I have a 15,000 gal IGP with an attached IG SPA. Please take a look at picture. I would like to know what to equipment I need to make this spa work(ie. heater, blower(s)). I hope this picture I have drawn helps.
Attached Spa
- Thread starter HoseB611
- Start date
Welcome to TFP!
There are a number of steps, and several choices to make, in the process of designing your system and selecting equipment. If you are doing this all your self you will need to take it slow and be methodical, to make sure you don't make any significant mistakes.
The first big choice is to decide exactly how many and what kind of jets to get. You need to know the number of jets and their specifications in order to know what flow rate they will need, which determines quite a few of the other numbers.
There are a number of steps, and several choices to make, in the process of designing your system and selecting equipment. If you are doing this all your self you will need to take it slow and be methodical, to make sure you don't make any significant mistakes.
The first big choice is to decide exactly how many and what kind of jets to get. You need to know the number of jets and their specifications in order to know what flow rate they will need, which determines quite a few of the other numbers.
This existing equipment. All the number of jets is exactly what is shown as for the specs of each I could not tell you that.....
Alright, there must be something I am not understanding. If the system already exists, why doesn't it work? Did it work in the past? Do you know what equipment was there when it was working? What do you have that is working now?
If equipment is missing and you don't know what it was, then you will need to find out the specs on the jets.
If equipment is missing and you don't know what it was, then you will need to find out the specs on the jets.
You got it. It did work at one time I'm sure Since we moved in it is just as I showed on the diagram. I do know that the previous owners said that they used to have a 125,000 BTU gas heater in line but took it out because of high gas prices. I would like to stay away from a gas heater if possible. What about the bubbles and stuff like that?
Alright, the next step is to figure out the design flow rate for the jets. Hopefully someone will stop by who recognizes them and knows what the flow rate should be.
Just talked to Jacuzzi technical support and found out that the flow rate is 30 GPM . Does that help?
Yes, that helps.
You have 5 jets that each want 30 GPM, so your goal is to move 150 GPM. That is going to require one very large pump, or two more reasonably sized pumps, just for the jets.
The next thing to check is the pipe diameter and approximate run length from the pad to the spa on the spa drain and spa jet pipes. If the pipes are small, it will take a larger pump to get the required flow rate.
One more question, on your diagram, you show five white oval marks for spa jets and one black oval mark labeled jet. Normally there are jets like the one you posted a photo of to provide water movement and bubbles and then another return which just returns heated water to the pool. That matches up with your drawing of the spa, but there should be another pipe on the equipment pad that sends water to that extra "jet"/return that is independent of the pipe that feeds the water movement/bubbles jets. There should also be yet another pipe to send air to the spa jets to increase the bubbles. Do you know if you have those pipes on the equipment pad, or have you drawn everything?
A photo of the equipment pad might help.
You have 5 jets that each want 30 GPM, so your goal is to move 150 GPM. That is going to require one very large pump, or two more reasonably sized pumps, just for the jets.
The next thing to check is the pipe diameter and approximate run length from the pad to the spa on the spa drain and spa jet pipes. If the pipes are small, it will take a larger pump to get the required flow rate.
One more question, on your diagram, you show five white oval marks for spa jets and one black oval mark labeled jet. Normally there are jets like the one you posted a photo of to provide water movement and bubbles and then another return which just returns heated water to the pool. That matches up with your drawing of the spa, but there should be another pipe on the equipment pad that sends water to that extra "jet"/return that is independent of the pipe that feeds the water movement/bubbles jets. There should also be yet another pipe to send air to the spa jets to increase the bubbles. Do you know if you have those pipes on the equipment pad, or have you drawn everything?
A photo of the equipment pad might help.
Ok Pipe diameter is 1 1/2" that is approx. 35' from the equipment. A correction to my previous post: there are 6 jets. Also the oval marks are just like the one in the photo above. The black oval is the return jet that comes on at the same time with the other 2 in the pool. The White ovals I was told are tied in with the pipe labled "spa jets". There are no other pipes involved.
Getting 150 GPM through 1.5" pipe is going to be very difficult. I can't think of a practical way to get the jets to operate as they were designed to. You can get some effect, but not as much as they were meant to have. That is a smaller pipe than should be used in a spa, and those are higher flow rate jets than are commonly used.
Are you saying that the three black "jet" symbols, two in the pool and one in the spa, are all fed from the "pool jets" pipe? That is an unfortunate way for the plumbing to run, and is going to make things more difficult.
I think I am beginning to see why the previous owner took out the equipment. If you described the system correctly and I understood you correctly, the spa would never have worked right. It isn't too much trouble to come up with a way to heat the spa, but I don't see any way to get the jets the flow rate they want.
Again, a picture of the equipment pad would help confirm much of what you are describing.
Are you saying that the three black "jet" symbols, two in the pool and one in the spa, are all fed from the "pool jets" pipe? That is an unfortunate way for the plumbing to run, and is going to make things more difficult.
I think I am beginning to see why the previous owner took out the equipment. If you described the system correctly and I understood you correctly, the spa would never have worked right. It isn't too much trouble to come up with a way to heat the spa, but I don't see any way to get the jets the flow rate they want.
Again, a picture of the equipment pad would help confirm much of what you are describing.
Thanks for posting a picture!
It looks like that system was designed to use a single pump. There is room on the pad for a second pump and a heater, but the pipes are not laid out the way they would be for a two pump setup. Also, there doesn't appear to be any sign of a blower pipe.
I can see two ways of setting things up, each of which involves significant compromises.
First, you could stay with a one pump system. To get that to work you would need to add a heater and a three way valve on the pipe labeled pool jets. The three way valve would switch the flow to either go to the pool or to the spa. You would also need to re-plumb the suction side, so that there was a three way valve that allowed you to switch between the spa drain and the two pool suction lines (skimmer and drain). This approach is comparatively simple, but you are not going to get a whole lot of action from the spa jets.
Second, you could install a large dedicated spa pump. This would require adding a very large second pump and a heater, re-plumbing the spa drain over to the second pump, and adding some way to mix water from the pool and spa. This route involves more complex plumbing, is more expensive to operate, makes it much more difficult to use the heater to heat the pool, and the spa jets still won't get the flow they really want.
It looks like that system was designed to use a single pump. There is room on the pad for a second pump and a heater, but the pipes are not laid out the way they would be for a two pump setup. Also, there doesn't appear to be any sign of a blower pipe.
I can see two ways of setting things up, each of which involves significant compromises.
First, you could stay with a one pump system. To get that to work you would need to add a heater and a three way valve on the pipe labeled pool jets. The three way valve would switch the flow to either go to the pool or to the spa. You would also need to re-plumb the suction side, so that there was a three way valve that allowed you to switch between the spa drain and the two pool suction lines (skimmer and drain). This approach is comparatively simple, but you are not going to get a whole lot of action from the spa jets.
Second, you could install a large dedicated spa pump. This would require adding a very large second pump and a heater, re-plumbing the spa drain over to the second pump, and adding some way to mix water from the pool and spa. This route involves more complex plumbing, is more expensive to operate, makes it much more difficult to use the heater to heat the pool, and the spa jets still won't get the flow they really want.
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