Honestly it sounds like the injection pipe is backwards. I assume that at the top of the standpipe you have a check valve. Make sure that this check valve is installed correctly.
Air blower only working in Pool mode
- Thread starter GeauxTigerz
- Start date
Wait I just went back through the thread. You have no check valve on the standpipe that I can see but maybe it is on sitting right under the blower. If there isn't one then you should install one so that the blower doesn't have to push all the water back out of the pipes to get started.
The other thing is that if blower is too large for the number and size of jets it will just overheat when you turn it on. By your description of how it looks when in pool mode that very well may be the case. I assume that you can hear it running when is spa mode but no air comes out. One way to control that is to add a 3 way bypass to the standpipe to bleed some of the air out.
The other thing is that if blower is too large for the number and size of jets it will just overheat when you turn it on. By your description of how it looks when in pool mode that very well may be the case. I assume that you can hear it running when is spa mode but no air comes out. One way to control that is to add a 3 way bypass to the standpipe to bleed some of the air out.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,449
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Or drill holes in the PVC pipe to vent air until the blower stays on.
Air venting out of a 3 way valve can crate a loud roar. Depending on where it is located you may need a muffler connected to such a vent line.
Spa Air Blower - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I was playing around with it some today and I think it’s overheating. If in pool mode with no water going through the spa jets, the blower will start up and continue to “boil” the water aggressively as long as I want. If I switch to spa mode with the RPM at 2500 or below the blower will somewhat work for a few minutes. If I turn up the RPM the bubbles completely stop and the blower will not work in spa or pool mode any longer. Is the problem that I need to keep the RPM low in order for it to function?
That should not be a requirement. I can run mine like a pressure washer and if the blower is off will draw air on its own. Is there a check valve installed on the standpipe? If there is pull the blower off and see if it sucks air with the jets on. Is seems like the air line isn't installed correctly but maybe the blower is just defective.
I’ll take a look. If we can ever get a day without rain soon, I’m going to get my pb over here to take a look. It’s only a couple of weeks old
I’ve been reading more about people having issues with their spas not bubbling. I didn’t realize I should be getting bubbles in the spa even without the blower on. I’m getting no bubbles at all with or without the blower. If I understand correctly, I should be getting bubbles without the blower but the blower just increases the intensity?
Some people have had luck by increasing the diameter of the return jet eyeball opening because the smaller opening was creating back pressure. Thoughts?
Some people have had luck by increasing the diameter of the return jet eyeball opening because the smaller opening was creating back pressure. Thoughts?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,449
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
It all depends on how the spa air line is setup.
If the blower is sitting on the spa air line you may only get bubbles when the blower is operating. The blower is causing too much of a restriction to pull air in without the blower.
If you remove the blower from on the air line it is more likely you will get some bubbles. That depends what type of venture air/water connection was put in the spa and if the water creates a venturi force that pulls air in.
If you have a blower and don;t get bubbles with the blower off it does not mean anything is wrong.
Ok that makes sense. I’ll try removing the return jet eyeballs and see if anything happens to rule out the back pressure theory. Hopefully I’ll get my Pb over here soon to figure it out himself!!
I finally had time to remove the return jet eyeballs and try the blower. Low and behold it works!! I guess the back pressure created from the water trying to flow through the small 3/8" eyeball opening along with the air was too high to allow any bubbles and was also overheating the blower. The blower works fine in pool mode with the 3/8" but I'm assuming that's because no water was flowing through the jets at the same time. Do you guys have the smaller 3/8" opening eyeballs in your spa or the bigger 3/4" like those used in the pool?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,449
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I have the same 3/4" eyeballs in my spa jets as used in my pool returns.
You think my problem is something as simple as that and there is nothing actually wrong with the blower?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,449
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Just for my own curiosity, I tested to see how far I could turn up with the RPM in the spa with the 3/8" eyeballs with the blower on before it cut out. Up to 2400 RPM, the blower would still work, but at 2500 the bubbles stop
Do you have a separate jet pump or is this on your filter pump. I have a separate 2hp jet pump and it is always full bore. But the jets are waterway with an air injector.
I’m having the same problem with mine.
I replaced the jets with waterway jets after the pool was refinished a couple years ago but the blower was dead and I just was lazy and never replaced it bc we never used it.
fast forward to now I put a new blower on because my kid wants bubbles and it won’t work in spa mode. Only pool
looks like this might be a restriction issue. I originally had half spinning massage jets and half regular but I have not tried switching them all to the regular and it still didn’t help.
guess I need to try drilling out the jets
I replaced the jets with waterway jets after the pool was refinished a couple years ago but the blower was dead and I just was lazy and never replaced it bc we never used it.
fast forward to now I put a new blower on because my kid wants bubbles and it won’t work in spa mode. Only pool
looks like this might be a restriction issue. I originally had half spinning massage jets and half regular but I have not tried switching them all to the regular and it still didn’t help.
guess I need to try drilling out the jets
I switched out all the 3/8” jets to the regular 3/4” and the blower works perfectly now. I can crank the rpm as high as I want with the blower on with no problem. So it was obviously just a restriction issue