pool/spa combo jet situation

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Borderx17

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Feb 22, 2010
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Hello,
I have a pool/ spa combo where both the filter and spa jets are plumbed through the same 1 hp jet. I am having a problem of when I turn on the spa ( meaning , turn both jandy 3 ways to spa), the water is flowing, but there is not enough force to create actual jets and I cant hear any air being sucked though the system as it does when the jets are working correctly. So what I have been doing is turning off system, backwashing, and then the jets come out in force. This will work 1-3 spa sessions before I need to preform same procedure. I have no leaks, a clean filter, and this problem just started happining in last few months, any suggestions? Please help!!
Thanks
Mike
 
The one Hp pump maybe marginal. On my pool and spa I have a 1.5 Hp pump. So if you filter is slighlty dirty, or the sand compacts, the flow decreases slightly and not air is sucked in by the water. One possible solution is to try and increase the diameter of the spa jet fittings. You can try and remove them completely and see if it works.
 
This is a great example of where a "one pump chump" pool/spa combo is not the way to build a pool (I get upset at builders that still try and build this way :evil: ). This is not your fault, but the jet pump should always be a dedicated pump and the circulation pump should circulate clean water only. That way you do not have the back pressure from the filter working on the jets, and don't have to worry about diminished pressure.

The "solution" to this type of system is typically a larger pump (check the flow rates on your jets versus the gpm on your pump. Allow for head loss.), which costs you more to run in normal circulation mode. Oftentimes pools are not plumbed properly for the larger pumps either, and the problem still exists.

Using one pump to do it all is a cheap way to build a pool, and only serves one purpose: for the builder to cut corners! The homeowner pays for it in the end with higher electrical costs than they should have, air being drawn in and fighting heater efficiency when you are trying to heat the spa, and the inability to shut the bubbles off and just circulate/filter and heat the water quietly when desired.

It does sound like you may have a plug in the system somewhere. Check the air line and see if something might be obstructing it or being sucked in partially when you go to spa mode. Good luck (and sorry for the rant!).
 
In addition to what everyone else said, I can think of two other possibilities. If your plaster is brand new, plaster dust could easily be clogging the filter very quickly. This is common with fresh plaster, and will ease up after three to four weeks. You could also get these symptoms if you added too much DE. This could happen either on the initial loading of DE or after backwashing. After backwashing the filter usually only needs about 80% of the DE you put in the first time.
 
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