Spa Slightly Turbid, but Pool Clear

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wdsheffer

wdsheffer

Bronze Supporter
Jul 25, 2023
50
Katy, TX
Pool Size
12000
Surface
Plaster
Last night I was watching the kids in the pool and the ladies in the spa, jets off. Lights on in both. The pool looked very clear, but the spa looked kind of cloudy. The spa is attached and uses the same pump and water. After the ladies got out of the spa, the water level was below the overflow level into the pool by several inches. (When we moved in a couple weeks ago, there was a good little waterfall from the spa to the pool, but I had noticed that diminished on subsequent views and thought maybe it had to do with pump speed and that was on a schedule.) After everyone got out, I added some LC to bring it between 15-20, with a special dose for the spa, then went to bed. (I'm keeping FC elevated while I wait for some trichlor pucks to dissolve in the feeder, then will do an OCLT.)

This morning, I went outside and the level was still low in the spa, telling me there's not a lot of circulation between the pool and the spa under normal conditions. I turned off the pump, emptied the strainer basket, switched the suction and return from "Pool" to "Spa," and turned the pump back on. There was no change in the water level in the spa after doing that for a while, telling me that it's only recirculating the spa water through the spa return. Can I leave the suction side on "Pool" and put the return side on "Spa" to try to flush fresh water through the spa? It didn't occur to me when I extra-dosed the spa with LC, that it wouldn't make its way back to the pool.

This first pic shows the spa and pool. The spa is elevated. The water level is currently one tile below the overflow.
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Here's the equipment layout. What I was shown to run the spa was 1. turn off pump, 2. change suction and return from pool to spa, 3. turn on pump and allow to prime, 4. turn on blower and heater if desired.processed-2868E4CE-DA2D-45BA-BC3A-0C497E7D0D15-4D4F7A53-8382-48D7-B3FE-802B653A8B3D.jpeg
I don't really know what this return piping is for. The "spa/fountain" side has been open all along. I don't know why there's an in-line valve downstream of the diverter valve. The pipe on the left side of the diverter is not labeled. It sits right next to the blower, so could it have something to do with that? There are also two aerator nozzles that I've never seen operate. I wondered if it had something to do with that, but no real clue.
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Okay, after writing that, I went back outside and the spa level had risen to the overflow level. No figuring. It went all night, pump running, and didn’t rise, but now it does. The question remains, can I run pool suction and spa return at the same time to exchange the spa water?
 
wdsheffer said:
The question remains, can I run pool suction and spa return at the same time to exchange the spa water?
Click to expand...

Yes, that is called Spillover mode.

However I would crack your return valve partially open to the spa and let it also return to your pool. Your spa needs a constant flow of chlorinated water from your pool to keep it clear. And the way your chlorinator is positioned it only adds chlorine to the pool and not the spa.
 
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Show us pics of what is to the left of the chlorinator.

A pic of all the pipes from the SPA return on the right to whatever is on the left.
 
You have a spa fill line, that I indicated with red arrows, that should be giving the spa a constant flow of chlorinated water when the POOL is on.

That line has a Check Valve, indicated by CV, that I think is sticking or broken and blocking the flow.

Open the CV lid and see what you find.

Spa Makeup Line.jpeg
 

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@ajw22
I opened it. Seems clean and clear. (Actually the lid flung itself into some leaves, so no telling what might have been in the valve before, but it's hosed off and clean now.) I put a finger upstream and down from the valve body and didn't feel any debris. I lubed the o-ring and reassembled. With the pump on there is clearly water flowing through it, based on turbulence visible through the clear lid. However, I cannot feel any water coming from the spa jets.

Having the spa fill line, does that negate what you said about cracking the return line partially to spa?

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wdsheffer said:
With the pump on there is clearly water flowing through it, based on turbulence visible through the clear lid. However, I cannot feel any water coming from the spa jets.
Click to expand...

There should be a separate return pipe int he spa for that line. Probably low on the wall in the foot well or on the floor. That water would not run through the spa jets.

wdsheffer said:
Having the spa fill line, does that negate what you said about cracking the return line partially to spa?
Click to expand...

If you find you need more flow to keep the spa water clear then crack the return valve open a bit. Use the return valve as the throttle for how much you send over to the spa versus to the pool returns.
 
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ajw22 said:
There should be a separate return pipe int he spa for that line. Probably low on the wall in the foot well or on the floor. That water would not run through the spa jets.


If you find you need more flow to keep the spa water clear then crack the return valve open a bit. Use the return valve as the throttle for how much you send over to the spa versus to the pool returns.
Click to expand...
Not seeing a separate return. The only penetrations in the plaster are 6 jets, two main drains, another port in the bottom for some unknown reason, the spa light, and the overflow. Not having changed anything since my last reply, the spa jets are now flowing weekly and bubbling. (I do also have bubbling from the pool returns. Haven't tried to get to that yet.)
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In a display of my ongoing ignorance, I didn't know the 3-port valves worked continuously from position to position in that fashion. If I want to adjust the valve to be partially open to spa, would the position be something like drawn here in red?
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wdsheffer said:
Not seeing a separate return. The only penetrations in the plaster are 6 jets, two main drains, another port in the bottom for some unknown reason, the spa light, and the overflow.
Click to expand...

I think that port in the bottom is for the fountain pipe that is labeled on the right of your pump. I think water can be rediected from the pump directly to the fountain pipe.

I have seen pipes stuck into a floor port like that to make the spa into a fountain display.

wdsheffer said:
Not having changed anything since my last reply, the spa jets are now flowing weekly and bubbling.
Click to expand...

Well maybe that spa line is tied into your jets.

wdsheffer said:
(I do also have bubbling from the pool returns. Haven't tried to get to that yet.)
Click to expand...

That is probably a suction side air leak.

www.troublefreepool.com

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
wdsheffer said:
In a display of my ongoing ignorance, I didn't know the 3-port valves worked continuously from position to position in that fashion. If I want to adjust the valve to be partially open to spa, would the position be something like drawn here in red?
Click to expand...

Yup. You can vary the proportion of flow between the POOL and SPA outlet ports.
 
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@ajw22
With the return valve at 45°, the spa is getting water and I have a nice little waterfall flowing again back into the pool. Yay! Thanks for waking me through that. Is it a good practice to similarly turn the suction valve to pull some water from the spa floor for more circulation?
 
wdsheffer said:
Is it a good practice to similarly turn the suction valve to pull some water from the spa floor for more circulation?
Click to expand...

No reason to do that. The spillover will dump all the spa water into the pool pretty quickly.

With my automation I just refresh my spa and run my spa spillover twice a day for 15 minutes.
 
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