Is it OK to turn waterfall all the way on? On booster pump with pool cleaner

[lmleonard]

We just moved to a new home that has a main pump and a booster pump. In the plumbing with the booster pump, there is a two-way diverter for the pool cleaner (Polaris 280) and the waterfall (sheer descent). I had a pool guy give me an orientation and he said not to turn the waterfall all the way on, i.e. make sure to set the diverter so that some water is going toward the pool cleaner/booster pump. He said if we do turn the waterfall all the way on, make sure to remove the "ON" tripper from the timer for the pool cleaner in case we forget to turn the valve back.

Is this true/correct? Can someone help explain this? The pump does not make any bad noises if I turn the waterfall all the way on. The waterfall looks much better when it's all the way on. Thanks!

 

[JamesW]

I'm assuming that the booster pump T's into the return line after the three-way valve that can send water to the returns or the sheer descent. If that's the case, if all of the water is going to the sheer descent, then the booster will have several problems, such as:

1) The booster is not designed to pull water very well, and without a water supply, it would pull from the returns. The pump should not be run without water pressure feeding the pump.

2) If the booster does pull from the returns, there is a safety issue, as the returns are not designed to function as suction inlets. They are not compliant with safety codes to function as suction ports.

3) The booster does not have a strainer, and water pulled from the returns might have enough debris to clog the impeller.

If the booster pulls water from before the three-way valve, you can turn the valve all of the way to sheer descents or the returns without any problems.

The booster pump will pull some water away from the sheer descents. If the sheer descents are not strong enough when the booster pump is on, you could leave the booster pump off while the sheer descents are on, you could use a larger main pump, or you could try reducing the flow to the Polaris head unit by using a red or blue Polaris restrictor plate at the universal wall fitting.

Can you post a picture of your setup?

 

[lmleonard]

Thanks for your response. Here is a photo. The sheer descent is in the very upper right.

 

[JamesW]

I assume that the Polaris tees into the return underground. My suggestion would be to remove the tab feeder and tee the Polaris in there. That way you could go full sheer and run the Polaris at the same time.