Water flows up spa air feed line when spa drain is turned on

[BriStoller]

So odd... why does water flow up the air blower line when I turn on the spa drain? As far as I know, the drain and the venturi jets are not connected. But when I turn the pump on and open the spa drain, water goes (slowly) up the air blower line feed. The Air blower is positioned about 4 feet above the waterline, so I know it is not gravity feeding this.

As a result, I can not isolate the spa from the pool. I always have to heat the spa and have the heated water trickle over into the pool. If I try to just heat the spa (open jets to spa and open drain to spa / close all other pool valves) the water slowly rises up the air blower line.

NOTE: I do not have a Hartford Loop installed, but because the air blower is far above the waterline of the pool, I was told it wasn't necessary.

ADDITION: We did just have the pool surface re-finished, going from a white to dark color plaster. AS a result I had the crew replace the spa jet heads with black eyeballs. Is it possible that they did not put the nozzles back in the jets? Would not having a nozzle cause water to go back into the air line? IF SO... why would this only happen when the spa drain is opened?

 

[Richard320]

I read this yesterday and reread it today, and it just plain doesn't make any sense.

I'm left wondering if the pump was starving before and with the drain open it has too much flow and backs up. Or do you have one of those flow-reversal valves so that the heat is supposed to come up from the floor? Could the replacement jets be too small, or the wrong shape, thereby creating backpressure in the plumbing? '

Too many unknowns. How about some pictures of the equipment pad? Maybe that'll help us figure it out.

 

[BriStoller]

I'll take some pictures. But the equipment is pretty common.

I have determined that there is a leak in the drain line. (Not sure why/if that would cause water to go up the air supply line.) When I isolate the spa from the pool and run the filter I lose about an inch of water every :30min. At first I thought it was just trickling out the air supply line (as it goes to the surface. But in an experiment I put a eyeball valve on the air supply line and close it off (so that no water can escape; but I also can't use the air bubbler). Regardless... I am still losing water at a rate of 1" every :30min.

where does the flow reversal valve live? If one was to exist in my system? Would it be under the deck of the pool near the drain? (I can not rip up the whole skirt around the pool again; I just had it re-surfaced. Wife will kill me.

 

[Richard320]

I'll take some pictures. But the equipment is pretty common.

I have determined that there is a leak in the drain line. (Not sure why/if that would cause water to go up the air supply line.) When I isolate the spa from the pool and run the filter I lose about an inch of water every :30min. At first I thought it was just trickling out the air supply line (as it goes to the surface. But in an experiment I put a eyeball valve on the air supply line and close it off (so that no water can escape; but I also can't use the air bubbler). Regardless... I am still losing water at a rate of 1" every :30min.

where does the flow reversal valve live? If one was to exist in my system? Would it be under the deck of the pool near the drain? (I can not rip up the whole skirt around the pool again; I just had it re-surfaced. Wife will kill me.

A flow reversal valve will look sort of like a Jandy three way, but it will have four pipes. It could be above ground or buried with only a cover that lets you reach in and access the valve.