Actuater Valve question

[tagprod]

I have a valve that I think is going bad (per pool company). It's the valve that turns when I go from pool to spa mode. Is it possible that this valve can make my filter pressure go up? I just cleaned my filter a couple of weeks ago and got the PSI to drop from 30 to 20. It's back up to 26 in two weeks time.

 

[JohnT]

It's unlikely that a valve would cause a rise in pressure unless it wasn't opening all the way. My bet is it's time for new cartridges or time to soak them per the manufacturer's instructions.

 

[tagprod]

It's unlikely that a valve would cause a rise in pressure unless it wasn't opening all the way. My bet is it's time for new cartridges or time to soak them per the manufacturer's instructions.

yea - it's getting about that time to replace, but these are the jumbo filters that run about 80-100 bucks a piece and I need 4 of them. I just wanted to make sure it couldn't be something else before embarking on that route.

 

[Denali]

The pressure will generally be higher when the valves are set to spa. It should then go back down as the valves shift back to pool.
If the pressure is up from 20 to 26 in pool mode, then the filter is dirty or the grids might be reaching the end of their life. Not unusual to have the pressure rise over a 2 week period depending on pool conditions.

 

[waste]

Brian, I have always recommended having 2 sets of carts. Use the older set when the pool is nasty (not like you're going to get an algae bloom following the advice/ methods here) and keep the new ones ~ clean. I realize that the manufacturer says to rinse them when the psi raises 8-10, but you'll get a longer life out of them if you rinse them when the psi rises 5 psi - less debris gets embedded and it's easier to fully wash the crud off of them

As for the valve, go flick the toggle switch under the actuator and see how well it moves - as denali said, the pressure WILL go up when you reduce the number of inputs and outputs to the system.