Praher valve question

[Guest]

Ok, so I am trying to drain a community spa. I found the line to the sewer and the valve to open to drain it, but when I open the valve (a Praher) Nothing happens. Is there something special about making these work? Here is a picture of the type of valve. Does it indicate a broken valve? They have this special "pin" feature for repairing the ball valve pin removal. What the heck is that about? [attachment=2:33039eho]truesingpin.jpg[/attachment:33039eho]

As well the dang pump controller monitors mm of Hg on the vacuum side, so when I shut off the skimmer and switch to the drains only it freaks out because of the pressure increase from 3.5 to 5.8. How do I keep the pump running and stop the controller from interferring. I am sure it is a safety feature for all the new anti entrapment features.
[attachment=1:33039eho]IMG_5268_a.jpg[/attachment:33039eho] [attachment=0:33039eho]IMG_5269_a.jpg[/attachment:33039eho]

 

[reebok]

have you tried pushing the yellow button that says maint/clean? it says blockages aren't detected when in that mode.

 

[Guest]

Yes, it shuts off the pump.

Not sure what the heck it is supposed to do in maintanence mode.

Edit:
Ok, so I found the manual online and RTFM. It needs to be in the off mode before going into maintanence, so that question is answered.

Now for the valve...

 

[waste]

The Stingl switch is a safety device and to vacuum or run solely off the drains, you need to be in the 'maintenance mode' - this will only run the pump for 30 minutes.

Have you tried unscrewing the union on the valve? With most of these type valves, having the union fully tight is the only way to keep them from dripping - however, if the union is too tight, you can't turn the ball in the valve.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, The handle does turn, it just doesn't seem to open the passage way.

Is the ball valve stuck even if the handle can be fully turned?

 

[spishex]

Those handles crack all the time. You may not actually be turning the stem of the valve. Remove the handle and check the position of the stem first, then turn, then remove again to see if it actually moved.

The retaining pins are used to hold the ball in place when the union is opened. You'd only ever need to mess with those if you were replacing the gaskets inside the valve itself.

 

[Guest]

Yep, the handle was stripped, so while it turned the valve was NOT turning. Got out the lockgrips and turned it. Amazing how it works when done with real tools.

Thanks all for the information.

Got the controller to run in Maint mode, albeit with a continous alarm reminding you how much time of 1/2 hour you have left.

I got the spa drained and refilled.