Deck jets just installed - uneven pressure!

[ssml11]

Just installed four deck jets. They are plumbed in pairs. So, there are two lines of coming from the pump, and each splits into two lines with a "T" before making their way to the deck jets.

The problem is that one of the deck jets has about 20% less pressure/force than the other 3. I already checked and there doesn't seem to be anything (at least visibly) clogging the line. Any idea of how to fix this short of replumbing?

 

[JasonLion]

Deck jets are normally installed with individual adjustment valves for exactly this reason. Sometimes those valves are back at the equipment pad, often they are buried right next to the jet, as it is pretty much an adjust once and then bury kind of thing.

 

[ssml11]

Well mine was plumbed in pairs. So I cannot adjust only the one I need adjusting. Essentially I can see myself installing a mini valve right at the deck jets to essentially reduce the flow of the others and bring them down to the one with the fewest pressure. However, that's seems like it would be counterproductive, since then to get the pressure where I want it I would have to increase pump speed past 2400 rpm.

If no idea idea comes up, it will just stay as is.

 

[WardL]

I have recently installed laminar deck jets and the installation manual calls for valves at each jet to control the flow. It would be almost impossible to plumb 4 jets to have exactly the same pressure without a control valve of some kind. Since you know which is the weak jet, you don't need a flow control valve on that circuit. It may not take much more pressure to even out the flow. How do you know the RPMs necessary to have even flow?

 

[ssml11]

WardL - In that case I truly only need to dig and install a control valve at one of the deck jets (the one plumbed with the jet that has the least flow). I can then control the flow of that jet to match the lower pressure one. The other two jets are plumbed together and there is a valve that is already installed at the pad that controls those two, so I can essentially bring those down a notch too. Right now I am running the jets at 1950 RPM (Ecostar Pump). If I increase the RPM to 2400, the jet with the least pressure goes up in arch to when I like it. So I am guessing that I the required rpm to make them all the way I want it.

****MY WIFE keeps telling me I am nuts and compulsive, that I should leave everything as is. It doesn't seem to bother her that one of the jets has less flow than the rest. Would you guys go through the trouble to fix or just leave as is?

 

[JasonLion]

If it bothers you, by all means fix it. If you had a professional do the install, make them fix it.

 

[ssml11]

Jason - I am sure you are aware from all my previous postings that I am a serial DIY'er...so the professional (or lack thereof) was ME <------

 

[pooldv]

Jason - I am sure you are aware from all my previous postings that I am a serial DIY'er...so the professional (or lack thereof) was ME <------

LOL!! I'm right there with you! Sometimes we do enough research and get it right the first time and sometimes we learn the hard way! But, either way we keep getting better at it.

 

[swimcmp]

From the picture it looks to me that the farthest jet is also lower flow. We plumb a continuous loop for our deck jets and get even flow that way. Every thing has to be exactly the same unless you run a valve to each jet and plumb them individually

 

[1poolguy]

It looks to me that you need to increase the pump pressure. If that does not solve the problem then I would throttle back on the valves and that should fix the problem. You do not have enough back pressure to force the water all the way to the last nozzle. Installing a valve for each nozzle would also fix the problem. I am like you, it would drive me crazy if they were not all the same.

 

[WardL]

Hope I'm not too late, but you need to put valves on the jets that have the highest water flow. By trimming back the flow with the valve to the higher flow jet, you force more water to the jet with the lower water flow. This allows you to balance the water until they are all equal.

 

[alexsviper]

From the picture it looks to me that the farthest jet is also lower flow. We plumb a continuous loop for our deck jets and get even flow that way. Every thing has to be exactly the same unless you run a valve to each jet and plumb them individually

If you have a continual loop, what would cause unequal deck jets? I have a brand new ingound with 4 deck jets. 2 are way off the other 2. Supposed to be continuous loop. Pool builder is baffled.....

 

[mas985]

Often times, PBs will use smaller pipe with a loop hoping that equalizes the flow between returns but that does not always work. The pipe needs to be large enough or short enough so there is very little head loss in the loop between the returns. The easiest way to equalize pressure and flow rate between returns is to simply use a large pipe feeding each return.

Do you have drawing or picture of the plumbing layout?

Have you removed the jets and flushed the lines?

 

[mclifford]

aside from the pluming loop I think your branches off the loop to the jets themselves should be close to or the same length as each other.

Don't know how critical this is, but I do remember reading it in the instructions.

- - - Updated - - -

Hope I'm not too late, but you need to put valves on the jets that have the highest water flow. By trimming back the flow with the valve to the higher flow jet, you force more water to the jet with the lower water flow. This allows you to balance the water until they are all equal.

I installed mine with one valve for on/off and height adjustment. In my situation they are both the same height and I control with one valve.