My Pentair pool filter had a plug at the bottom of the tank, which was very hard to reach. Every time during the filter cleanup, I had to crawl underneath the tank to unscrew the plug to drain the tank. It killed my back! Not to mention the waster released from the tank would flood the surface with algae, DE residual and everything trapped there. Gross!
A pool guy would charge me $100 to clean the filter. Not a terrible deal at all. But I thought there’s got to be a better way to do it myself, and even better is that I could possibly harvest the tank waste to water the lawn next to it. I checked the plug and realized that it had the same threading as the 1-1/2″ PVC fitting.
As shown in the images above, the tank drain opens straight down. A 1-1/2″ 90-degree street elbow would be the best fitting option if the space were not so tight. I only found out afterwards when I realized I couldn’t turn the big elbow to screw it in. That’s I decided to reduce it down to 1″ and it worked!
This is the assembly of the next section — the horizontal extension with a ball valve at the end. Now gauge had been reduced to 1″ so they were slightly cheaper to acquire.
Screw in the male thread to pip adapter before gluing the rest of the assembly. Done!
Now I don’t need to crawl underneath the tank to reach the plug. The valve was easy to access, and the tank would start draining by simply turning the valve. If you connect a hose to the valve, the wastewater could be directly flooded onto the lawn. Believe it or not, my lawn was growing healthier with all the nutrition from the Algae.
I’ve put together a shopping list for you if you would like to add a valve to your pool filter as well:
- 1-1/2″ x 1″ Bushing PVC
- 1″ 90-Degree MPT x FPT Street Elbow Fitting
- 1″ x 1″ Male Pipe Thread x Male Adapter
- 1″ solvent x 1″ solvent PVC ball valve
- 1″ PVC glue
- Thread sealant/tape
Relate topics:
- Install Shut-off Valve on Pool Filter Waste Drain for Easier Maintenance
- Build My Dream Home Library (5) One Man Middle and Top Cabinets Installation
- Build My Dream Home Library (4) The Lower Cabinet Boxes and Face Panels
- Build My Dream Home Library (3) Wood joint method
- Build My Dream Home Library (2) lumber choice
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