Diverter to waterfall feature on Jacuzzi J480 is stuck - won't come out - cannot air blow lines dry upon winterizing

[presse55]

Hello fellow TFPers!

It's great to be back to a site I haven't visited in ages.

I am winterizig a Jacuzzi J480 - winters are way to cold up here near Montreal, Canada.

I emptied the spa, and was able to remove all but ONE diverter. All the lines have been blown dry, except for this one diverter valve.

The diverter is the one at the front end of the spa, and directs water to the 'waterfall' feature. The plunger component is stuck, it wiggles slightly from side to side, I can move it up & down about 1 inch or so, but it seems to snag onto something and I simply cannot get it out.

With this plunger still in there, I cannot blow air into that line leading to the waterfall. So I am concerned there might still be water in there, which will freeze over winter and possibly damage those lines.

Here is a 3 minute video showing you what I mean.

Any comments or suggestion you might offer will be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

Ron
Montreal, Canada

 

[ajw22]

Let’s see if @RDspaguy is familiar with your setup.

 

[JamesW]

Can you show what it looks like from underneath?

 

[presse55]

Here are a few pix - the polyurethane insulation makes it a bit hard to see where the lines are going.
But, that's what it looks like underneath.

The diverter I'm having trouble with is the one on the left.

Thanks in advance!

 

[JamesW]

I'm not sure.

You might have to remove the insulation to see if the part can be taken out or maybe contact the manufacturer.

Does the part need to come out?

Can you blow it out without removing the part?

 

[presse55]

I inquired and the local pool & spa business in town said I needn't worry about that diverter, to simply leave it in place, and to drain from the pump end, and there should be no problem.

I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed at this point!

I will simply vacuum and blow air everywhere I can one last time, and call it a day.

Temps dipping to -10C (14F) tonight.

Ron