What the heck is this thing...

[taekwondodo]

Now that the heater is fixed... what the heck is this thing (Sorry, no pictures - maybe Wednesday night):

On the return from my friend's pool, he has a jandy valve on the return from the pump/heater/etc...

This jandy-valve output normally is "hard-set" to his in-floor cleaners, the other output sends water to what looks like a skimmer basket in the deck next to the side of the pool (it is not a skimmer) that, when on, blows water through this to a single return output in the pool.

Lifting the lid, it has (looking top-down)

- a pressurized clear on lid (could not get it off)
- it looks like a floating wier underneath the lid, and under that, a basket...

I think it is clogged pretty bad, as almost no water goes through it when the valve is set to this thing (and filter pressure goes way up while it's routed that direction).

 

[Bama Rambler]

I've tried to figure out what this is but for the life of me can't . It almost sounds like the pump strainer basket on my unit but it can't be.

A picture would really help. Is there any way to get one?

 

[taekwondodo]

I'll be there tomorrow, and try to attach one from my BB one way or another. I've never seen anything like it. It is definitely on the return.

 

[Poolsean]

Don't know of any components with an In-Floor cleaning system that goes on the return side of a system, other than the floor heads.
There is an inline leaf trap that is used with most systems, to catch debris before it clogs the pump basket and filter.
As you're indicating that this is definately on the pool return side, controlled by the Jandy three way valve, it's got to be a pressurized component. However, it doesn't make any sense for there to be a basket device on the discharge side of a system.
You can try a Drain Jet type device to blow water into this return line (pressurize it). If there is blockage, you'll be able to tell fairly quickly.

What's holding the lid down?

 

[polyvue]

This jandy-valve output normally is "hard-set" to his in-floor cleaners, the other output sends water to what looks like a skimmer basket in the deck next to the side of the pool (it is not a skimmer) that, when on, blows water through this to a single return output in the pool.

My pool builder installed an "Energy Filter" (Jandy Energy Kit part no. 2887 w/gauge) on the return line to the water feature. It is normally plumbed in the pool cleaner return line, so I wonder if the return unit described by taekwondodo is something similar.

The energy kit on my system consists of a small filter encased in a plastic screw-on bowl. I believe it's designed as a post-pump, pre-main filter bypass to a Ray Vac pool cleaner. Anyway, just a thought...

 

[taekwondodo]

This isn't on the in-floor cleaning side of the valve... the pump goes to the valve. One exit on the valve is to the in-floor system (which goes to a "rotator" that turns on "sections" of the IFC system), the other exit on the valve is to this "basket" that has a clear lid with screws holding it down, which exits into the pool.

It hadn't been turned to this contraption in ages, cause when I turned it on, all sorts of cr*p blew into the pool... and the flow was very, very slow (and pump pressure went wayyyy way up, about 15 lbs up (to 35lbs)...).

I'm doing a 60% DNF tomorrow (CYA is around 90ppm), I'll get some pictures while I'm there...

- Jeff

 

[taekwondodo]

OK, I'm starting to think that this is some type of Chlorinator...

You can see it is in the pool deck, and that the lid is pressurized. Was pain to get it off as the "handle" has all but rusted away.

Opening it up:

The large pipe near the top comes from two "grills" on the side-wall of the pool, below it is a very fine plastic mesh (it's not a weir).

Below the mesh (removed in the picture below) is the output from the three-way valve on the bottom, with the funny-gray-pipe at one end (bottom left). It shoots a small stream of water into the larger pipe (top right) that exits into the pool - creating a venturi effect that essentially sucks water from the side-wall of the pool (the larger pipe on the top left), sends it through the fine sein plastic mesh bag (very very fine) creating a slow draw through the bag, and into the pool as the venturi exit.

the only use I can see for this is that you throw tablets into the bag and get a slow-flow through this set-up into the pool.

 

[taekwondodo]

One additional note - the venturi (from the pump/three-way-valve) appears in the picture to be about 1" in diameter - when in fact this gray thingy has about a 3/8" hole for water to spray into the venturi... this really explains the huge backpressure we were seeing at the pump.

The dissapointment here is that this whole device seems to be designed for very low pressure. As the pump only has two entrances into the pool - through the floor-cleaning-system, and through this "chlorinator". My friend wanted to put in a polaris 360 and use this "output" (into the pool) as a return for the P360, but I'm not sure the top of this thing is designed for any real pressure at all...

- Jeff

 

[waste]

Jeff, I've seen similar set ups (but on the suction side ) Mayhaps the installer didn't know what they were doing

 

[spishex]

Is there a part number on the lid by any chance?

 

[taekwondodo]

No serial number, but the way the venturis is designed, it appears to be installed correctly, as it would need pressure-side water power to operate.