Giant new pool: Help to identify parts and flow - with pictures

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S

sijaz

0
Jan 24, 2016
11
Houston/Texas
Recently bought the house and trying to use BBB and understand the flow and parts. I already replaced a check valve, but I want to understand more. There are some labels on the equipment and I've recreated those labels in the picture.

Question #1:
I suspect my pool has a small leak as my auto fill stays on 24/7. Which valve in this system should I check first if I suspect such a leak? I already replaced check valve #9 and that fixed spa draining into pool.

Question #2:
What is this Del Ozone system (parts #14, 15, 16) and how does it integrate with the BBB method?

Question #3:
Should I replace part #15 annually?

39,000 gallon Pebble Tec, chlorine, spillway hotub, 4 main drains, 2 skimmers

1- Pentair FNS Plus 60
2- heater
3- multi-valve
4- auto chlorinater
5- 3-way valve (pool suction)
6- 3-way valve (skimmers)
7- ???? (valve of some sort)
8- ???? (valve)
9- check valve (why is this here...replaced recently)
10- booster pump (Pentair LA01N)
11- pool pump (Pentair 011018, 3HP variable speed...RPM:450-3450)
12- spa pump (Pentair WF-28)
13- water feature pump (Pentair WF-28)
14- Del Ozone - Mixing Degas Vessel
15- Del Ozone - ??? (part number 9-0620...says "replace 1 year from date marked")
16- Del Ozone generator (Eclipse 2)
17 and 18- blower silencers
19- check valve (why is this needed here?)
 

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sijaz said:
Question #1:
I suspect my pool has a small leak as my auto fill stays on 24/7. Which valve in this system should I check first if I suspect such a leak? I already replaced check valve #9 and that fixed spa draining into pool.

Question #2:
What is this Del Ozone system (parts #14, 15, 16) and how does it integrate with the BBB method?

Question #3:
Should I replace part #15 annually?
Click to expand...

Welcome to TFP!!:handwave:

If you don't see water/puddles under this piping I would not suspect any of the valves. I would turn off the auto fill and see how far the pool drains.

No, we don't generally recommend ozone systems for residential outdoor pools. So, this answers question #3 also. If you remove the ozone there is no need to replace anything.

You also list a tab chlorinator (#4 on your list). These are also not recommended using our methods as tabs add almost as much CYA/stabilizer as they do chlorine. Do you have your own test kit to test the CYA level?
 
I've been using the TFP method for about 10 days....turned off the chlorinator and balanced my water using K-2006 everyday.

Results:
Water temp: 55 degrees
FC 5
CC 0.5
pH 7.6
TA 100
CH 230
CYA 50

To test for leak, turning off the autofill means turning off the water supply to the whole house -- can I turn off the autofill somewhere else in this system? Perhaps, raise the float way up?

How do I turn off the Del Ozone system?

Should/can I convert to salt water with this equipment and size pool? Will maintenance cost go down?
 
I am to learn with you on this one.

That is quite a set up you have. Your pool and area are SO pretty! Did you buy for the house or the pool?

I LOVE how you labeled everything. So helpful! Sorry I cannot be more help.

My only thought on the autofill turn off is to fix the float (zip tie???) so it is held up some how if you cannot find a way to turn it off without the whole house being turned off.

Good luck!

Kim
 
#5 is an automated three-way valve to pull water from just the pool or just the spa.
# 7 is probably main drain.
# 8 is an automated three-way valve to return water to the pool and spa or just the spa.
# 9 is a check valve going to the spa. When water is returning to the pool, some will also go to the spa. When in pool mode, water should spill from the spa to the pool.
# 12 is probably a spa jet pump. This just runs the jets, it does not filter.
 
I gather the autofill does not have a valve on the pad? Its supposed to have a valve and a brass back-flow preventer that may have an integrated valve. Look around just off the pool deck near where the autofill enters the pool.
 
There might be a valve at the edge of the pool deck opposite where the autofill canister is. Or you can adjust the float so that it shuts off. Or put a stick or something in it to wedge the float so it shuts off.

I will say that my autofill is on a lot of the time, but there isn't much flow through it. My water bill is about the same as it was before the pool.
 
Thanks, all. Check valve #9 was replaced recently (also see 3rd picture....it says "common return" on the top pipe and "pool return" on the lower pipe). This check valve caused spa water to drain into the pool when the pump was off. Replacing the check valve fixed the problem. When I was replacing the check valve I noticed a lot of pipe cement/glue that used to join the pipes around the area where the flapper comes down. I cleaned as much as I could but I doubt I created a proper seal for the check valve flapper.

could this be a source for a small leak from the pool and causing my auto fill to run constantly? Or does this part of the system have nothing to do with draining water from the pool?
 
Maybe, if the pool has an overflow line somewhere. Do you have an overflow line/grate in the tile line somewhere in the pool? Or an overflow pipe plumbed inside the autofill canister?
 

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Yes, there is an overflow opening that's grated in the pool. The water level is 2" below that line. Not sure I follow what the over flow line has to do with the suspected leak....can you please elaborate?

39k gallon, Pebble Tec, waterfall spa, Pentair FNS60, Del Ozone, K-2006, built 2013, The Woodlands, Texas
 
If the water is leaking past the check valve from the spa to the pool and overflowing out of the pool and the autofill is refilling the pool to make up for it. But, if the waterline is below the overflow grate then that isn't the problem.

The best way to check for a leak is the bucket test. Put a bucket on a step in the pool and fill it to the same level as the pool water. Check it daily for a few days to see if they are dropping at the same rate.
 
Just because the auto fill is constantly running doesn't necessarily mean you have a leak. Your pool is large and refilling evaporation alone is a large task for your auto filler.

As mentioned above, the bucket test is the best way to know for sure.
 
Bumping this thread. I did the bucket test and indeed I have a small leak somewhere. Now the hard part is finding it. I want to start with what I can see. In the pictures above, I see two check valves. Check valve #9 was replaced previously because the spa drained in the pool -- FIXED. The other check valve is #19 (which is just downstream from the automated three-way valve #5). If the flapper on check valve #19 was not sealing properly, could this cause a slow leak from the main drain? (There are no pools of water anywhere near this equipment or anywhere else in the yard). So I'm trying to trace the water from the main drain to the backwash piping. Am I on the right track?
 
bdavis466 said:
Just because the auto fill is constantly running doesn't necessarily mean you have a leak. Your pool is large and refilling evaporation alone is a large task for your auto filler.

As mentioned above, the bucket test is the best way to know for sure.
Click to expand...

I don't have to fill very often. I disconnected my autofill.

If you were in Dallas, I know a great leak guy. But you may just have to pick up the phonebook and call American Leak Detection. It will cost you around $400-500 to go through everything and find the leak. Could be easier than trying to tackle it yourself, but that's up to you.
 
I know. I realize it is because mine was built in '57, but my pool has ONE pump, ONE filter, ONE skimmer, and ONE main drain. The only valve is the two way valve on the filter. And it is bigger than that pool! That picture above makes me dizzy!
 
Just wondering why you mentioned the backwash piping. There should be zero flow there, other than when backwashing. If there is, even a trickle, it's a fairly easy fix, so I thought it might be worth asking.

Check valve 19 is usually an optional one which prevents backflow down the suction lines when the pad is above the pool. It can aid priming after service or if there's air getting in at the pad. Several circumstances would have to occur together for it to contribute to a leak and it wouldn't be much water, so it's an unlikely contributor to your leak issue. But if you nonetheless want to know if it's stopping backflow, next time you remove the strainer lid, listen for a lot of air sucking back into the suction lines.
 

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