Spa jets

[Lershac]

So I am working out what I need to buy for my spa-jets on an upcoming build.

I cant seem to find any reference documentation on how that stuff works. I see all sorts o different spa heads, bodies, venturis, blower motors, booster pumps etc etc... where does a guy begin?

I am designing a largish spa, inside dimensions are 9X9' with 4 bench seats, one along each side. I have no idea how to go from stubbed out pipe at each jet location to a finished spa head that shoots water and bubbles on demand. I see some designs use a blower motor to inject air on demand, some designs use a venturi somewhere (where?) in the piping to suck air in, and the head assemblies themselves... so many choices! I just want something pretty basic that will shoot the water out, with air or without!

Can someone point me to some reference documentation or diagrams?

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[spillmar]

Excerpt from DIY site to give you some idea however if it was me I would at the very least get a plumber consultant to help guide you if you must do it yourself. I ran from this because once encased any problems and you're stuck with it.

From: http://www.howibuiltmyownpool.com/modul ... second-day

"The jets are looped for the same reason the pool returns are looped. By using a loop, the water pressure for each therapy jet will be more evenly distributed. If you look at the pictures below, you will notice that each therapy jet is Tee'ed off from the main 2" PVC loop that runs around the perimeter of the spa. The loop runs just under the top of the form on the outside perimeter of the form, and will be completely encased in concrete when the shotcrete is poured.

The therapy jet loop will not be a completed loop until the steel / rebar frame for the dam wall is erected. The reason for this is that the plumbers like to know where the dam wall is going to be located before running the plumbing through to complete the loop (the plumbing needs to be encased in the concrete dam wall). With the forms, its easy to see where the concrete will be. With the dam wall, there are no forms to help guide them. Once the steel is completed, the plumbers come back a third day so that they can use the steel as a guide for finishing it up. This way, they can insure that the piping doesn't have a chance of being exposed when the shotcrete is poured. The piping for the jets that extends out from the spa wall uses 1-1/2" PVC.....so that more pressure is created when the water comes out. The 1-1/2" PVC line running near the top of the therapy jets contains the air from the blower. The plumbing for the blower air also runs in a loop around the perimeter of the spa. The air comes down a 3/4" PVC pipe that feeds into the therapy jets just as the water is coming out of the jets. One interesting thing to note is the height of the blower air plumbing. Notice that it runs along the top of the form - actually just a tad bit below. Victor explained to me that the blower air plumbing was purposely put there to be above the water line of the spa. The water line is almost always 3" below the top of the form. By locating the blower air plumbing where you see it, it will be below the top of the bond beam, but always above the water level. This prevents water from coming up through the therapy jets and filling up in the blower air plumbing. When water gets into the blower air plumbing, it puts more stress on the blower pump every time you turn it on, because it has to force the water out of the plumbing first. By putting it above the water line, it insures that the pipes will always remain dry."

 

[Lershac]

Thanks spillmar, I understand about the looping and the stubbing out, and the air line... but WHAT TO PUT ON THE END OF THOSE PIPES?!?! I see a million different jet designs, some of them really complicated with niches and stuff... What did you put in yours? Link to product?

 

[JasonLion]

There are many many choices. Typically you want something with a not too high design flow rate and a Venturi so you don't have to use a blower. The Venturi is built into the jet, which is plumbed to both water and air.

The main design decisions all center around how many jets you want and how much water flow they need. The more total water flow required the larger your pump and plumbing need to be, so well worth thinking about carefully in advance. One way to get a sense of what you might want is to go to a hot tub showroom and look at how many jets and in what kind of configuration the various tubs use.

 

[Lershac]

Well it's a largish spa at 9x9' so I was going to do 3 seats on each side but maybe leave 1 seat empty on each side (no jets) for those that met not like em. That may be too many empty seats. Anyway, I was looking at waterway jets, as they have all their configuration info available online. Are they a reputable company? In was going to go with a vs-3050 for the spa. So with no blower, do I just plumb an empty air line back to the pad to suck in air? Thoughts? Appreciate everyone's input.

 

[Just-a-PB]

Depends on what kind of action you want in the spa. (I mean from the jets)

I have the poly storms in my spa and love them.
They are not the easiest to install. Just follow directions closely, and order more jet bodies then you are planing on using as your plumber may mess some up.
I suggest using the T-body assemblies over the straight. You get better air flow, though they are a little harder to install. Main thing to look at is the minimum distance from the interior finish to the jet body. If you put the body to close to the inside, you can not install the jet.
If you are setting up seats, use the manifold for a nice V of jets if you like.


Make sure you put in a hartford loop at the spa for the air line. I never need my blower, these do a great job of sucking air, and my equipment is 80' away.

When they shoot the spa, make sure they clean a good few inches deep around the pipe, as the plaster ring glues to the outside.

Let me know if you have any install questions.

 

[Lershac]

Just a pb: to make sure my understanding is correct, each jet assembly consists of one body assembly, a piece of PVC , a plaster ring and the jet head ?

 

[Just-a-PB]

If you buy the ones that are called, tee body, or straight body "assembly" they come with all the the parts needed, except the 1" pipe that goes inside later. The jet heads are sold seperately.
I can give you a breakdown on some of those later.
I have two loops of jets. 11 on each, with a 2hp pump feeding each set.
With an Intelliflo, you could probably do 15.
They have adjustable collars, so you can turn off the ones you dont want to use.

 

[Lershac]

Can anyone point me to a good source to buy them from?

 

[Lershac]

Hartford Loop? Pic?