Taking over from pool guy and have no idea what the valves do ETC

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grey1988

grey1988

Well-known member
Nov 14, 2017
55
Las Vegas/NV
20171114_133632.jpg

I have included a picture of my system. Please help me identify the valves/pipes and what they do. I have a pool vac and a spa. 2 of the valves i have labeled that i know to switch over to use the spa then i switch back. I want to add actuators to those, how difficult is that? It had them previously but they stopped working. I want to understand the functionality of the valves so i know how to adjust etc. Please help. I have more pictures available. Thanks in advance.
 
HI! Have you every come to the right placed!

Lets lay the groundwork to make sure we are all talking the same language. You might know this but I want to make sure:

-returns-the eyeball looking things that "returns" the water to the pool from the filter
-skimmer-the thing (could be square or rectangle) that brings the water from the pool to the filter
-Main drain-the hole with a cover on it at the bottom of the pool

You did a great job with your signature!

Now tell us this-how many returns and skimmers do you have? Do you have a main drain?

This should get us started on helping you! :hug:

Kim:kim:
 
On the suction side the valve currently has the main drain/skimmer and the vacuum line open. If you rotate that valve 180 degrees the pump will pull water from the spa.

On the return side the valve is directing the bulk of the water to the pool returns and only partially to the spa. The spillway will run all the time when the pump is on in this configuration.
 
bdavis466 said:
On the suction side the valve currently has the main drain/skimmer and the vacuum line open. If you rotate that valve 180 degrees the pump will pull water from the spa.

On the return side the valve is directing the bulk of the water to the pool returns and only partially to the spa. The spillway will run all the time when the pump is on in this configuration.
Click to expand...


dumb question but in the picture which are the suction vs return?
 
Grey,

Welcome to TFP.. A Great resource for all pool owners from Lost Wages... :shark:

No one can tell you for sure what each valve does because not every pool is plumbed the same way.. We can, however, make an educated guess...

So, my guess is this...

The valve in the top right side of your picture selects between the Skimmer on one side and the Main Drain on the other side. Unless marked, you will have to play with it and determine which pipe goes to the Skimmer and which goes to the Main Drain.

The next valve down is the "Intake" or "Suction" valve and it allows you to suck water from the Pool (Skimmer or Main Drain or both) and the Spa Drain. In the current position I would have to assume the Spa Drain is off...

The valve in the bottom right of your picture is the "Return" valve. It allow you to send water back to your Pool or Spa or both.

The valve on the left of your picture is a puzzle for me.. I assume one way sends the water through the filter, but I'm not sure where the water goes when sent the other way. I notice you have this one labeled as Spa Off, but that does not make sense to me.

A few more pictures might help along with what the labels say on each valve...

Thanks for posting a challenge... :p
 
The valve for pool suction is missing screws, which can cause an air leak.

The return 3-way has a valve actuator.

The suction three way had a valve actuator, but it was removed. You can see the missing screws where the actuator mounted to the valve.

The three way coming out of the pump directs water to the filter or to a return line cleaner. The bowl filter on the cleaner line is called an energy filter. It probably originally went to a Jandy ray vac but was replaced by the Polaris 360.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Grey,

Welcome to TFP.. A Great resource for all pool owners from Lost Wages... :shark:

No one can tell you for sure what each valve does because not every pool is plumbed the same way.. We can, however, make an educated guess...

So, my guess is this...

The valve in the top right side of your picture selects between the Skimmer on one side and the Main Drain on the other side. Unless marked, you will have to play with it and determine which pipe goes to the Skimmer and which goes to the Main Drain.

The next valve down is the "Intake" or "Suction" valve and it allows you to suck water from the Pool (Skimmer or Main Drain or both) and the Spa Drain. In the current position I would have to assume the Spa Drain is off...

The valve in the bottom right of your picture is the "Return" valve. It allow you to send water back to your Pool or Spa or both.

The valve on the left of your picture is a puzzle for me.. I assume one way sends the water through the filter, but I'm not sure where the water goes when sent the other way. I notice you have this one labeled as Spa Off, but that does not make sense to me.

A few more pictures might help along with what the labels say on each valve...

Thanks for posting a challenge... :p
Click to expand...

thanks for your response. unfortunately none of the pipes or valves are labeled. What I just did is turned the pool pump on and turned the valve on the left that says spa off forward and what it did was turned the pool vac off. So what would this be? How else can I test the valves when the pool pump is on to confirm what the valve does? This is confusing to me but I know i can get it soon. Thanks
 
grey,

Well that confirms what James said.. The valve on top of the pump allows you to send water to your filter, or to your pool cleaner, or as in the picture, both.

To see which pipe is from the skimmer, go to the skimmer and stick your hand close to the pipe at the bottom.. do you feel suction? If so turn the valve in the upper right of your picture either to the right or left. Then see if the suction increased or went to zero. If it went to zero that you know the pipe you just shut off was the one going to the skimmer.

Jim R.
 

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kimkats said:
While you are waiting I am going to give you some links I put together for "new pool owners" where you are more a new pool carer but they still fit.

Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule

Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

PoolMath

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Make sure to ask any and all questions you might have no matter how small! We have all been where you are at one point.

Which kit did you order?

Kim:kim:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links. I got the TF-100
 
Good job! That is the best test kit out there! Did you notice they had videos for each test on the site? Here are some tips I found made testing a little eaiser:

-FC-easy but know that if you let the water sit after it goes clear it might turn back to pink. Ignore it. Once it goes clear call it at that drop.

-PH-White plate or wall to hold the tube in front of with good lighting. You will be able move the tube back and forth to help you match colors better.

CYA-Oh how this test used to drive me nuts! What I have started doing is GLANCE in to see the dot. Do NOT look for the dot or you will end up seeing it! Pour your CYA mixture to the first line (100), GLANCE in. If you see the dot, pour to the next line, GLANCE in.....keep going line by line until you do not see the dot at a GLANCE.

The first set of tests will take you a while. After doing them a couple/few times it will get faster.

Kim:kim:
 
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