Another issue, some sort of leak... What's happening?

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G

GonnaTryTFP

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2019
57
Diamond Bar, CA
Pool Size
13000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
pool1.jpg

All right guys, since my pool guy left me, I've pretty much left everything the same. These are the two things I've changed.

1. Removed the G3 Baracuda and shut the vacuum valve completely, so that the skimmer is wide open. I just use a robot.
2. When the vacuum was used before, there would be twice a day where we set the RPM really high. But since I removed the baracuda. I let the pump run high early in the morning, I guess that's when the water would spill over, and the rest of the day has been 2000 rpm.

It has been gradual since January when my pool guy left, but here we are now in May, and my pool and spa are two different colors. LOL! Today, I tested the pool and the spa separately, and it seems the spa gets less chlorine. Like I said, spa would be pool side level almost all day, but it would be right above the holes/jets, so I figure as long as it's above, it should be filtering, right? Why are the testing results different?

pool2.jpg
pool3.jpg

Also, I always see dirt settling in the spa. If I brush it, you can see a brown cloud move. I figure that's what's causing it to look green, all the dirt in it. Every other day, I would agitate the water, so the dirt settles to the bottom, then I vacuum it. Is all the dirt an indication the filter is due for a cleaning?

Anyway, my pool guy is coming this week to teach me how to clean the filter. So I'll be able to ask him what's going on with my spa. But I wanted to pre-emptively make this thread, to get your thoughts as well. The reason is because there is a little communication issue with my pool guy, sometimes I don't understand what he's saying. I figure between him coming this week, and perhaps the suggestions and troubleshooting from this forum, that I will have more clarity. Thank you in advance.
 
How do you chlorinate? Is the spillover automated?

Also, you should probably have a good test kit. That looks like the Poolmaster kit which lacks both FAS-DPD chlorine and CYA - both numbers that we really need to be accurate. You'll need either a Taylor K-2006C or a TFTestKits.net TF-100/TF-Pro.
 
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dfwnoob said:
How do you chlorinate? Is the spillover automated?

Also, you should probably have a good test kit. That looks like the Poolmaster kit which lacks both FAS-DPD chlorine and CYA - both numbers that we really need to be accurate. You'll need either a Taylor K-2006C or a TFTestKits.net TF-100/TF-Pro.
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I'm not sure how to answer if the spillover is automated. All I know is that for several hours in the morning when the RPM is high, that's when it would occur. The rest of the day at 2000 rpm, there is no spillover.
 
Can you put the details for your pool in your signature? You can look at mine for an example.

How is chlorine getting into the pool? Are you using pucks or is the pool guy taking care of all of this?
 
GonnaTryTFP said:
I'm not sure how to answer if the spillover is automated. All I know is that for several hours in the morning when the RPM is high, that's when it would occur.
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Check that the spillover is running now every day and for how long and the automation or a valve did not break.
 
I bet if you go back to the old pump schedule, the problem will go away (though I'd SLAM the spa first).

I had something like this - not as bad - when I partially closed the spa return value to reduce flow through the spa/spillover. The idea was to reduce pH increase rate. This ended with a small algae bloom. With the valve all the way open, there's a good flow all the time the pump is on.

Afaics, you've created the same conditions I did. Chlorine is burning down in the spa, and flow isn't replenishing it from whatever your source is. (Consider filling out your signature with a list of your equipment including chlorination method.)

I guess your choice is to chlorinate the spa separately with liquid chlorine or get flow through it from the same chlorinated water source as the pool.

The thing I don't understand is why when the pump is running slow you end up with zero flow. That doesn't seem right. Wild guess: maybe there's a check valve in the return line that doesn't open at all when the pump is running slow.
 
I run my spa spillover for 30 minutes at 9AM to get chlorinated water in it at the start of the day and then run the spillover again at 2PM to replenish any chlorine lost for the rest of the day.
 
Okay Guys, I'm a little bit of an idiot. My pool guy got me back on track. Firstly, I had actually deleted my highest circulation schedule. It was only doing 2000 rpm for several months now. Secondly, the filter due for a cleaning was the culprit. After the filter clean, even at 2000 RPM, water is now flowing in the spa and it's spilling over. We did put a lot of chlorine in the spa and left pump off overnight. Today, the green tint was gone, I turned the pump on and all is well.

Question... if we're constantly checking chemicals to make sure the chlorine isn't too high, and isn't too low, then why does shocking it a recommendation as part of a maintenance schedule? Shocking makes the chlorine level way too high right? In any case, if you do recommend shocking, how much do I add for approximately 13,000 gallon pool?
 
GonnaTryTFP said:
Okay Guys, I'm a little bit of an idiot. My pool guy got me back on track. Firstly, I had actually deleted my highest circulation schedule. It was only doing 2000 rpm for several months now. Secondly, the filter due for a cleaning was the culprit. After the filter clean, even at 2000 RPM, water is now flowing in the spa and it's spilling over. We did put a lot of chlorine in the spa and left pump off overnight. Today, the green tint was gone, I turned the pump on and all is well.

Question... if we're constantly checking chemicals to make sure the chlorine isn't too high, and isn't too low, then why does shocking it a recommendation as part of a maintenance schedule? Shocking makes the chlorine level way too high right? In any case, if you do recommend shocking, how much do I add for approximately 13,000 gallon pool?
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TFP doesn't do pool chemical levels and maintenance the same way as the standard pool industry says to do. You are correct - if you are checking and adding FC daily, you don't need to do a "shock" on a regular schedule. You're keeping your FC where it needs to be.

"Shocking" in standard pool industry is basically how they deal with chucking a few tabs into a skimmer (bad for the skimmer if the pump ever stops, by the way) and hoping it doesn't get algae. If it starts building up some algae, they hope the weekly "shocking" will get rid of the pool. But since they don't follow the CYA / FC ratio and just dump chemicals, it usually is either too much CYA (and so not enough FC, and algae can form) or too much FC for their CYA (which results in things like my old liner being completely white even though it was bright blue to begin with, and as brittle as a potato chip when I had it replaced).
 
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Hey guys, is it normal for water to drain to the streets when running the pump, especially at a higher speed? I don't know if this has always been happening, and I never noticed, or If this is something new, but I happen to see it today.
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If this is normal, then cool. If this is not normal, then please watch this video. I think it may have to do something with this leaking issue from the SPA:
When I run the pump at 3000 RPM, it would be worse. So I've been scaling back the higher RPM session to 2600 RPM, and it is still leaking through the pavement and steps. You'll notice the decorative bricks at the top have separated from the granite of the SPA, I'm not sure if it's granite, just call it granite for now. Do you guys see that as the issue? That water is seeping into that seam? But what confuses me is that at a low RPM of 2000, there is no leaking through the pavement or steps. But the water is still spilling over to the pool, which means it still fills to the brim, which means it would be seeping through that crack as well, right? Why isn't it leaking through the pavement at 2000 RPM? Perhaps, lower volume of water?
 

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If it's to the street I would suspect your waste valve at your filter is leaking. Can you take a photo of your filter?
 
No it is not normal to have water draining to your street.

I am surprised you don't have a local CA official knowing at your door about your water wastage.
 
GonnaTryTFP said:
Who do I even call for this? Pool people, or plumbing people?
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Do you have an auto water filler? If so, it main be leaking and allowing water in when not needed and then draining Of course, only happening when the pump is running would point to something else.

But that drain looks pretty filthy for having properly chlorinated pool water in it.
 
Bperry said:
Do you have an auto water filler? If so, it main be leaking and allowing water in when not needed and then draining Of course, only happening when the pump is running would point to something else.

But that drain looks pretty filthy for having properly chlorinated pool water in it.
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Yes, I do have an auto pool filler. It normally turns on when the pump is running. Recently, I did raise the level because I noticed at high RPM, the pump priming was struggling. So the water level was low. Maybe I raised it too much?

As for the drain picture, that's just a drain next to the skimmer. There are like a bunch of them in my backyard. I guess they're there to drain away when there is rain? Perhaps that's why it's filthy. It probably has nothing to do with the pool? I just took a picture of it cause it's next to the pool. I don't know if it has anything to do with the pool. I do see water in it. I'm confused like crazy. Home ownership!!!!! So fun.
 

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