Programming Jandy RS8 Pool / Spa Control

[cabanacarl]

A couple weeks ago we were fortunate (or so we thought) to have a Jandy company employee to our house to inspect our Laars heater. While out I asked for him to check out our spa controls, which he hooked up a computer/ handheld devise to the outside breaker box (my term for it). Long and short, our programming was wiped out, of course I did not realize this until he left and I didn't get his cell.

Getting back to the point, our Jandy controls are all messed up now, for instance, if I shut the pump off, our spa which is higher than the pool, empties completely to the pool. From the RS8 inside the house, when I turn on the spillway, and yes it reads out spillway on the digital readout, the spillway turns off and the spa empties (about 85%), when I turn spillway off, the spa fills and the spillway operates. Very frustrating.

In case you are wondering, the first thing I did was go to Jandy's website and print out the owners manual. Unfortunately, they don't give good instruction on how to program the unit, in fact they recommend you contact a pool professional, which I have tried, but have been told 3-4 weeks at best, this time of year in Cincy area.

ALSO bonus question.......How do we prevent the spa from emptying everytime we shut the pump down or switch to spa mode. I was told its a valve issue, however I have no idea what should be on/off. I have the following manual valves and some electronic ones, I'm nervous to monkey with. Spa Drain, Main Drain, Shallow Skimmer, Deep Skimmer, Spa Overflow, Spa inlet.

Thanks

 

[xjrguy]

You said in the second paragraph, if you shut the pump off the water empties into the pool?

Is the water coming out of the spillway?

I don't understand how the spa can spill out in to the pool when the pump is turned off.

It seems you have a similar arrangement to our pool.

Our spa is higher than the pool and it spills over into the pool during normal operation.

It sounds like there is some disconnect in a valve somewhere, and if the jandy guy wiped out your programming, I would look first to the automated valves.

The manual settings wouldn't have changed (unless you moved them around)

It sounds like the spa is going into drain mode when the pump gets turned off.

 

[waste]

A couple weeks ago we were fortunate (or so we thought) to have a Jandy company employee to our house to inspect our Laars heater. While out I asked for him to check out our spa controls, which he hooked up a computer/ handheld devise to the outside breaker box (my term for it). Long and short, our programming was wiped out, of course I did not realize this until he left and I didn't get his cell.

Getting back to the point, our Jandy controls are all messed up now, for instance, if I shut the pump off, our spa which is higher than the pool, empties completely to the pool. From the RS8 inside the house, when I turn on the spillway, and yes it reads out spillway on the digital readout, the spillway turns off and the spa empties (about 85%), when I turn spillway off, the spa fills and the spillway operates. Very frustrating.

In case you are wondering, the first thing I did was go to Jandy's website and print out the owners manual. Unfortunately, they don't give good instruction on how to program the unit, in fact they recommend you contact a pool professional, which I have tried, but have been told 3-4 weeks at best, this time of year in Cincy area.

ALSO bonus question.......How do we prevent the spa from emptying everytime we shut the pump down or switch to spa mode. I was told its a valve issue, however I have no idea what should be on/off. I have the following manual valves and some electronic ones, I'm nervous to monkey with. Spa Drain, Main Drain, Shallow Skimmer, Deep Skimmer, Spa Overflow, Spa inlet.

Thanks

Welcome to TFP!!

The first problem is very easy to fix! Go to the actuator in question and flip the toggle switch underneath it the opposite way - it's a 3 position switch (the middle is "off") so be sure to switch it all the way.

There may be a way to stop the spa from emptying when the system shuts down, but I sort of doubt it given the limits of the automated valves However, it's really not a problem, when the system restarts the spa will fill and overflow in a few minutes - you might prefer it to stay full overnight but, without a way to selectively shut off the spa returns fully, the water will reach the level of the pool ( :idea: perhaps a check valve would do the trick)

Hope that you can at least get the spa running correctly by toggling the switch.

 

[RinRMD]

I have a check valves on the return to my raised spillover spa as well as the spa drain and they work pretty well to keep the water in the spa overnight . It is variable and sometimes I lose nothing, sometimes a few inches.

I would echo the comment above on the JVAs toggle switches. Go to the valves and watch how they turn when the spillway or spa modes are activated. If it is like mine, you have 2 JVAs, one to control how much water goes to the spa/pool and one to regulate the drains. In spillover (pool mode for me) the valve to the spa return is partially open and the spa drain is closed. In spa mode, the pool side returns are shut off and the spa drain is open. Labelling the PVC with a sharpie once you have it figured out helps visualize what is going on.

The valve positions after activation can be changed by taking off the JVA cover and ratcheting the cams. Also, the motors can be disengaged by loosening the nut on the handle 4 full turns then pushing down on the nut. To reengage, the valve has to be returned to the same position and the nut tightened.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[mrafal]

If the spa remained full before and now empties, it is probably a stuck check valve. There is usually a check valve in the line that feeds the spa in spillover mode. It is not unusual for a leaf or twig to keep the valve from closing when the pump is off. I have had some luck clearing the valve vigorously using a common plunger at the inlet to the spa.

It is possible that one of your motorized valves is being used as a check valve by opening it only in spill mode. In that case, the earlier advice about the three position switch on the valve actuator is worth trying.

Good luck

Marc