Problem with 1 way value not closing

[teckademic]

Hello, I just bought a foreclosed home that has a pool. The pool needs a lot of work so I'm taking this winter to get it ready, since I don't mind doing it myself I have been doing everything.

The pipes coming from the spa and pool into the basket were leaking and causing air to get into the line. This was preventing a good suction and not much water was being pulled from the pump, eventually the water would stop being pulled.

I replaced all the PVC, added new one way values and there is no longer any leaks. Once I "prime" the pump basket (Fill it will water to the top) and turn on the pump I have great suction, no air bubbles and everything runs great!

One problem, once the pump turns off after its been running, the 1 way values I installed don't fully close. So if I leave it over night, I come back and the pump basket is empty of water, the 3 one way pipes no longer have water and I have to reprime the pump to get it to work again.

I attached some pictures of how it is set up. http://imgur.com/a/ZRpRm

Did I get the wrong type of 1 way values? They are the "clear" purple tubes. Is there anything I can do to fix this, or do I need to cut everything back off and start over a different way?

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!

Is your pool equipment pad way above the water level? Typically, it is not needed (or even recommended) to have check valves on the suction side pipes as they can become an entrapment hazard.

Usually, loss of prime is a result of an air leak. So when the pump turns off, air is pulled into the system which allows the water to drain down. If the system is fully sealed, then air can not enter and thus the pipes/pump can not drain.

 

[teckademic]

The pad is above the pool, but maybe by a 2 or 3 feet. I do know I have 1 more leak to fix, it is from the top of the pump. (see it here http://imgur.com/1WZVP). Could this cause the water to flow back into the pool?

Thanks for the quick response.

 

[jblizzle]

If air can enter there, then the water will certainly drain down out of the pump.

I am not familiar enough with those check valves to know if they are 100% sealed even with low pressure/flow or if they are only good for preventing flow when there is pressure against them. I think the reason they are installed is to prevent the pump from draining when you open the lid to clean the basket, thus making it easier to prime when you are done. But, generally, the pump should not have a problem priming being only a couple of feet above the pool anyway.

 

[teckademic]

Thanks Jason, I will replace the last leaking spot above the pump this weekend and let you know if that fixes my problem.

It seems like these are bad check values with low pressure because the flapper just floats sometimes when there isn't water pressure pushing it back down. My fault on not testing that before doing all the re-plumbing.