Filter, pump help!

[Citti34]

Hello, can anyone tell me how these work? Trying to get an overall understand of the pumps. Thank you!!!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to the forum! I'll try to help get you going.
- Your pump is the item with the clear lid. The PVC pipe going into it from the front is what we call your "suction" side. It pulls water from your pool - either the main drain or poolside skimmer or both. When that 3-way valve handle is turned, the flat, duckbill side means that pipe is closed. The handle end is an open flowing pipe.
- Water leaves the pump and goes to your large pool filter with that small pressure gauge on top.
- After the filter the water appears to have a couple options, one of them being a heater in the square box.
- The 3rd pic with the black pipe shows water leaving the equipment pad on its way back to the pool or spa. In that handle position, the spa is closed/off (duckbill) and the pool returns are open (handle).

That's a very quick orientation. There's more to learn, but just with that and we'll build from there. Don't forget to read our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, you also appear to have a 2nd (booster) pump under that rusted cover. That should be for a pressure or suction type pool cleaner. We can discuss that later as well.

 

[Jimrahbe]

34,

Welcome to TFP... A great place to find the answers to all of your "What do these valves do?" questions..

Pat has you pretty well covered... The only thing I would add is that the "suction" valve in front of the pump with the clear lid, allows the pump to suck water from your Pool or from your Spa.

Show us a couple of pictures showing your pool and spa and we might be able to provide additional info.

Do you have a raised spa that spills over into the pool? If so, is the spillover working with the valves set as they are in your pics?

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

34,

Welcome to TFP... A great place to find the answers to all of your "What do these valves do?" questions..

Pat has you pretty well covered... The only thing I would add is that the "suction" valve in front of the pump with the clear lid, allows the pump to suck water from your Pool or from your Spa.

Show us a couple of pictures showing your pool and spa and we might be able to provide additional info.

Do you have a raised spa that spills over into the pool? If so, is the spillover working with the valves set as they are in your pics?

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

Wow, you guys are awesome! Here’s a picture of my pool and spa, the spa spills over into the pool.

 

[Citti34]

Welcome to the forum! I'll try to help get you going.
- Your pump is the item with the clear lid. The PVC pipe going into it from the front is what we call your "suction" side. It pulls water from your pool - either the main drain or poolside skimmer or both. When that 3-way valve handle is turned, the flat, duckbill side means that pipe is closed. The handle end is an open flowing pipe.
- Water leaves the pump and goes to your large pool filter with that small pressure gauge on top.
- After the filter the water appears to have a couple options, one of them being a heater in the square box.
- The 3rd pic with the black pipe shows water leaving the equipment pad on its way back to the pool or spa. In that handle position, the spa is closed/off (duckbill) and the pool returns are open (handle).

That's a very quick orientation. There's more to learn, but just with that and we'll build from there. Don't forget to read our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, you also appear to have a 2nd (booster) pump under that rusted cover. That should be for a pressure or suction type pool cleaner. We can discuss that later as well.

Love your post. How do I know which way to turn the 3 way valve?

 

[Texas Splash]

Just squeeze the handle, then turn the duckbill (flat) end from one position (i.e. spa) to the other (i.e. pool) to close it off. When you do that, turn the flat end away from the incoming pipe at that "T" where they all intersect, otherwise you'll close-off water flow completely. The same would apply to the suction valve (before the pump) as you adjust water suction from the pool or spa.

At some point, you will need to open your filter and/or remove that pump clear lid to clean inside. When you do, you will turn off the pump and that's when you WILL position the flat/duckbill portion of both valves to close-off water flow to the equipment pad so that water doesn't continue to flow.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Looking at the picture with the black pipe with writing on it..

The valve is currently set with the Spa pipe OFF... If you turn the valve 180 degrees, the duckbill will point at the Pool pipe and turn the water going to the Pool off.

You would never turn that valve so that the duckbill points toward the writing "From Filter" as that would shut off all the water.. (With the pump running!!)

If you turn the valve so that the handle points at the "from filter" writing, then both the Spa and Pool pipes will be open.

The other valve works basically the same way.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

Looking at the picture with the black pipe with writing on it..

The valve is currently set with the Spa pipe OFF... If you turn the valve 180 degrees, the duckbill will point at the Pool pipe and turn the water going to the Pool off.

You would never turn that valve so that the duckbill points toward the writing "From Filter" as that would shut off all the water.. (With the pump running!!)

If you turn the valve so that the handle points at the "from filter" writing, then both the Spa and Pool pipes will be open.

The other valve works basically the same way.

Thanks,

Jim R.

This is making more sense. I think... ... SO, if I have the duckbill pointed to the left (white PVC, closest to pump) the water will be suctioning (pulling) from the pool, and if the duckbill is point to the left (black PVC) the water will be pushing to the pool. Is that correct?

 

[Jimrahbe]

This is making more sense. I think... ... SO, if I have the duckbill pointed to the left (white PVC, closest to pump) the water will be sanctioning (pulling) from the pool, and if the duckbill is point to the left (black PVC) the water will be pushing to the pool. Is that correct?

Yes... And if you turn both valves 180 degrees, then you will only be sucking water from the spa and only retuning water to the spa. This allows you to heat the spa without heating the whole pool.

Go try it... and see if it works..

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

Yes... And if you turn both valves 180 degrees, then you will only be sucking water from the spa and only retuning water to the spa. This allows you to heat the spa without heating the whole pool.

Go try it... and see if it works..

Jim R.

Yes, that’s what started this “confusion” for me haha. When I have both valves pointed to the left (duckbill to the right) the spa empties. I just tried it again right now, same result.

 

[Jimrahbe]

C,

Well, one of the pipes is marked, so we know what that valve does.. The other valve is not marked and you left the little tidbit that the Spa empties out of your initial thread..

Just turn the suction valve (white pipes) 180 from what is in your pic and leave the Spa shut off on the return valve and see what happens..

You really want a little water going to your spa all the time to make the overflow work and to keep the spa water fresh. So set the Return valve (Black pipes) so that the HANDLE points at the corner of your heater. This should allow most of the water to go to the pool, but still allow some water to go to the Spa.

The Return valve (black pipes) is currently set where you need it if you were using and heating your Spa.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

C,

Well, one of the pipes is marked, so we know what that valve does.. The other valve is not marked and you left the little tidbit that the Spa empties out of your initial thread..

Just turn the suction valve (white pipes) 180 from what is in your pic and leave the Spa shut off on the return valve and see what happens..

You really want a little water going to your spa all the time to make the overflow work and to keep the spa water fresh. So set the Return valve (Black pipes) so that the HANDLE points at the corner of your heater. This should allow most of the water to go to the pool, but still allow some water to go to the Spa.

The Return valve (black pipes) is currently set where you need it if you were using and heating your Spa.

Thanks,

Jim R.

This drained the spa as well [emoji848]

 

[Jimrahbe]

c,

Ok... let's start over..

You are just going to have to experiment and see what each valve does.

1. With the spa full, set the suction valve in front of your pump as shown in your picture above. Get into the spa and see if you can feel suction at the drain in the bottom of the spa. It should be either on or off.

2. Then rotate the suction valve 180 degrees and jump back into the spa and feel the suction at the drain again.. In theory, with the valve one way, you should have suction and with the valve the other way, you should have no suction.. Report back what you find.

You may have to use a plastic bag or something to cover the drain cover to be able to tell if there is suction or not..

It is possible, that your suction valve is leaking (badly) internally so that you are always sucking some water from the spa. If this is the case, then unless you are adding more water to the spa than is being sucked out the drain, the spa will empty.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

c,

Ok... let's start over..

You are just going to have to experiment and see what each valve does.

1. With the spa full, set the suction valve in front of your pump as shown in your picture above. Get into the spa and see if you can feel suction at the drain in the bottom of the spa. It should be either on or off.

2. Then rotate the suction valve 180 degrees and jump back into the spa and feel the suction at the drain again.. In theory, with the valve one way, you should have suction and with the valve the other way, you should have no suction.. Report back what you find.

You may have to use a plastic bag or something to cover the drain cover to be able to tell if there is suction or not..

It is possible, that your suction valve is leaking (badly) internally so that you are always sucking some water from the spa. If this is the case, then unless you are adding more water to the spa than is being sucked out the drain, the spa will empty.

Thanks,

Jim R.

There a suction when flip it 180 (#2, noted above). I had to use a plastic bag. Ty for the idea!

 

[Jimrahbe]

There a suction when flip it 180 (#2, noted above). I had to use a plastic bag. Ty for the idea!

C,

So that means the white pipe on the left is going to the Spa and the white pipe on the right is going to the pool.

If you point the duckbill toward the Spa pipe on the left, no water should drain from the Spa. If it does, your suction valve has to be bad.

You should run the same type of experiment with the Return valve.

1. With the valve set up like in your pic, if the writing is to be believed, all your water should be going back to your pool.

2. Go check the returns (Eyeballs) in the pool walls and see if you have a good flow of water coming out. If so, you know the writing is correct.

3. If not, then the spa should have good return flow.

Tell us what you find.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Citti34]

C,

So that means the white pipe on the left is going to the Spa and the white pipe on the right is going to the pool.

If you point the duckbill toward the Spa pipe on the left, no water should drain from the Spa. If it does, your suction valve has to be bad.

You should run the same type of experiment with the Return valve.

1. With the valve set up like in your pic, if the writing is to be believed, all your water should be going back to your pool.

2. Go check the returns (Eyeballs) in the pool walls and see if you have a good flow of water coming out. If so, you know the writing is correct.

3. If not, then the spa should have good return flow.

Tell us what you find.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Hi Jim, there’s flow into the pool. Sorry for the delay, I was out of the country.