Dedicated Spa Jets Pump

TonyR68 · Apr 14, 2024

Hi All,

I currently get about 70 gpm for my spa jets when my IntelliPro VS pump is running at 3450 rpm and the heater by-pass is active. I have a possibility to incorporate an additional pump and plumb it so that this (new) spa jets pump will have a dedicated intake from the spa and return to the spa jets, bypassing all other equipment at the pad. Sanitation and heating would still be possible via the current pump/setup using the existing plumbing. The spa has 10 jets.

Questions:
1) Could I expect any meaningful (feel the difference) additional throughput bypassing the filter and numerous (~10) 90 degree turns in the equipment pad plumbing?
2) The intended pump would be the IntelliFlo/Pro VS. Since the dedicated intake would only have 1 bottom drain coming from the spa, I assume I would need to use the SVRS version of the pump as I would not have 2 bottom drains for this scenario. Is this right?

Any guidance would be much appreciated.

Best regards

Tony

mas985 · Apr 14, 2024

TonyR68 said:
I currently get about 70 gpm for my spa jets when my IntelliPro VS pump is running at 3450 rpm and the heater by-pass is active. I have a possibility to incorporate an additional pump and plumb it so that this (new) spa jets pump will have a dedicated intake from the spa and return to the spa jets, bypassing all other equipment at the pad. Sanitation and heating would still be possible via the current pump/setup using the existing plumbing. The spa has 10 jets.

With 10 spa jets and bypassing the heater, you really should be able to get more than 70 GPM.

What size pipe did they use for the suction and return?
What is the distance from spa to pump?
What is the diameter of the spa jet nozzle?

TonyR68 said:
Questions:
1) Could I expect any meaningful (feel the difference) additional throughput bypassing the filter and numerous (~10) 90 degree turns in the equipment pad plumbing?

Cartridge filters do not have much in the way of head loss so I would not expect a huge improvement.

TonyR68 said:
2) The intended pump would be the IntelliFlo/Pro VS. Since the dedicated intake would only have 1 bottom drain coming from the spa, I assume I would need to use the SVRS version of the pump as I would not have 2 bottom drains for this scenario. Is this right?

No. The two main drains should be tied together at the spa and feed only one pump. Even with SRVS, I would not use a single main drain for each of the pumps. You really need a separate set of main drains.

However, instead of a second dedicated spa pump, you could try a configuration like this:

TonyR68 · Apr 16, 2024

@mas985 ,

Thank you your feedback and much appreciated.

Pipes are all 2”
The distance from spa to pump is 100’ and on the same level +- 1’.
The diameter of the jet nozzle is 3/4”.

I did think about having a bypass as you describe above, but then it would need to be coordinated with the call for heating. It would probably need to work the same way as the existing heater bypass valve.

Thank you again.

Best regards

Tony

mas985 · Apr 16, 2024

TonyR68 said:
@mas985 ,

Thank you your feedback and much appreciated.

Pipes are all 2”
The distance from spa to pump is 100’ and on the same level +- 1’.

That is probably why you have such high head loss and getting only 70 GPM. For 10 jets, you should have at least 3" pipe with that length and flow rate requirements.

TonyR68 said:
The diameter of the jet nozzle is 3/4”.

That is the eyeball. The nozzle is much smaller. Here is a drawing of a typical spa jet. The nozzle is deep within the spa wall.

TonyR68 said:
I did think about having a bypass as you describe above, but then it would need to be coordinated with the call for heating. It would probably need to work the same way as the existing heater bypass valve.

Not necessarily. The bypass does not need to shut off the heater. It just needs to make an alternate parallel path. When the bypass valve is in bypass mode water flows in both directions, the heater AND the bypass. At pump full speed for the spa jets, there should be enough flow for the heater as well.