SPEARS

SPEARS spa and pool plumbing fittings

Rigid plumbing fittings carry the whole circulation system: every bend, every joint and every change of direction between the pump, the heater, the filter and the pool or spa shell. SPEARS fittings are used in exactly those positions, and the range listed here covers the 2-inch sizes that dominate spa and above-ground pool pipework. Here you will find a 90-degree elbow with two female ends and a straight connector for joining two lengths of 2-inch pipe in line.

Both items are the kind of part that is rarely bought for a new build and almost always bought during a repair: a cracked bend behind the equipment bay, a joint that has started to weep, or a manifold that needs rebuilding after a pump has been replaced with a different footprint. Because the fittings are small and inexpensive relative to the labour involved, it is common to order several at once and rebuild a whole section rather than patch a single joint.

Was das Sortiment umfasst

• 2-inch 90-degree elbow, female/female (PPS-10012) — turns the pipe run through a right angle, typically where plumbing leaves a pump or heater union and has to drop into a trench or rise into a skimmer.
• 2-inch straight connector (PPS-10011) — joins two pipe ends in a straight line, used for extending a run, repairing a cut section, or closing a gap after a component has been removed.

Both are sized for 2-inch pipework, which is the most widely used diameter in spa and compact pool circulation. Smaller spas and booster circuits often run 1.5-inch, and larger commercial systems step up to 2.5-inch or 3-inch, so the first check before ordering is always the diameter of the pipe you are actually working with rather than the size printed on the pump housing.

Identifying the right fitting before you order

Pipe and fitting sizes are nominal, not measured. A pipe described as 2-inch does not measure 2 inches across the outside; measure the outside diameter of the existing pipe and compare it with a size chart, or measure the socket of the old fitting. Trying to judge the size by eye is the single most common cause of a return.

• Check the end type. Female ends may be solvent-weld sockets or threaded, and the two are not interchangeable. Look at the fitting you are replacing: a smooth tapered bore indicates a solvent-weld socket, a cut thread indicates a threaded connection.
• Check the pipe standard. Imperial pipework used in spas and metric PVC pressure pipe common in European pool installations are dimensionally different. Where a system mixes the two, a transition fitting or union is needed rather than forcing a joint.
• Count the joints. When replacing a section, allow for a fitting at each end. A single break often needs two connectors and a short length of new pipe, because the old pipe cannot be sprung far enough apart to accept one.
• Allow working space. Elbows take up length. Dry-fit the assembly before cementing so that unions and valves still line up once the bend is in place.

Fitting and long-term reliability

Solvent-weld joints rely on a clean, square cut, deburred edges and the correct primer and cement for the material. The pipe should be inserted fully to the socket shoulder and held briefly while the cement grabs, then left to cure before the system is pressurised. Rushed joints are the usual reason a repair weeps a week later.

Rigid fittings themselves rarely wear out, but they do fail from stress: pipework that has been pulled to meet a pump port, a bend that takes the weight of an unsupported run, or freeze damage in an uninsulated equipment bay. Supporting pipework properly and using unions either side of pumps and heaters means that a future component swap does not mean cutting fittings out again.

SPEARS at PoolParthub.com

Here we list the SPEARS 2-inch spa plumbing fittings — the female/female 90-degree elbow and the straight connector — in the sizes most often needed when rebuilding a spa or pool circulation loop. Both are stocked because they are the parts that hold up a repair when everything else is ready to reassemble.

If you are unsure which end type or pipe standard your system uses, note the measured outside diameter of the pipe and the reference of the fitting you are replacing before ordering, and we can confirm what suits the installation.