Liquidator Install Help

[Pikerbu]

Hello,

Just ordered a Liquidator probably should have asked for advice first. This is my second season thought I should try some automatic bleach dispensing vs. manual every day....

1. Planning to hook it up to the main pump basket drain plug and heater drain plug. Just realize I have a device "Vacless" (see photo )with a gauge (guess is a pressure measurement device). It measured about 22 (can't tell what the unit of measure is but the one on my waterfall feature says "Hg) when I run my pump at low speed (1950rpm) and 26 at 3150rpm. With this kind of pressure, is Liquidator suitable for my pool?

2. There are 2 drain plugs on my heaters - I think one is for water "going in" the other plug is for the water "coming out" of the heater. Which plug would you recomment to hook up the Liquidator?
3. Notice there are pocket of air bubble in my main pump (Jandy variable speed) and water feature pump as well. The air is especially noticable at low speed but at high speed it is significant less. Read in different topics that this might be normal for variable speed pump? but will that negatively impact the performance of the liquidator?

Appreciate yourthoughts...

thanks
Hean




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[Pikerbu]

One other question regarding Needle valve for better flow control of the Liquidator, will this one from Amazon work?

http://www.amazon.com/Hayward-Needle-Va ... edle+valve

 

[Bama Rambler]

1) That gauge reads suction head. I doubt that you have 22" (or 26") hg vacuum. Though I think you probably have more than 22" of H2O.
What does the suction head read on the water feature?
Does the gauge go to zero when the pump is off?
at any rate, I think the LQ (liquidator) will be ok.

2) It really doesn't matter which heater drain plug as they're both on the pressure side of the system. I'd probably put it on the upstream (inlet) side of the heater.

3) Variable speed pumps are known to have a air bubble in the lid. It's the nature of the beast. It shouldn't affect the LQ.

That's the correct valve.

 

[keithw]

In regards to the valve, before dropping $40.00 on a new valve I would try the one that comes with it. I have been using an LQ for probably 5 years now at there just isn't a lot of need for minute tweaking of the flow IMO.

 

[Pikerbu]

Thanks for the advices, guys.

Any concern if the LQ is placed closed to the jandy control Panel and electrical outlet next to the heater?

Just check the gauge. It does goes to zero when pump is off. Also the on the water feature is -12 or -13 (between -10 and -15). Not sure it is "-" or just a dash. The one on my main pump does not have the "-"...strange.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Due to the fact that the LQ has a permanent water layer the bleach doesn't offgas like it would if it was concentrated, so having it in close proximity should not be a problem.

I looked up the vacless unit and the gauges shown are 0 to -30" hg. If you're running at 22" hg that's a lot of suction head.
Do you have a main drain?
How many skimmers do you have?

 

[Pikerbu]

Thanks Dave. I have 2 skimmers and 2 main drains. I do have some falling leaves issue in the fall/winter but hopefully it wouldn't increase the suction too much causing the lq to be ineffective. i figure if that is the case, I will just switch to manual pour during those seasons. I was able to get away with once a week bleach pour in the winter...

 

[Bama Rambler]

Having 2 skimmers and the main drains should prevent the suction head from wildly increasing so the LQ should work fine all the time.

 

[Pikerbu]

Hey Dave, just researching the vacless valve. Seems like it is proving suction entrapment protection. I thought it was just a pressure gauge. Should I remove the vacless device and use the drain plug for LQ or leave it and drill another hole in the pipe. I guess the question is if this suction entrapment is off any value for me to keep. Also it seems like an expensive device too....

Any experience of using this Vacless Vacuum Release system, anyone?

Thanks

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's most likely on there because you don't have VGB compliant main drain. If that's the case, you need to leave it in place. Is there another drain plug on the other side of the pump basket? If there is, use it. If not you can drill a hole in the suction line right before the pump.

 

[Pikerbu]

There is another drain plug but not on the pump basket but closer to the pump main assembly on the same side - see second photo. Can I use that plug?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Unless I'm mistaken it's on the pressure side of the impeller so the LQ won't work plumbed into it.

 

[Pikerbu]

Since I can't use the drain plug, the only feasible option is to put a tap. I was thinking of putting on top of the pipe going into the pump but I think the pipe is too short. There is strong risk I will drill into either the pump or the Jandy Valve "connector" (photo 1) which I don't want (I am not that handy). Will the side of the pipe work (photo 1)? What about the T junction of the Far Skimmer (photo 2)? Will either one work? Both options seems to require "precision" drilling which I am a bit concern....

Any recommendation?

Thanks
Hean

 

[Pikerbu]

Sorry, the sequence of the photos were swapped....Photo 1 = Photo 2 in my above message but you probably know what I am talking about.....

 

[Pikerbu]

Actually what about on top of the pipe label "main drain" (photo 1). Will that give me better suction even if my skimmers were blocked since main drain is less likely to get blocked ???

 

[Bama Rambler]

Are you going to use the clamp fitting that comes with the LQ or are you going to drill and tap for a threaded adapter?

I still like the coupling right at the pump suction. It's not very hard to drill into that pipe and it's only a 3/8" or 7/16" hole. I'd move the wires to the actuator and drill it into the side of the fitting as you suggested.

If you want to use the tee and if you're going to use the clamp fitting then you need to drill the hole in one of the tee branches. A good place would be near the end of the shadow of the Jandy valve handle on the far skimmer tee. If you're going to drill and tap for a threaded fitting then you can drill it about anywhere you want. I'd probably use the same place for either.

They didn't do you any favors on that plumbing, did they?

 

[Pikerbu]

No they didn't... I am going to try on the side of the main pile to the pump. Still waiting for my lq to arrive but have all the supplies ready to go. Will let you know if I ran into any issue...thanks again for the help. Hean

 

[Pikerbu]

Installed LQ today. I used pump drain plug and took out the vacless device out. It is working great. One I thing I noticed if my flow meter set at max ie 5, there is no bubble and beautiful but when I set it at 1 or 2, very tiny bubbles appear all along the suction tube after 10 mins or so. The bubbles were pretty static unless i try to flick my finger on the tube. Also, If i opened the flow to max the bubbles will flow into the pump pretty quickly. The bubbles are tiny. Is this normal? do i have a leak somewhere? Do I need to worry about the bubbles?

Thanks again,

Hean

 

[Bama Rambler]

I wouldn't worry about the bubbles unless you have a steady stream of them coming from a fitting. It's common to have bubbles in the tubing, especially in the beginning

 

[keithw]

I have the same. My pool is smallish (6000gal) so I use a very low flow and there is a decent amount of air in there whenever it is running. I tried to secure all of the possible air leak areas to fix it but could never eliminate it. Finally gave up. It doesn't seem to affect anything.