Pentair MPRA, MPEA owner manual Pool Pump Suction Requirements

Hazardous suction. Can trap hair or body parts, causing severe injury

or death.

Do not block suction.

Allow pump suction inlet height to be as close to water level as possible. Pump will not lift water more than 10' (3m).

Allow use of short, direct suction pipe (To reduce friction losses).

Allow for gate valves in suction and discharge piping. Have adequate floor drainage to prevent flooding. Be protected from excess moisture.

Allow adequate access for servicing pump and piping.

Fire and burn hazard. Modern motors run at high temperatures. To reduce the risk of fire, do not allow leaves, debris, or foreign matter to collect around the pump motor. To avoid burns when handling the motor, let it cool for 20 minutes before trying to work on it.

NOTICE: When connecting threaded pipe directly to pump, use Teflon® tape or Plasto-Joint Stik® to seal connections. Do not use pipe dope; pipe dope causes cracking in some plas- tics and may damage components in piping system.

When connecting pipe to pump with union half, use Teflon® tape or Plasto-Joint Stik® between pipe and union adapter. Union collar to pump should be assembled dry and hand-tight.

NOTICE: Pump suction and discharge connections have molded in thread stops. DO NOT try to screw pipe in be- yond these stops.

Teflon® Taping Instructions:

Use only new or clean PVC pipe fittings.

Wrap male pipe threads with one to two layers of Teflon® tape. Cover entire threaded portion of pipe.

Do not overtighten or tighten past thread stop in pump port! If leaks occur, remove pipe, clean off old tape, rewrap with one to two additional layers of tape and remake the connection.

NOTICE: Support all piping connected with pump!

Piping:

Use at least 2" (51mm) pipe. Increase size if a long run is needed.

To avoid strains on the pump, support both suction and discharge pipes independently. Place these supports near the pump.

To avoid a strain left by a gap at the last connection, start all piping at the pump and run pipe away from the pump.

To avoid airlocking, slope suction pipe slightly upward toward the pump.

NOTICE: To prevent flooding when removing pump for service, all flooded suction systems must have gate valves in suction and discharge pipes.

POOL PUMP SUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Pump suction is haz- ardous and can trap and

drown or disembowel bathers. Do not use or oper- ate swimming pools, spas, or hot tubs if a suction outlet cover is missing, broken, or loose. Follow the guidelines below for a pump installation which minimizes risk to users of pools, spas, and hot tubs.

Entrapment Protection

The pump suction system must provide protection against the hazard of

suction entrapment or hair entrapment/entanglement.

Suction Outlet Covers

All suction outlet covers must be maintained. They must be replaced if cracked, broken, or missing.

See Page 6 for outlet cover certification requirements.

All suction outlets must have correctly installed, screw-fas- tened covers in place.

Suction Outlets Per Pump (Figure 3, Page 6)

Provide at least two hydraulically balanced main drains, with covers, as suction outlets for each circulating pump suction line. The centers of the main drains (suction outlets) on any one suction line must be at least three feet apart.

The system must be built so that it cannot operate with the pump drawing water from only one main drain (that is, there must be at least two main drains connected to the pump whenever it is running – see Figure 3, Page 6). However, if two main drains run into a single suction line, the single suction line may be equipped with a valve which will shut off both main drains from the pump (see Figure 3).

More than one pump can be connected to a single suc- tion line as long as the requirements above are met.

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