Chad wanted to add a barbecue area between the pool and pond and a deck overlooking the pond. He also wanted a raised pool that would be the home for a pair of custom carved marble Foo dogs with a small trough pouring back into the pond, which would be the only “feature” in the design.
The Ultimate Drain Assembly The goal was something a bit more than 15,000 gallons, and my job was to make it function. This would be a giant “still” pond, so my mind immediately went toward airliftoperated VPRs. In the past, I have modified existing drains, but it was very time consuming. With four drains on this pond, I decided to
The goal was something just over 15,000 gallons, and my job was to make it function. This would be a giant “still” pond, so my mind immediately went toward airlift-operated VPRs. create a mold for my ultimate drain assembly, incorporating everything I had learned modifying other drains. The body of the new drain has a 4-inch outlet coming out from the bottom edge at a 22.5-degree angle from the lowest point on the side to prevent debris entrapment on the bottom. This makes connecting the outlet pipe a smoother run, eliminating the need for a pair of 22.5, 45 or 90-degree fittings to get below a concrete shell. For liner application, you can insert a 22.5-degree street fitting and go horizontally out under the liner. For concrete, you can attach a length of 4-inch pipe as necessary and then use one standard 22.5-degree fitting to go horizontally under the shell. The return inlet is 3 inches for this pond, and both outlet and inlet fittings are threaded on the inside for pressure testing and keeping the pipes clean throughout construction. The upper edge of the body has a recessed, clamping-flange edge, making the clamp ring sit flush with the surface to prevent The initial plumbing (top) with bottom drains, skimmers, returns and rebar are installed. The upper pool (middle) has three adjustable floor drains that act as returns. The VPR drain (bottom) is shown with the outlet and inlet plugged. Notice the 22.5-degree outlet.
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