Check valve makes ticking noise

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PG13Ad

Member
Mar 19, 2024
7
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Got my pool and spa resurfaced recently, and the spa water is draining. It was draining even before the resurfaced was done, and the contractor said replacing all the valves should solve the problem.
  1. First attempt: Contractor came by and adjusted the valves. Apparently i had the spa suction valve half opened, and that was causing the water to drain back to the pool when the pump is off per the contractor. Well, it fixed the problem for a couple of weeks, and one morning i woke up with the water in spa down a few inches. I also notice the check valve is making a ticking noise whenever there is a drainage. Contractor said there might be debris in the check valve. I opened the check valve and it was clean.

  2. Second attempt: There was some minor leaking at the filter housing, and i suspected a vacuum leak could be the source of the problem. Replaced the o-ring and fixed the leakage. Pump is off at night around 8, and water in spa drains about 1 inch the next morning. Check valve still making ticking noise.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
 
PG13Ad said:
Got my pool and spa resurfaced recently, and the spa water is draining. It was draining even before the resurfaced was done, and the contractor said replacing all the valves should solve the problem.
  1. First attempt: Contractor came by and adjusted the valves. Apparently i had the spa suction valve half opened, and that was causing the water to drain back to the pool when the pump is off per the contractor. Well, it fixed the problem for a couple of weeks, and one morning i woke up with the water in spa down a few inches. I also notice the check valve is making a ticking noise whenever there is a drainage. Contractor said there might be debris in the check valve. I opened the check valve and it was clean.

  2. Second attempt: There was some minor leaking at the filter housing, and i suspected a vacuum leak could be the source of the problem. Replaced the o-ring and fixed the leakage. Pump is off at night around 8, and water in spa drains about 1 inch the next morning. Check valve still making ticking noise.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Which check valve is this? A picture would help.
 
PG,

If the sound is when the pump is off, then the 'ticking' noise is when it is leaking... in pulses of water..

Show us a couple of pics of all the plumbing on the return side and we might have some better ideas.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
PG,

As a test, turn your return valve 180 degrees.. Handle points to the letter "P"

This will close off the same pipe that the check valve is in.. In theory, if the check valve is bad, the Return valve will block any flow, so the spa should no longer drain down..

It could be that both the Return valve and check valve are leaking, but not likely..

Do that test and tell us how it turns out.

Note.. It appears to me that you have your Return valve set to the Spa mode and the Intake valve set to the Pool mode.. That is not normal at all!!! Maybe it was just to take the pics???

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Ok. I will do the test when the pump shut off later tonight, and see if the spa will drain tomorrow morning.

My understanding is that suction through the pool's skimmer, and returning to the spa. My spa is slightly above the pool. What is the recommended valve set up in your opinion?
 
Last edited:
PG,

In the Spa mode, all the water is sucked from the spa, and all the water is returned to the spa..

In the Pool mode, all the water should be sucked from the Pool (Skimmer and/or Main Drain) and most of the water should be returned to the pool, with a little water going to the spa, so that it spills over into the pool.

You are running all your return water to the Spa, which makes no sense, as your pool wall returns (Eyeballs) are not working. Normally return water comes out of the wall returns and causes the water in the pool to swirl like a giant flushing toilet, but obviously at a much slower speed. This causes any floating debris to move in front of your skimmers.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
PG,

It failed the test, so what else could it be??? :mrgreen:

Often, when they install valves, the installer can let a little glue drip, or run down, into the seal area. This prevents the seal from being perfect, You can clean it up with a little sand paper if you can see it.

If you have another check valve you can swap the tops and see if the problem goes away.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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