Last season I had a new heater installed after 23 year with a Pentair Minimax, with a new Pentair heater and the shop also installed a Jandy 7305 backflow valve. It seems to work fine, but the issue I'm having is the backflow valve requires the pump be on full (almost 3,000 RPM) or else there is not enough pressure to open the valve.
While I appreciate the need to eliminate backflow from the salt generator upstream when it switches to a lower RPM, I don't want to run a variable speed pump at high RPMs just to make the heater work, and so I wondered if there was a backflow valve with a lower pressure rating that would allow the heater to run with the pump at 1500 RPM and still heat the pool.
My pool guy claims you can get lower pressure (strength) check valves, but I have yet to find specs on any of them that would let me determine if one is stronger than another. Is there such a thing as a pressure rating on check valves? Or is there an alternative that the heater can be adjusted for lower pressure?
Thanks.
EDIT: Looking in the installer's manual, I found this on page 44; this may be the easiest way of setting this so it works:
For deck-level heater installations, the Water Pressure Switch is factory set at 3.00 psi (20.6 kPa).NOTE: SEE, BELOW POOL LEVEL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ON PAGE 15. If the pressure switch is one feet (.3M) below or above the pool water level, reset the switch so that it is open when the pump is off and closed when the pump is running. Turn the star-wheel on the switch clockwise ( ) to raise setting (heater below the pool) and counterclockwise ( ) to lower the setting (heater above the pool – see Figure 40.
While I appreciate the need to eliminate backflow from the salt generator upstream when it switches to a lower RPM, I don't want to run a variable speed pump at high RPMs just to make the heater work, and so I wondered if there was a backflow valve with a lower pressure rating that would allow the heater to run with the pump at 1500 RPM and still heat the pool.
My pool guy claims you can get lower pressure (strength) check valves, but I have yet to find specs on any of them that would let me determine if one is stronger than another. Is there such a thing as a pressure rating on check valves? Or is there an alternative that the heater can be adjusted for lower pressure?
Thanks.
EDIT: Looking in the installer's manual, I found this on page 44; this may be the easiest way of setting this so it works:
For deck-level heater installations, the Water Pressure Switch is factory set at 3.00 psi (20.6 kPa).NOTE: SEE, BELOW POOL LEVEL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ON PAGE 15. If the pressure switch is one feet (.3M) below or above the pool water level, reset the switch so that it is open when the pump is off and closed when the pump is running. Turn the star-wheel on the switch clockwise ( ) to raise setting (heater below the pool) and counterclockwise ( ) to lower the setting (heater above the pool – see Figure 40.
Last edited:
