Need help with Liquidator installation

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G

Gardog

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Feb 17, 2008
51
I installed the liquidator today, but I do not have enought flow to raise the ball from zero. I have the liquidator about 5ft from the pump & filter. There is flow going thru the tube but has very little pressure. I don't have any leaks at my fittings.
I don't know what else to check. I checked to make sure the arrows are pointing away from the liquidator on the "out" side going to the pump & the check valve on the "in" side is pointing to the liquidator.

Thanx,
Gdog
 
How far is your pump from the skimmer? If it is a distance of about 4'-5', you have the same problem Miranda and I did. Partially close the valve from the skimmer. It will create more resistance because there is not enough with the pump that close. This should create a flow through the liquidator. I was able to get mine up to about 3.5.
 
I checked the flow indicator & the arrow is pointing to the pump, the check valve arrow is pointing to the pump & the flow control valve does not have an arrow. The arrow is pointing to the liquidator on the filter side.

Thanx,
Gdog
 
Gardog,

You only have a few options to increase the flow rate and you do obviously need to increase it:

A. Restrict the flow on the skimmer. The cleanest way to do this is to cut the skimmer line in half and install a ball valve. Not a bad idea to have anyways on an aboveground pool as it makes maintenance much easier. I would install one on the return line as well at the same time. If you are uncomfortable cutting the line then perhaps you could rig a cap to install in the bottom of the skimmer basket to restrict the flow.

B. Raise the Liquidator so that the return and supply line holes are above the level of your pool water.
 
I can put the liquidator on the deck above the pool & cover it so the chlorine doesn't dissapate.
As far as putting in ball valves, Do I just need to cut the hose coming from the skimmer to the filter on the pump & put on in there & do the same from the filter going to the pool?

Thanx
Gdog
 

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I really don't mean to hijack this thread but I have to ask about this.

I have seen several threads now that suggest restricting the flow from the skimmer in order to improve the flow through the liquidator. IMHO I think this is a bad idea.

People go to a lot of trouble to make their pipes flow as well and efficiently as possible. This makes their pumps work more efficiently and saves them energy. It seems to me that restricting the flow from the skimmer would be bad for the pump. It would make it work harder and therefore use more electricity and make the pump not last as long.

I would rather pour the chlorine in every day than restrict the flow from the skimmer for the sake of the Liquidator.

I still haven't hooked up my Liquidator. When I do, if I am having problems with the flow I will definitely do what I can to remove the check valves by raising it above the water level. Restricting the flow from the skimmer won't be an option for me. It just doesn't seem like a good idea.

Am I off base here? I am open to suggestion if I am, but it just doesn't make sense to me.
 
Update on installation of Liquidator

I moved the liquidator up on the deck above the water line & removed the check valve that goes to the pump. I still did not have enough flow pressure to move the ball on the indicator, so I removed the flow control valve & now the ball is up to 3.5.
I check the flow control for blockage & everything is clear, so I guess I will leave it out or try a different valve.

Thanx,
Gdog
 
mnormington said:
I have seen several threads now that suggest restricting the flow from the skimmer in order to improve the flow through the liquidator. IMHO I think this is a bad idea.
Click to expand...

There are times when it is a good idea and times when it is a bad idea to restrict flow on the suction side. In most pools it is a bad idea to add any suction side restrictions. However, there are situations where the total dynamic head (TDH) is lower than the pump was designed for. For example a 1 HP WhisperFlo simply doesn't run well below 25 or 30 feet of head.

When the pump is below water level and very close to the pool the suction side head can actually be negative, which raises the possibility that the total head might be low enough that some suction side restriction might be a good idea. However, it is difficult to know if this is really a case where that would be true without a great deal more information about the plumbing.
 
I went back & put the flow control valve back on the liquidator & what do you know, it works fine. I can turn it to 3 on the valve & get full flow thru the indicator or turn it down to whatever I need.

What is the ideal setting on the indicator? I know I will need to check it regularly but what would be a good starting point.
I have it set to about 2 right now.

Thanx,
Gdog
 
As with a SWG, the ideal setting depends on your particular pool. You want to set it somewhere around the middle and give it a day or two and see what your chlorine level ends up at and then adjust it up or down from there as needed.
 
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