Very Basic Home Repair Help

Alumni Guy

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I was fortunate to buy a home, even more fortunate to buy one with a pool.

I always thought I could do the basics, but I’m getting humbled by my lack of knowledge on a lot of home repair.

I see guys putting up pergolas, installing built in bars, etc, and I was proud I installed led lights that consisted of pulling out the can and putting in new ones. I really am impressed by everyone’s skills, and I hope to get 1/3rd of the way there.

So, it is my full intent to exploit your skills for my personal gain. I’m a pirate like that.

Here’s my basic repair question. My pool needs to be drained. Tons of rain in west palm this week.

Unfortunately, the previous owner doesn’t have a proper hose attachment from the pool pump. Fortunately, the valve is installed, but I just need to attach a drainage hose to the pvc.

The pvc is 6 inch circumference. The pipe ends with a rough cut, with no fittings on the end.

What are the tools and steps required to get drainage a hose attached to a 6 inch PVC pipe?

I really appreciate any help you can give this 1st time home owner.
 

Concrete Helmet

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A hose clamp and about 50-100 feet of discharge hose from Lowes or HD....Make sure to turn the valve to discharge only and not backash if you have a DE filter otherwise you'll blow out all your DE and have to recharge it...
f290e101-148b-416f-88bd-c848aa91855b_1.7ee206e0d342cfba1a5d9284ff57e85b.jpeg
 

Alumni Guy

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A hose clamp and about 50-100 feet of discharge hose from Lowes or HD....Make sure to turn the valve to discharge only and not backash if you have a DE filter otherwise you'll blow out all your DE and have to recharge it...
f290e101-148b-416f-88bd-c848aa91855b_1.7ee206e0d342cfba1a5d9284ff57e85b.jpeg

slight snafu. The pvc pipe has a 6 inch circumference. Looks like the hoses can’t fit around the existing discharge.

Do they make an adapter to go down in size?

is it difficult to attach.

I really do appreciate the help. Alot
 

Concrete Helmet

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slight snafu. The pvc pipe has a 6 inch circumference. Looks like the hoses can’t fit around the existing discharge.

Do they make an adapter to go down in size?

is it difficult to attach.

I really do appreciate the help. Alot
Take picture. I find it hard to believe you have a 6 inch discharge from your pool pump. Most are 1.5 or 2 inch.
 

crosscreekcooter

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Honest question, why you draining your pool? If it's topped out from rain just put a garden hose in it and siphon it down to the the level you want it at. It's just like stealing gas only the funny taste in your mouth is somebody's urine..
 
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Pablos Tunnel

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I live in West Palm and grew up in the pool business. You can pm me and I will give you my number. I know most of the quality contractors and repair guys still. But I am sure I can walk you through just about anything.
 

Alumni Guy

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Honest question, why you draining your pool? If it's topped out from rain just put a garden hose in it and siphon it down to the the level you want it at. It's just like stealing gas only the funny taste in your mouth is somebody's urine..
Does that actually work, for both a car and a pool?

photo of pump below. Drain is with the pink valve at bottom of photo. Took a tape measurer to it this morning, and it’s a 6 inch circumference.

idiot who sold me the house neglected it for 2 years he owned it. Missing door knobs, torn screens, no gfci’s in kitchen or bathroom....

It looks like there was a proper discharge outlet, but it was just sawed off. Problem is the current outlet points right to the patio, I’m worried about erosion if I just dump 300 gallons of water on to it.

37670AD2-432E-4F6A-9C86-0376956D6F64.jpeg
 

crosscreekcooter

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I don't know anything about your pool plumbing or the pool pump so I don't want to advise you on using the pump motor.. That line with the ball valve looks like its 1 1/2 or 2". Pipe size is measured in it's inside diameter not circumference although most pvc pipe is marked with its size every 4 or 5 feet. But if you are just trying to reduce the water volume (generally 1/2 the height of your pool skimmer) disconnect your garden hose and drop the end of the hose into the pool. Place the other end away from your house in a direction where you want to direct the outflow, then suck the end of the hose till the water starts flowing. It's like sex, you suck don't blow. It will continue to drain till you take the end out of the pool.
With regard to your kitchen outlets, they are probably wired on a circuit that is ground fault interrupted. Not every outlet has to have that funky looking device to be protected if wired in series properly.
 

Alumni Guy

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I don't know anything about your pool plumbing or the pool pump so I don't want to advise you on using the pump motor.. That line with the ball valve looks like its 1 1/2 or 2". Pipe size is measured in it's inside diameter not circumference although most pvc pipe is marked with its size every 4 or 5 feet. But if you are just trying to reduce the water volume (generally 1/2 the height of your pool skimmer) disconnect your garden hose and drop the end of the hose into the pool. Place the other end away from your house in a direction where you want to direct the outflow, then suck the end of the hose till the water starts flowing. It's like sex, you suck don't blow. It will continue to drain till you take the end out of the pool.
With regard to your kitchen outlets, they are probably wired on a circuit that is ground fault interrupted. Not every outlet has to have that funky looking device to be protected if wired in series properly.
That was really helpful. I’m such an amateur, no clue pvc was measured by diameter, not circumference. Makes sense though. Going back to simple geometry, if circumference = pi x diameter, I can probably use one of the hoses above. I’m comfortable using the pump to drain.

unfortunately, my repair skills are just enough to be dangerous. I’m a lawyer, and there’s nothing more dangerous than a kid fresh out of law school. Both that kid and me know what needs to be done, but neither of us have enough experience to get the details right. And it’s scary to do it in real life, with real consequences if there’s a screw up.

Also, there wasn’t a single gfci in the entire circuit for kitchen or bathrooms. Darn scary.

thanks a bunch, I may take you up on your offer for contractors/handyman.

Go Gators.
 

crosscreekcooter

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What I meant about your gfci was that there can be a receptacle gfci which allows everything downstream of that receptacle to be protected. Some jurisdictions allow a gfci circuit breaker to be located in the electrical panel which protects all receptacles in that circuit.
*Disclaimer- I didn't know you were a lawyer. Just pretend I haven't suggested anything.
 

Alumni Guy

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What I meant about your gfci was that there can be a receptacle gfci which allows everything downstream of that receptacle to be protected. Some jurisdictions allow a gfci circuit breaker to be located in the electrical panel which protects all receptacles in that circuit.
*Disclaimer- I didn't know you were a lawyer. Just pretend I haven't suggested anything.
Didn’t know that about gfci in breaker, didn’t even know that existed. Inspection report said no gfci, so I installed them.

maxed out my improvement skills doing it too. I’m so jealous of you guys that can repair stuff. My dad never taught me the skills, and I’ve always rented, so there was no need for me to learn.

it’s kinda fun though, and a real sense of accomplishment when it’s done, and done correctly (sort of)
 

bradgator2

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Yup. Previous owner had this noisy single speed pump, that was so loud you can hear it from the street.

just put in a variable speed to save on electric bill. So quiet, and power bill dropped $35

Cool, we have a Pentair variable speed that has been very nice. You can get a pentair smart controller and then program the whole thing through your phone. I just run it at one speed, but it’s nice to play around with it and then set it at the rpm that makes it all run efficiently.

Based on the photo.... is the pump bolted to the concrete pad?
 

grengadgy

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When killed the breaker to wire up the GFIs in the kitchen did the breaker have (2) push to test buttons . If it did then it was a gfi breaker.
 

LagoonGator68

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Didn’t know that about gfci in breaker, didn’t even know that existed. Inspection report said no gfci, so I installed them.

maxed out my improvement skills doing it too. I’m so jealous of you guys that can repair stuff. My dad never taught me the skills, and I’ve always rented, so there was no need for me to learn.

it’s kinda fun though, and a real sense of accomplishment when it’s done, and done correctly (sort of)


Home inspection report is mostly like tits on a boar hog. Cooter keeps telling you not to drain the pool entirely. Look at breaker box for GFI breakers. You can kill yourself messing with electrical stuff with skills like yours. Go to Lowe’s and buy a big yellow book about 9”x12” and about 1 1/2” thick hard bound called Basic Home Maintenance and Improvement or something like that. Never, ever work on 220Volt circuits like range, dryer, HVAC, water heater.....etc.....you can learn, but be safe! Plumbing repair on an old house never goes well....Good luck!......btw, when was your house built?

ok, looked....Lowe’s book is blue “Complete Home Repair and Maintenance”; yellow book is Readers Digest “Complete Do It Yourself Manual”....they are equally good imo.
 
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