I was recently called out to Ahwatukee to replace an equipment pad. The pad was cracked, and lower than the stone patio. This caused water to collect below the electric motor during storms.

I dug down about 18” and cut out all of the repair couplers of the past 20 years. I re-routed the return line and put in a new variable speed pump. Relocating the return line allowed me to change configuration of the return side plumbing, to make the salt cell easier for the home owner to access when cleaning is required. A tall pre-form pad raised the equipment 3” to keep it away from rain water, and I filled the area in front of the pad with all purpose sand, covered with pea gravel, to help water drain around the pad.

I was called out to Ahwatukee, because this customers pump was losing prime due to a suction leak. I pulled out the equipment, put down a new equipment pad to replace the cracked pad that was there. I filled in the holes and leveled the ground in the equipment area. I raised the pad 3" to keep water from pooling up around the motor when it rained, or the filter is drained for cleaning. 

All the PVC pipe and valves were replaced, and the pipe painted to protect against UV damage.  

The backwash valve assembly had cracked on this customers DE filter and I suggested replacing the DE filter with a cartridge. DE filters must be recharged with DE powder after each backwash and the DE powder residue left behind in the back yard is carcinogenic. Not only is it unsightly, it is not good to breath in either. I service pools in Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe and Chandler and they all have landscaped yards; there really is no good place to send waste water. With a cartridge filter, you simply take the cartridges to an appropriate place in the yard to clean them. Cartridge filters dont have a side mounted backwash valve, so the install was much cleaner. Cartridge filters have the flow rates that are able to handle the water movement from the new and powerful variable speed pumps. The cartridges can easily be removed and taken to an appropriate place in the yard for cleaning, unlike the DE filter that was leaving dirt and DE powder all over his stone patio on the side of the house when ever he needed to backwash the filter.

​With the additional space I gained from not having a backwash valve, I was able to rotate the filter 90 degrees. This made the drain plug more accessible for the customer when it is time to maintenance the filter, and changed how I could run the plumbing to the pool returns. This customer has a Polaris 380 pressure side cleaner, which is powered by a booster pump. The booster runs off the water flow going back to the pool and delivers a constant and correct flow of water to the cleaner. Polaris has a new flex line quick connect kit that I installed to get rid of the PVC and unions for a cleaner look.

Recently, one of my customers pump motors shorted out and was tripping the breaker. I ran into a problem putting in the new pump, with the way the original equipment was plumbed in. The original installers placed both the filter and the pump on one pad, one in front of the other, leaving only a couple of inches clearance for the pool return pipe over the motor.

Since title 44 had passed, requiring all new motors/pumps to be two speed, or variable speed with digital controllers, there was no way to put the new pump on the pad. The new pumps digital controller would not fit with the way the return pipe was plumbed. Also, the aerator line was on one side of the pump and the return side on another. This is highly irregular. Usually, all the return lines are on a bank together.

To correct the clearance issues and the need to plumb the return lines to different locations, I used two small pads, one for each piece of equipment and re-routed the aerator line close to the pool return so they were together like they should be. I never cut corners and I take my time to make sure my lines are straight and I am doing the best job I can. I don't have an "in and out" mentality.

My customers equipment was getting very old and decided to replace everything with new. The old equipment was on a slope and the home owner did a fantastic job putting in treated wood as a base. I got rid of the old wagon wheel style valves, went with Jandy valves (which can be rebuilt) and replaced all of the pipe above ground. 

This pool has an in-ground cleaning system with floor heads. I replaced a 48 square foot DE filter, because the tank cracked and it was leaking water under pressure. I believe this happened because the filter was undersized. A pool with a suction side cleaner runs a lower pressure, about 10-13 pounds usually. A pool with an in-ground cleaning system will run between 20-25 pounds of pressure. Its important to match the pool equipment to the system, not based on price. Depending on the size of the pool, the distance the equipment is away from the pool, whether it has a spa, a heater, the type of cleaning system it has, the diameter of the pipe, if there are water features etc, all determine what size pump is used, how much water the pump is supposed to move and what size filter is required to handle the flow rate.

This 60 square foot filter was installed to lower the pressure at the filter. The old, 48 square foot DE filter was running a high pressure, 30-35 pounds per square inch. The 60 square foot DE filter is running at 20-25 pounds per square inch. 10 pounds per square inch is a lot. This filter will last longer with proper maintenance than the last, because the lower pressure puts less stress on the collection manifold and grids...not to mention the tank. 

The old pump failed, so it was a good time to update to something more energy efficient. Intakes on the variable speed pumps are lower than the old pumps, a design change that increases performance. Since the intake valve is located very close to the ground in this system, it became an issue with the new pump having an intake that was 2" lower than the last pump. This would have put the valve partially underground if I glued it on after cutting out the old valve. 

I raised the pad with paving stones 4.5". This was just enough to make up for the 3" I cut off when the old valve was removed and keep the valve above ground level. The old pump was plumbed in with out any straight pipe. There was no place to make a cut, making this install much more difficult. I like to add straight pipe in the event anything may need to be replaced in the future. With many places to cut, it is easy to add a union, or a coupler to make a repair if necessary. Unions on the pump, filter, return line and discharge pipe, also make it easy to remove sections of pipe. This allows easy access to the filter and pump when service is required. 

Today, I installed a new Hayward, Tri-Star variable speed pump because this old Pentair Dura-glass had sprung a leak. This pumps intake lines were pushed out, away from the pump, to make room for it. I'm assuming the original pump was a small, brass impeller pump and when the Dura-glass pump was installed, it didn't quite fit the way the old one did. 

What I didn't like about the way its plumbed, is that the pipe was hanging above the ground about 5 inches. A brick was used to prop up the pipe to support it, so it would not flex to far and snap. 

To install the new pump properly, I wanted to fix this problem. I dug down about 8" and moved the pipe out under ground, to eliminate the flexing and the need for the brick. 

Here is the new pump installed and plumbed properly. 

This was a complete installation of a Hayward 250,000 BTU propane heater, a C4030 cartridge filter and a Tri-Star Variable speed pump. I had a challenge routing the intake line to the pump over about 12" to make everything fit. The old pump and filter were literally touching each other and there was no room. Everything now is spaced nicely and with the unions, the pipe can be easily removed to access the filter for cleanings.  

Today, I installed a Hayward, top mount sand filter. This filter replaced an undersized, single cartridge filter that the home owner had to clean each week during the summer to keep his cleaner running and the pool from turning green. This sand filter can be back washed unlike their old cartridge filter, making ongoing maintenance easier for the homeowners. The concrete pad under the old filter and pump, was cracked. I replaced the old single concrete pad, with two smaller pads. I like to do this on many installs, because it allows me to center a pump and filter on their own pad. In this case, the placement of two separate pads provided a place to stand when accessing the time clock. Before, that area was always wet from the drip system feeding plants on the other side of the wall and the customers had to step in mud to check the strainer basket and access the timer.  

Here is a before and after picture. The equipment closest in the image above is the spa equipment. The swimming pool equipment is in the back. The spa used to have an old, single cartridge filter and the floor heads did not work. The spa pump had sprung a leak, the return side valves and the heater bypass valves were the old rotary style handles, which were binding up. 

I installed a new, larger Hayward cartridge filter to replace the old single cartridge bullet style filter. The old filter was undersized to the pump. The equipment is over 30' from the spa and including the run through the heater, it is a total of 50' that the water must travel. Because a high head pump is required in this application, I matched the filter based upon its flow rate to the pump. I replaced the old pump with a new Hayward, Super II and put down a new concrete pad for the DE filter to sit on, so the pump and filter were no longer crowded on a single pad. The A & A floor head valves were also replaced for the swimming pool and the spa. New Jandy valves were put in in the return lines, to replace the rotary style valves. Jandy valves can be rebuilt and the O-rings can be replaced if they leak.

This was a big job, but it was worth the effort. Replacing the floor head valves and all the floor heads at the same time, gives this customer a lifetime warranty on the floor heads and the gears in the valves. She simply needs to go to A & A's will call pick up in Phoenix and replace those parts for free as long as she owns the house.