Episode 140: 15 Common Hydraulic & Plumbing Questions Answered by Justin Bowie of JMax Plumbing
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Episode Summary
In this episode, our good friend Justin Bowie of JMax Plumbing returns for his third appearance on the podcast where we pick his brain on some of the most commonly asked questions about his trade.
After Justin was on the podcast for episode 109, he shared with us that he received several questions, many of which he gets on a regular basis. We got to talking and thought it would be great to have him answer them on the podcast so that they were available to everyone.
We know how difficult this topic can be since we had some of these same curiosities back in the day. Listen in as Justin addresses YOUR questions and concerns around hydraulics and plumbing.
Topics Discussed
01:27 - A refresher on hydraulics and common terms that everyone should know
07:44 - Hydraulic calculations that everyone should know
09:42 - The most important thing to do to ensure you have good hydraulics on a pool
11:09 - Improving the hydraulics of an existing system if the pool cannot be replumbed
13:08 - Why so many pools have undersized pipes or a lackluster hydraulic process
16:11 - Hydraulic considerations when plumbing a negative edge or perimeter overflow
17:58 - Calculating the flow and size of the basin to ensure they spill over properly
19:59 - Is there a quick way to size a basin or storage tank?
23:48 - Is it possible to have too low of a velocity?
26:07 - The rule for a straight pipe length in front of a pump on the suction side
29:40 - Changing the orientation of the equipment to gain pipe length
30:15 - Why there are air bubbles in a pump when there is not a suction leak
33:08 - Why leaf canisters plumbed in front of a pump would have air bubbles
35:21 - The highest point a pump can be plumbed over a body of water and still work
39:24 - How detrimental it is to have the pool equipment plumbed far away from a pool?
43:35 - Why run large suction & return lines if they are reduced at the connection points anyway
45:22 - On a remodel with an existing main drain that is two inches, will it help if it is upgraded to two-and-a-half or three-inch plumbing?
46:31 - What is a true Hartford Loop?
48:48 - The difference between a venturi skimmer and a suction skimmer
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Key Quotes from Episode
Hydraulics is basically the properties of water and their characteristics inside of a plumbing system. All the plumbing fittings, pipe, the sizes, the elevations of the equipment, the features—those all play a part in hydraulics.
When you think of a pump in a plumbing system, the pump is not physically pulling water in. What it’s doing is creating a vacuum. It’s creating low pressure. The way that water moves in a plumbing system if it wants to move from high pressure to low pressure. It’s trying to equalize.
The most important thing you can do to ensure you have good hydraulics on a pool is to look at the velocity of the system: Slow the water down as much as you can. Velocity is the biggest driving factor in how much friction loss you have in your plumbing system.
A lot of the things that happen from having undersized plumbing are hidden to the eye.
If you’ve ever seen a pool under construction with a spa, you’ll usually see a Hartford Loop in the spa. A Hartford Loop is a section of plumbing that rises higher than the water level in the spa.
