. I only have a single skimmer, and when I have the Kreepy Krauly plugged into the skimmer to clean the pool, the skimmer is basically useless. With a dedicated vacuum line, I can keep the suction cleaner plugged in to clean the walls and floor of the pool, and the skimmer can take care of the water surface debris.

A dedicated vacuum port, will definitely help with keeping the pool clean. It should help with all the pine needles and stuff that fall from a couple huge pine trees that are always dropping debris into the pool.

I already have the Hayward Vac Lock port interface (W400). So, it will be safe for swimmers...