Spa side Low Flow

[JeffK60]

Hello,

I have a fairly new (3 years, 4 months) Pentair System. 3 HP Intelliflo VSP with Intellichlor Salt Cell. In addition, Master Temp 250 Heater.

I have no flow issues with pool running and also when running pool and spa bubbler.

If I switch to spa overflow, the T-Jet actuator turns as designed 180 degrees. The red flow light on the Intellichlor comes on and you can hear air in the pipes.

When turning on the Spa, the T-Jet and Spa Main Drain Actuators turn 180 degrees. Red flow light on Intellichlor comes on and again, can hear air in the piping. All four jets in the spa are on. The red service heater light is on the heater.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

If additional pictures are needed, let me know.

Thanks

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jeff,

Sorry, but your system was plumbed by an idiot...

The cell is in the wrong place.. All the water should pass through the cell and then get split off to wherever it goes.

Your set-up splits the water off and then the water goes through the cell.. Just wrong.

You will just have to run your pump faster based on what water features are on.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JeffK60]

Jeff,

Sorry, but your system was plumbed by an idiot...

The cell is in the wrong place.. All the water should pass through the cell and then get split off to wherever it goes.

Your set-up splits the water off and then the water goes through the cell.. Just wrong.

You will just have to run your pump faster based on what water features are on.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply.

Are you saying turn up the rpm/gpm on the pool side? Currently set at 3000 rpm/ 80 gpm.

Thanks

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jeff,

Did your set up ever work??? If so, then it could be that your filter is dirty..

That said, running a VS pump at 3000 RPM does not make sense from the electrical point of view.

I run my pump at 1200 RPM most of the time.. 3K sounds awful high to me.

Either way, the main problem is that your cell is not in the right spot.

As a test, you could shut off any water features, and have all the water going through the cell.. Then see how low a speed you can run and still keep the flow light on.. With a heater, my guess would be about 1500 to 1700 RPM.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JeffK60]

Thanks, Jim

I have heated both the pool and spa with no issues of the heater coming on. I never really paid attention to the red flow light in the salt cell. Now, the heater will not fire and the service heater light is on. A brief look at the trouble shooting guide indicates it is a flow issue.

The cartridge filter is brand new.

Again, thanks for your help.

Jeff

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jeff,

What does it feel like when you put your hand in front of a pool return? Is it strong or weak..

When you say your cartridge is new, what does that mean? How long ago was it installed?

I have seen a SWCG flow switch break off and get jammed into the fins on the cell. It would not hurt to inspect the cell..

In one of your pics the T-jet valve is shutting off all the water going to the cell.. Without water they can explode!!!

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JeffK60]

Hi Jim,

All three of the pool returns are strong.

The cartridge CC150 was bought new and installed the first week of August. I removed and cleaned yesterday. I remove and clean every 4 weeks and replace the cartridge every year.

I also removed and cleaned the salt cell last month and did not see any issues. Not much scale either.

As far as the T-Jet, I have no clue what the heck it is for. Just that it turns 180 when switching to spa overflow or spa function.

To keep my spa water circulating and consistent chemistry as the pool, I always have the bubbler on. My pump runs 7 hours daily. I fiddled with the rpm and turned it down to 2000 from 3000 and would barely push any water out of the bubbler.

Of course my 3 year pump equipment warranty expired a few months ago. My contract does state a lifetime warranty on underground plumbing. Wondering if plumbing incorrectly from the get go would be a warranty claim?

The Pool Company that we bought from used to be a very reputable company in Central Florida. Other than them designing the pool and collecting money, they do nothing else. Everything is contracted out.

From looking at my pictures, is it even possible to put the cell where it belongs?

Thanks for your help!

Jeff

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jeff,

Replumbing the SWCG would take some work, but it would not be a huge job.

The automated valve next to the T-jet label is your RETURN valve. Its job is to send the water back to your Pool or or Spa jets..

The problem is that this should happen after the water has gone through your salt cell. To replumb, the cell would need to be in the pipe with the up-arrow. Obviously, there is not enough room now, so the pipe would need to be re-routed so that there would be a place for the cell. Then, where the cell is now, would have to be replaced with a pipe..

Doing this would mean all the water goes through the cell in both the Pool mode and in the Spa mode.

It appears to me that your bubbler is being used to cause your spa to spillover into your pool.. But... when I look at your spa pic, it does not appear that this is happening... Does your spa normally spillover into your pool? It should, as that is the only way fresh water gets into the spa..

Looking at your filter, the water goes out and goes to what I "assume" is a heater by-pass valve. It that true? If so are you sure it is not set to by-pass the heater, which would give you zero flow through the heater.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JeffK60]

Jim,

Thanks for the info. A huge help.

Yes, the bubbler when running does overflow the spa water into the pool.

I have added a few pics of the filter bypass valve which is in the off position and is a manual valve. I have never touched this valve. What happens if I turn it to open?
Don’t want the filter to explode.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jeff,

Looking at the valve and the label, it appears that the by-pass is off.. this means that the water "should" be going through the heater.

That said, this is based on the label being in the right place... I "assume" the guy who added the label had a clue what he was doing, but who knows???

Turning that valve 180 degrees, will not hurt anything.. It should just make the water flow through the heater or by-pass the heater. You can just look at the filter's pressure gauge. The pressure, when the valve is in the by-pass mode, should be a lot less than when the water is going through the heater.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JeffK60]

Jeff,

Looking at the valve and the label, it appears that the by-pass is off.. this means that the water "should" be going through the heater.

That said, this is based on the label being in the right place... I "assume" the guy who added the label had a clue what he was doing, but who knows???

Turning that valve 180 degrees, will not hurt anything.. It should just make the water flow through the heater or by-pass the heater. You can just look at the filter's pressure gauge. The pressure, when the valve is in the by-pass mode, should be a lot less than when the water is going through the heater.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks, Jim

I appreciate all of your time today.

Ill let you know if I ever get it resolved.

Jeff