Spa is not holding the water

[sumntingwong]

Hi guys,
need your help. I am pretty new to this and kind of got the pool from the previous owner. So I am just learning along the way.
Anyway, recently, we realized that the spa is not holding the water and it was draining quickly.
I did a quick search online and saw one of the youtube, it says the check valve might not working properly. So I took it apart (green circle) and there was a small debris on the gate. I cleaned that up and put that back in. The water seems to retain better but still draining slowly. The youtube mentioned there's another valve and showed something looks like the one in red circle. However, I couldn't figure out which way should the thing turn. Right now, the "off" is not facing either tube A or B. Can anyone let me know if the valve is in the right position or should it be moved to close A or B?
Thx.

 

[Agent99]

That looks like the return to your pool and spa but I'm not really sure as it could be the suction from the pool and spa. Does the B line go to the pump? If the B line goes to the pump, then that is your suction and the valve adjusts the flow rate between pool suction and spa suction. A few more pics might help us understand how your pool is plumbed.

BTW, your valve is adjusted such that both A and the non-labeled line (let's call it C) are open. In other words, nothing is 'off'. B is the common line and the valve selects between A and C or it could do partially A and partially C. I you take that valve apart, you'll understand it quite clearly.

I also see a temperature probe hanging there in the upper right picture. Any idea why it isn't inserted into your pipe? Do you have solar heating by chance?

 

[sumntingwong]

Thanks Chris. It seems like there's a quota of pictures. I cannot upload any more pictures! any suggestions?
I don't have a solar heating, but I do realize there are two temperature probes coming out of the control panel and one of them is attached to a pipe...
Jon

 

[Agent99]

Well, you have to experiment a bit to see which pipe is the spa suction (A or C) and which is the pool suction. Turn the valve fully one way or the other and observe.

 

[Plankton]

When my check valve went bad I tried removing it and cleaning it also, no help, although it looked fine it still allowed water to leak past. I replaced mine and that solved the problem.

 

[sumntingwong]

Well, you have to experiment a bit to see which pipe is the spa suction (A or C) and which is the pool suction. Turn the valve fully one way or the other and observe.

Thanks guy. I will try to play with it. Appreciate the feedback.
However, two of the valves are controlled by the panel. Is there any chance those are bad and impacting the water level?
If they do, is it easy to replace?

 

[Agent99]

Well, they ARE electronic and have moving parts so, yeah, they might not be adjusting the valves the way they are supposed to. The only way to know is you MUST figure out your plumbing and what pipe goes where. Only then will you be able to understand if things are adjusting the way they should. If you are still having a hard time, it might be worth paying a pool guy to swing by for a 1/2 hour and go over your system with you. If you post your location, maybe someone viewing this thread is close by and can help you out.

Yes, I think the actuators (the boxes controlling your valves) are easy to replace but they are like $150 each. Download the manuals for them and read up.