Pump issue or pipe

[igneous]

Ok, we inherited pool/spa with new old house built in '86. Everything has run fine for alittle over a month, water chem. good. Had not tried the Sta-rite heater until last nite (I don't know the last time it was ran) and all was doing fine--heater heating water to about 93 degrees and rising, good flow to spa and warm water coming out.
Then all the sudden the pump got louder and the water flow was barely coming out of the jets. I said a prayer, turned off everything and went to bed. This morning the spa water is below the jets. I'm hoping it's not a plumbing issue,
and just a pump impeller, so what troubleshooting steps do the experts recommend?

 

[needsajet]

There would be a check valve on the line going to the spa. That may have something stuck in it (as far as trying the cheap and simple first).

If you can bypass the heater, that would allow you to rule out anything related to the heater.

 

[igneous]

Thanks for advice. Check valve looks clear. When I switch from pool return to spa return, the pressure on filter goes from 18 to 30. I have the drain cleaning bladder--just not sure which pipe to put it into or if it will do anything.

 

[needsajet]

Is the check valve a Jandy type with the clear lid and 8 screws?

Are you able to bypass the heater?

 

[igneous]

Yes, the valve is the Jandy clear one and I see it opening up when I turn on the spa return. I don't have valves for bypassing heater, but I did turn it back on this weekend and it heated spa up very fast--within 15 min. So I think all is good, my concern
was why the filter pressue went up from 20 to 30 psi? I assume it's because it's a shorter pipe run vs. the entire pool pipe system. When doing pool and spa returns, it runs at about 18-20 psi.

 

[needsajet]

Glad to hear it's working for you

You mentioned that when you sent water to the spa, that the filter pressure went up and also that there was very little flow from the return jets, and that the spa drained down overnight.

So yep, with all water going to the spa, a bit higher pressure could make sense for a couple of possible reasons, but wouldn't explain the low flow or the spa draining down. If those two things aren't happening anymore, then it could have been just something temporarily caught in the check valve which has now cleared.

 

[igneous]

I believe I left the drain open overnite and that's what drained water below the jet levels in spa. It's blowing out water and air mixture without turning on the blower, but when the blower turns on it's really churning water. If anyone reading this needs a new blower for their hot tub, definitely get the Silencer--blows good and it's really quiet. I think you're right, something may have been in the check valve, but it looks fine now.

Yes, I think the pressure going up is because of the less piping volume. Seems to be the case because the pool return & skimmer closest to the pump has much higher pressure (or flow) than the further away ones. Is there any way to equalize that? It's no biggie because I have the pool jets pointing up to get surface trash directed to the 2 skimmers since the cleaner seems to be doing it's job.

Thanks for the input!

Now I have to start working on the lights.

 

[needsajet]

It will depend how your equipment pad is plumbed. Often there's a 3-way valve for adjusting the suction from the two skimmers. If you post two or three pics of your equipment pad, one of us might be able to suggest.

3-way valve looks liike this: Jandy Neverlube 3 Way Valve 1 1/2 Inside / 2 Outside - 4715 - INYOPools.com
You turn the handle part way to one side or the other to control how much flow there is from each side.

 

[igneous]

Sorry, it's been awhile since last post, but here's photo of pool equipment. It's a very small footprint. The valves coming from pool are hard to see, but they are fully open.

View attachment 69258

 

[needsajet]

Thanks!

So, right now, you have unrestricted flow from your pool main drain. You could partially close that, so it pulls more water from the skimmers. The two skimmers appear to be together on their same valve, so you'll have less flow from the skimmer that's further away. It's not a problem other than if you want more flow from the further one. That could be solved with a skimmer vacuum plate in the nearer skimmer, which would reduce flow in that skimmer. There are adjustable bypass skimmer vacuum plates that give you some fine-tuning if you want it. Heads-up that if the water level is low, a skimmer vacuum plate (without a cleaner or vacuum plugged in) can cause a vortex, allowing the pump to suck air.

It looks like your pool returns are on the same valve as well. Again it's only a problem if you want or need a better/different water movement pattern in the pool. To achieve it, you could replace the nearer return jet eyeball with one with a smaller orifice. That would create a bit more back pressure and send more water to the return jet(s) that are further away.

All is fine as it is as far as sanitizing the pool, but it depends what sort of aesthetic improvement you're after, if any.

 

[igneous]

Thanks, I was wondering about the main drain being opened. What I'm doing now with the returns is having them point up to push the leaves and stuff that's on top to the skimmers. I'll order a couple smaller orifice eyeballs, because 2 returns that are close could be dialed down a bit to get even return flow from the far two. I'll look into getting a skimmer vacuum plate also, since the far skimmer has minimal pull compared to the close.

It's sanitized fine, and if you notice the SWG, it's only at 40% now. When I test water the chlorine level is always 5+ free chlorine. Now that I got the correct amount of CYA in the water, it's holding much better. Previous owner had no stabilizer and had to run SWG at 100%. Water is getting cooler though, around 80*, so that will keep any blooms down too. Hot again this week in N. Texas though, so I'll test again before weekend party.

Thanks for the input! Cheers!