Pool is Clean but spa si dirty

[bosko]

My Pool and spa was installed 15+ years ago. We have gone through a few different "pool guys" during this time. When the pool was new everything worked perfect. Between now and then the type of pool cleaner has changed. It use to be a polaris cleaner with the wiping/squirting tail that i believed worked on a pressure line. Fairly recently it was converted to a suction type cleaner "the pool cleaner", it also appears we have one less pump on the equipment pad than we use to. the "pool cleaner" is driven off of the same pump as the skimmers and there is a manual valve sharing the skimmers and cleaner to pump supply side. The pool has its original compool control system with 2 valve actuators. None of the plumbing is labeled nor is their any design documentation. The Compool controller has forever been setup with a scheduled "Filter Mode" and a "Cleaner Mode", now that the suction cleaner is installed, the "Cleaner mode" button/setting has been disabled i assume. I have recently become motivated to learn more about my pool and considering getting in to the "pool guy" business for my own pool as every summer it seems my pool guy is no where to be found and my pool is green.

My Pool and Spa share the same pump and filter, there are jets in the pool that blow to the skimmers, and 3 water falls that go into the spa and over flow into the pool. The pool and spa are at the same level. The pool has 2 drains and 2 skimmers. I have the water nearly balanced and it is crystal clear as of recently. I notice the spa is always dirty and dirt never seems to get out of it. I have discovered that water is not sucked from the spa to the filter system when the system is on "filter". I have to turn the compool on manual, and turn spa ON and filter ON, then it moves the 2 actuated valved and sucks and returns all water to spa, then i can brush the spa and all the dirt gets filtered out. When the Compool is on auto mode, and i press spa, the filter pump does not run.

How does filtering the spa and pool on a shared system typicaly work? Is my problem that i need my compool setup different? or should my valving be different?

Thanks in Advance!


Pool & Spa Shared System 27,000 Gallons
IG, Plaster,
Filter Pentair FNS PLUS 60
Pump Pentair Inteliflo VF
Hayward SWG

 

[Billrector]

There should be a valve that controls whether you are filtering water from the pool or the spa. When set to "pool" the bottom drains in the pool should be returning water to the filter. When set to "spa", the bottom drain in the spa should be returning water to the filter.

I keep my valve at about 3/4 so it is taking some water from the spa but most from the pool. This keeps both filtered while I can keep my waterfall flowing.