Pool construction woes #1

[cpotter638]

We are nearing the end of pool construction. Plastered pool 2 weeks ago. Pool builder has been relatively unavailable since plastering. And he is now on vacation. I'm having a multitude of issues. 1st problem:

Pool builder installed equipment, including pool pump (Intelliflo 4x160) & sand filter ( Pentair TA 60). We have been continually brushing the pool to remove dust; however, little to no dust is removed. In looking at installation it plumbing demonstrates:

Main drain & skimmers to Intelliflo input. Intelliflo output goes into a T. One portion of T goes through chlorine generator (IC-20) and then into pool returns (bypassing filter). Other portion of T goes through the filter. Filter output T's into pool returns, just prior to the chlorine generator. This makes no sense to me. It seems to me that only a portion of the water is being filtered in this scenario. Is there any scenario where such a plumbing setup would be desired? It would seem to me that the Intelliflo's output should go directly into the filter with no T. I asked the pool builder via phone. He mentioned something about the TA 60 not being able to handle the full flow from the pump when pump is in highest speed. TA 60 is showing a pressure of around 4 PSI (seems low to me). After many days of trying to brush plaster dust into the main drains, there is still a ton of plaster dust in pool. Additionally, filter PSI remains unchanged. I think the majority of plaster dust pulled by the main drains is bypassing the filter due to plumbing and being redeposited into the pool. Can anyone shed some light as to how the TA 60 & Intelliflo should be plumbed together?

If need be, I can diagram the current pool plumbing and attach. Thanks in advance for the help.
Chad

 

[JasonLion]

I agree that setup doesn't make a lot of sense unless there is a valve you haven't mentioned. Sometimes you see a filter bypass like that when really high flow rates are required for a spa or water feature, but there needs to be a valve that can shut off the bypass when high flow rates are not desired. Otherwise way too little water will go through the filter, especially as it starts to get dirty.

 

[cpotter638]

You hit the nail on the head. I didn't give all the details initially as our setup is complex. I went to the construction site this evening and drew out diagrams for both the pool and the spa. I been unable to clear much if any of the plaster dust from either. I've attached the diagrams below. The following applies to each:

Pool:
1. Given details of our situation, is the "filter bypass" appropriate? What exactly is this bypass protecting?

2. I would think that there needs to be a valve where I've marked in red. My only issue with this - what if this filter bypass is closed (to clean the pool as much as possible) and my wife or kid accidently turn on the water features? What will be the repurcussions? This may be a stupid question; however, is there an "electronic valve" that would work in parrell with the Jandy valve to prevent such repurcussions? So, this "electronic valve" would remain closed except when water feature / Jandy valve were turned on. The one potential (and very real) problem with a potential electronic valve is that it IS electronic. It can (and probably will) fail at some point.

3. Is the lack of a valve where I've marked in red responsible for not being able to filter the plaster dust?

4. We have 3 18" Sheer descents and 1 36" sheer descent. Functionality currently is poor.
a. Pool builder ground down the descents with a grinder. They are now very rough. I've told the builder that he needs to make them smooth. Is this a large problem now?
b. I have always anticipated that the 3 18" and 1 36" would work together. Pool builder is only now telling me that the 18" units and 36" units may have to work independantly. When all are turned on, flow rate is less than optimal. I didn't know if this was due to builder's potential plumbing mistakes or secondary to not enough power from the Intelliflow / Jandy accuator. In order to work all 4 together, I'm guessing they would need 90 gal / min in total. I looked at the Intelliflo performance curve today to get an idea of whether or not this would technically be feasable; however, I don't have any clue how to guestimate the "Total Head" of our system. I'd like all 4 to work at the same time and I'm open to suggestions.
c. Even with "good flow" the descents do not function uniformly at this time. The water blade "splits" as it leaves the unit. I'm assuming this is do to the fact that they ground the PVC and/or debris in the unit. I hope this is correctable?

5. From what I've read, I don't like how the Jandy accuator is positioned relative to the filter. From my view, when the water feature is in use, the filter is bypassed. All water running through the water feature is not filtered. Will this not lead to clogging / debris in the sheer desents? Jandy descent manual specifically states that water should be filtered before reaching the descents.

Spa:
1. Given details of our situation, is the "filter bypass" appropriate?

2. Same question re: accidently engaging spa jets when "filter bypass valve" (marked in red) is closed. What gets damaged? Any way to use an "electronic valve"?

3. Heater is currently "in the loop". However, heater is not plugged in as heater has not been vented to exterior yet (all equipment is in a storage room).

4. Today, I closed the filter bypass valve. Turned on the pump at low speed. Water at heater makes a "gurgling sound" and there is NO flow through the spa returns. Is there an internal valve within the heater that needs to be opened? Or something else potentially restricting flow through the heater? After I realized there was no flow through the spa jets, I immediately turned off the pump and opened the bypass valve. I didn't want to cause any damage to the pump (or something else). Hopefully I did not. I suppose I can wait for the pool builder to return. However, he is currently on vacation and won't return for a week. In the meantime, I can't effectively remove the plaster dust.

Sorry for the length of this post. Just wanted to detail our system and lay out my current questions. Feel free to answer only 1 or 2 at a time.

Thanks. Chad[attachment=1:2s6x02su]Pool Plumbing Diagram.jpg[/attachment:2s6x02su][attachment=0:2s6x02su]Spa Plumbing Diagram.jpg[/attachment:2s6x02su]