Need to make airtight 2x50' long 1.5" diameter vacuum hoses for siphon

Any ideas on how to make an airtight connection of two

50-foot long 1.5" diameter pool vacuum hoses for siphoning?

This isn't working (it's leaking & therefore not siphoning)

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Reply to
Danny D.
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Hi there Oren,

Funny you should mention that, because, since the pool was green:

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I just today thoroughly cleaned both cartidge filters!

Here's the small filter, being cleaned at about 75PSI:

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And, here's an attempt at soaking it in a blue recycling bin:

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Some day, I'll figure out how to plug the leaks!

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Reply to
Danny D.

Hi Oren, Both 50-foot hoses work just fine, all by themselves; but I need to combine them together to empty the last 4 feet of the pool! :(

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Since the pool equipment is below the pool, I first opened the spout at the filter, and then I opened up the pump baskets, and that drained the pool about half way.

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Then, I siphoned off another few feet of water with the individual

50-foot lengths of 1.5" diameter vacuum hose:
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The problem is now the water level is too low for the 50 foot lengths of vacuum hose, so I have to join them together on the pool deck:

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Each time I try, I fail, and I can see water leaking out at the joint. I tried the "blue" glue (which is really a solvent), but it failed miserably as the white stuff on the ends of the vacuum hoses won't stick to the blue glue.

So, at the moment, I'm siphoning with a 100 foot long 3/4" garden hose:

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But, the outflow from the garden hose is puny compared to that of the vacuum hoses.h

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What I need is some way to join the two vacuum hoses with an airtight fit. The contraption I'm using works fine for vacuuming, but, it won't siphon (due to small leaks somewhere I guess).

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Reply to
Danny D.

why don't you just use garden hose(s)?

Reply to
Pico Rico

Danny,

How about a rubber Fernco style coupling?

Here's one you can find at Home Depot:

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As long as you keep the two hose ends close together, I wouldn't think it would collapse from the suction. The rubber fitting can also accomodate hose ends that are slightly larger or smaller.

Anthony Watson

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Reply to
HerHusband

Yea, I keep forgetting to plug those leaks in the recycling bins.

I only use them for water when I'm cleaning the filters so, I keep forgetting to plug them ahead of time.

Next time. I promise... :)

Reply to
Danny D.

I am using the garden hose now, but it sucks:

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Garden hoses easily plug up with the muck. See this muck, for example, cleaned up from earlier today:

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Plus, the output from the garden hose is downright puny:

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What takes about an hour with the 1.5 inch diameter vacuum hose seems to take about four times as long with the 3/4" diameter garden hose.

Even longer if I don't unclog the plugs that inevitably occur. So, really, as a solution, the garden hose stinks!

What I need is to join the two 50 foot vacuum hoses, or, find a cheap alternative to 1.5 inch diameter hose for at least 100 feet.

Reply to
Danny D.

That's a GREAT IDEA!

The Fernco should work!

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I was leaning along the lines of a threaded contraption, but, I agree with you that a fernco *should* be strong enough not to collapse.

One problem is that the 1.5 inch diameter vacuum hose ends are tapered, but, if I'm lucky, I can cinch down the Fernco and it might seal air tight!

I'll see if I can pick up one today and let you know how it works out.

Meanwhile, the garden hose is pissing out the green water inexorably, but it clogs up too much to be the real solution.

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Reply to
Danny D.

I have a sears 1.5 HP (I think) pump, but, it's such a pain in the buns to get working since it needs to be primed. And, it needs its own special size hose, and fittings, and working around electricity and water is never a good thing (yes, I connect it to the GCFI).

I love the simplicity of a siphon!

If only I could get an airtight connection. I'll try the Fernco and report back.

Reply to
Danny D.

I should say that, with opening the drain and siphoning with the 1.5 inch diameter hose, it still took about 15 hours just to get to this point.

So, with the garden hose, it would take something like four times that, and even longer if it clogs (which it inevitably does). Same thing with the pump (it takes forever and requires too many shenanigans to get it to keep working as it clogs up all the time also).

Nothing compares to 1.5 inches of sheer diameter!

Reply to
Danny D.

Danny:

What you need is called a vaccuum hose joiner:

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'Connector 1.5\" OD X 1.5\" OD Smooth Wall Plastic Vacuum Hose Joiner [659647911806] - Hose Cuffs & Connectors - Parts & Accessories'

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'Steam Brite: Carpet Cleaning Machines, Truck Mount Carpet Cleaning Machine, Air Duct Cleaning Machines'

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It's basically just a piece of hard plastic that you can push both of the hose cuffs onto.

Phone up any carpet cleaning company and ask where you can buy one of those in your area.

What I'm seeing is that you have standard vaccuum hose. That vaccuum hose has a steel wire in it to prevent the hose from collapsing when the gauge pressure inside it is negative. The white vinyl ends on your hoses are called "cuffs" and you can buy them at any place listed under Janitorial Equipment & Supplies in your yellow pages phone directory. Those cuffs have an internal female thread that screws onto the external male thread created by the steel wire inside the hose.

You can see the female threads on the inside of the cuffs in this picture:

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BUT, IT'S A LEFT HAND THREAD, so you have to turn the cuffs CLOCKWISE to unscrew them off the ends of your hoses.

A hose joiner is just a piece of plastic that you push both hose cuffs onto, and thereby effectively connect the two hoses end-to-end.

You might also ask to see if the Janitorial Supply store would sell a vaccuum hose coupling which would allow you could screw both hoses into it, thereby joining the two hoses end-to-end, but such a product might not be practical. That's because you can easily screw the coupling onto one hose end, but then you'd have to screw the second HOSE into the coupling because you wouldn't be able to turn the coupling for the second hose. You'd have to turn the hose instead of the coupling, and that would be a nuisance. Still, it's worth asking about because there may be applications where the hoses have to sustain tension in them (if they're hanging from one floor level over a balcony to the floor below for example). In that case, you'd have to have a hose coupling and not just a hose joiner.

In the Janitorial Service sector of the economy, both 1 1/4 inch and 1

1/2 inch hoses are standard sizes. So, if you have a piece of 1 1/2 inch copper pipe, you might be able to use that as a hose joiner as well. I have plenty of 1 1/2 inch hose cuffs, but I don't have a piece of 1 1/2 inch copper pipe, so I don't know how well it would fit into a 1 1/2 inch vinyl hose cuff. I'd unscrew one of your hose cuffs and take it down to any plumbing contractor to see if you can just use 1 1/2 inch copper pipe instead.

Hope this helps.

Reply to
nestork

Danny D. posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP

Geez, this has more leaks than the NSA.

Why not just get 50ft of black drain hose and be done with aggravation?

Reply to
Tekkie®

Wrong type hose. Go to pool store buy 100 feet of the clear stuff.

You're going to suck on a 1.5" hose to get the siphon going?

Reply to
Dan.Espen

You need a hydraulic ram

Reply to
TimR

If this is the standard "flat" hose, use an internal coupler. Go down to the store with a small piece of your hose, and put it on various types of pipe and/or hose to find out which one gives the tightest fit. Purchase the product, then use it as an internal coupler, with your two sections of hose overlapping, and some nylon ties to secure it all together.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

I'm not sure what 'black drain hose' is since the hose needs to be at least 1.5 inches in diameter and at least 100 feet long, so, I'm not sure how it's different than, say, 100 feet of vacuum hose.

Googling for "1 1/2 inch black drain hose home depot", I don't see anything that fits the problem.

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Reply to
Danny D.

I'm not a pool expert, by any sense of the word; but, I have learned (the hard way) that this is not a 'normal' pool either.

For example, here is the main filter pump drain, and even the filter basket itself, wide open:

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That only drains about one third to one half the pool.

Reply to
Danny D.

I just belatedly realized, that you meant that I should use the

*pump* to drain the pool from the main drain, which is at the bottom of this deep end:
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Of course, as you noted, I would have to block off all the other wall and floor drains first.

This "could" work, and, it sure would be *fast*; but I'm a bit confused as to how it would work.

Is this the general plan of action you suggest?

  1. Block all wall drains & floor drains, leaving only the main drain at the deep end of the pool open.
  2. Open up the outlet of the main filter pump (see circled valve):
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  3. Optionally, even open up the filter itself, by either removing the filter drain plug or the top half of the spherical filter?
  4. Run the main filter pump, until the pool is dry.

Is that the suggested active drain procedure?

If so, it sure would be fast because it took days to get to this:

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Reply to
Danny D.

Yes. It's green. I left it to go fallow over the winter, and it was a mighty warm winter this year here in the Silicon Valley.

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While I "could" filter out the green, it's easier on the pumps and cloth filters if I just dump the water in the yard, and refill with my rather hard well water (which is almost perfect for pools for its high calcium levels).

Where I live, the water table is 400 feet below grade (at least that is how deep my main well is dug) so I'm not worried too much about the pool floating.

I am a little worried about the plaster drying out, so, that's why I'd like to get it empty as soon as possible.

Reply to
Danny D.

Maybe you should have turned that pool into the algae growth chamber for an alternative diesel fuel plant. Looks like you had a good start.

After seeing all the yucky pictures, I hope you post one of your gleaming "new" pool once filled up and the way you want it.

Reply to
Pico Rico

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