External pump + intake bay: Pump vault or nah?

[combatwombat]

I watch all the pro builders making intake bays for swim ponds using external pumps. They always stick a pump vault (these things) in the bay to run the pump intake pipe into. I can't help but wonder why. What use is it?

There's no pump in the pond to service, so why is it needed? Why not just run the pump's intake pipe below the aquablox or drill a hole in an aquablock and draw from inside it? Is it just something else to sell? Is there some other purpose to it?

 

[GBBUDD]

I did as you have thought I have a negative edge that drops to a small pool and that has one aquablock buried where I drilled a hole to allow the intake pipe to draw from within the block it is buried under 2 to four inch cobbles this way the pump is not going to clog from large debris

 

[Jumoo]

@combatwombat You worded and asked this question exactly the way it was floating around in my head! Since this question is quite old, did you ever find any more information to answer your question? Did you proceed with an intake bay and no vault? This is my plan for the time being unless I learn otherwise.

 

[combatwombat]

@combatwombat You worded and asked this question exactly the way it was floating around in my head! Since this question is quite old, did you ever find any more information to answer your question? Did you proceed with an intake bay and no vault? This is my plan for the time being unless I learn otherwise.

Yo. I didn’t find any more info, no. But I didn’t look for any, either! I didn’t end up doing this because I had materials for a vault and an easy place to put it, but it would be fine to go without one.