I have a some questions about the Hayward Sense & Dispense system:

1. When I open the test port, no water comes out. Am I supposed to open either one or both of the effluent or influent valves at the same time?
2, Is the pump supposed to be off when opening the test port?
3. Can I install the return/suction line using the suction drain port at the base of the variable speed pump?
4. Does the Sense and Dispense work with variable speed pumps or should the pump be set at 100%?

Thanx.

To use the test port for drawing a sample for testing you need the pump running and the inlet valve open. Depending on your setup and pump speed you can often leave the outlet valve open as well. However if the test cell starts drawing air in through the test port when the outlet port is open you will need to close the outlet port to draw a sample.

Yes, it is normally fine to connect the test cell outlet to the drain port on the pump.

The Sense and Dispense feature is not especially sensitive to the pump speed. There can occasionally be problems when the speed is very very low, but 1,200 RPM or higher is nearly always fine and it usually works when the pump is running slower than that as well.

Jason -

I opened the test port, closed the outlet port, left the inlet port open, pump running and only a few drops came out of the test port (no steady stream of water). I stuck a Phillips screwdriver up through the open test port and there were no obstructions.

With the outlet port open as well, I was drawing air into the flow cell.

I removed the inlet tube from the flow cell with the pump running and there was a strong flow of water coming out of the tube.

Any other ideas?

It sounds like your inlet valve might be blocked or closed. The test cell doesn't offer very much resistance to water flow. If water is coming out of the inlet hose, it should flow through the test cell easily. I have seen those valves break internally so that the valve doesn't actually turn even though you are turning the valve handle.

I stuck a Phillips screwdriver through the inlet and outlet port valves and they were clear; I only get a small drip coming out of the test port valve.

I'm still not getting any water to come out of the test port.

When I disconnect the inlet tube from the test cell, water is coming out of the tube at a high rate. When I disconnect the outlet tube from the test cell there is some suction from the end of the tube when I put my finger over the end of the tube.

I did put a Phillips screwdriver up through all 3 valves in the test cell and they were all open and clear.

Should I relocate the outlet tube from the drain port of the pump to a spot in the PVC piping before the pump?

Any other ideas as to why I'm not getting water to drain from the test port?

Thanx!