Cutting main drain line to relocate equipment

[JohnT]

I think I have a plan for this. I have some rubber feed pans like this
They are made of heavy rubber that is flexible and soft. If I can place one of these over the main drain and get some weight on it or hold it down with a pole, it should restrict enough water that the hole won't fill on me while I cut the old fittings and install the new.

I have fittings to work both compression and glued, depending on how things work out.

I also am in the process of modifying a standard expanding rubber plug by welding a piece of conduit on so I can slip a ball valve on after the plug is in place. I'll post a picture when I get it made and can try it out on a practice pipe.

Last piece of the puzzle is finding a reasonably priced full flow PVC ball valve to connect to the pipe and still allow me to withdraw the expanding plug after the valve is installed.

I'n not going to do the work until the pool is ready to open in the spring.

[hinejs]

I love challenges like this. I have often had to replace leaking ball valves below the water line at the equipment pad. I have everything at the ready. I use quick setting PVC solvent called Pool Tite. It hasnt failed me yet.

[JohnT]

I love challenges like this. I have often had to replace leaking ball valves below the water line at the equipment pad. I have everything at the ready. I use quick setting PVC solvent called Pool Tite. It hasnt failed me yet.

I'd like them better if I was in Florida. The water will probably be below 60 degrees when I do it. I just hope it's not so deep I have to put my head underwater when I connect it.

[hinejs]

Pool water temps here are 55F. How about by you? What part of Indiana?

If your hole in the groujd is a shovel deeper than the pipe and if youre materials are at the ready, take a couple of practice "dry" runs, you wont lose a whole lot of water. Certainly not enough to fill your hole in the ground. Oh you will get plenty wet in the face and spattering mud, but its not as bad as you'd think. To me, its almost a lot like caving. Cold muddy water, cramped space. Its all good.

[JohnT]

Pool water temps here are 55F. How about by you? What part of Indiana?

I'd expect in the 40's at the warmest, since we've been having ice in the puddles for the last week or so. I'm about a half-hour south of Bloomington, so I'm not in the coldest part. I cut and capped the pipe above the water level a while back, and I don't have to finish until it's time to open the pool in the spring, so the water will be warmer.

I figure a lot will be happening at once, so I want to have it thought out. I have to make two cuts to make room for a new fitting, so it's going to take a little while before I can start with the connection.

[imfignewton]

Maybe to late for my two cents. But you could fill a double trash bag with sand (not so heavy that you can not carry it or it breaks); make sure you have most of the air out when you tie it and make sure the sand is not all balled up. You want the sand loose enough to spread out over the main drain (of course the sand is in the bag). Then cut the drain pipe. If there is to much water comming out to glue a fitting then use an air inflated test plug with a chain attached to plug the pipe. Then glue on a good valve (Jandy, Compool or equal). When you do this make sure the chain to the plug comes out the other end of the valve. When the glue has cured then hold on to the chain and deflate the plug with a long screw driver. Not a big fan of putting valves in the ground but if you do not want to drain the pool down this works.

[JohnT]

Maybe to late for my two cents. But you could fill a double trash bag with sand (not so heavy that you can not carry it or it breaks); make sure you have most of the air out when you tie it and make sure the sand is not all balled up. You want the sand loose enough to spread out over the main drain (of course the sand is in the bag). Then cut the drain pipe. If there is to much water comming out to glue a fitting then use an air inflated test plug with a chain attached to plug the pipe. Then glue on a good valve (Jandy, Compool or equal). When you do this make sure the chain to the plug comes out the other end of the valve. When the glue has cured then hold on to the chain and deflate the plug with a long screw driver. Not a big fan of putting valves in the ground but if you do not want to drain the pool down this works.

That's something worth considering. I could tie two ropes to it so we could place it.

I don't like the valve in the ground either. Since this is a point were every line going to or from the pool will have a junction, I'm going to make certain I can find it, and will probably fill the hole partially with sand to avoid any motion from settling soil. Thanks for the ideas.

John

[JohnT]

Updated: I got it done. Pictures linked for clarity.

I removed the screws holding the brush bristles on my pool brush, and connected a flexible rubber feed pan (picture in post above) to the metal frame with about 6 inches of wire in two places so small movements of the pole wouldn't lift the pan off the bottom. I placed the feed pan over the main drain. I cut the drain line and put a test plug

in the end. I used a PVC Compression Repair Coupling like this



to do the actual connection. The repair coupling slid over the test plug, so I was able to connect the pool side of the repair coupling before I removed the test plug, as well as slide the rubber seal and coupler nut onto the new pump line. With the coupling in place, I unscrewed the wing nut on the test plug with needle nose pliers, and the water in the line pushed it out of the fitting. I slid the new line to the pump into the coupler, and tightened the pump side nut. I didn't even drain a gallon of water into the pit while doing it.

I didn't make the final PVC joints above ground until after the connection to let me have maximum flexibility to move the pipe around, so I didn't turn the drain valve on until this morning. All good.

I learned that the water/antifreeze mix in that drain line stinks. All the more reason to start the pump with the filter set to waste when you open.