Anybody Guess What Purpose This Serves

[jeffleav]

Brother and sister pool lovers: When we bought our home two years ago I began stubbing my toe on one or both of these 1.75" dia x 0.5" high plastic knob-like protrusions in the poured concrete deck and located on opposite sides of my pool spa about 12 inches from the spa edge. Two photos attached. Each knob appears to be painted in place by the last ham & egg contractor who painted the deck for the previous owners. Being the son of a plumber, I gently applied my water pump pliers to coax rotation. No movement at all. Both are frozen in place.

I'm thinking these two items were valve stem handles related to the spa jets that were left in the open position and are now inoperable. I'm thinking of cutting them off flush, patching any remaining depression with grout and touching up with more paint to mitigate future toe pain and obscene language on my part.
Thoughts?

 

[Newdude]

I like the spa adjustment valve theory. With nothing else to lose, take a Sheetrock knife to the paint in the crack. You should be able to cut it free. It still might be frozen on the valve part but the knob should break free.

 

[Wobblerlorri]

Or you could paint them a contrasting color and save yourself the cutting and stuff. Being lazy, that's the way I'd go.

 

[jeffleav]

I like the spa adjustment valve theory. With nothing else to lose, take a Sheetrock knife to the paint in the crack. You should be able to cut it free. It still might be frozen on the valve part but the knob should break free.

Perfect, Newdude! You inspired me to apply my sheetrock knife out in the warm sun today and new information was revealed to me by the pool angels.

Please see photo. The two items I believed to be valve handles now appear to be one time air adjusters for the spa. Each item was force threaded into 1-inch internal diameter pvc pipe, ie. no threads found inside pipe just on each removed item. The 1-inch pipes are cut flush with deck and reveal water down inside at same level as spa water level. Further investigation revealed the top of each adjuster unscrews to expose slots through the sides.

Next, please recall I revealed my heritage as the son of a plumber? So, naturally, I locate my plumber's helper plunger and place over each pipe cut flush at spa/pool deck surface and depress as my Dad taught me so many decades ago. And, next I see air bubbles emitting from both return jets on the same side inside the spa. Moving plunger to other side flush pipe produces same bubbly effect. Getting the garden hose and forcing water into each 1-inch flush pipe proved cool water flowing from the top of each flush pipe to both return jets on the respective sides of the spa.

Sadly, there's no venturi effect that causes air bubbles to emit from the return jets by simply exposing the tops of the flush 1-inch pipes to atmosphere.

Mystery of the toe stubbers solved! Now I need to decide why these 'air adjusters were retained and not removed and pipe sealed off and grouted over.

Something I forgot to mention in my original post: Next to my equipment pad are five abandoned-in-place pvc pipes in a circle presumably leftover from a pop up floor cleaning system and apparently removed long before my watch. Not sure, maybe there was a spa air bubbler system that was removed, too? Maybe the air adjusters were part of the original package? Maybe I'm not meant to know!?

Someday I may explore adding air bubbling to the spa. Might make sense to leave these two toe stubbers for now.

That's All Folks! (For now)