Drain Blow Out - Only One Side Has Bubbles

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gobble9

Member
Mar 20, 2024
10
New Jersey
Hello TFP Community -

Today I was winterizing my spa. The pool was closed about 2 months ago, plumbing closed off. I kept the spa running for an extra two months per usual.

I went to blow out the drain in the spa today, blowing from equipment pad. I had my wife monitoring the spa via video. We noticed air bubbles only coming from one side of the drain. Shouldn't air bubbles be coming from two sides of the drain?

Spa was working fine since pool was closed. Pump, heater, blower...all was good.

See attached photo.

Thanks!IMG_6356.PNG
 
ajw22 said:
No.

The two sides are tied together in a Y. You are not trying to clear the drains of water.
Click to expand...
ajw22 said:
No.

The two sides are tied together in a Y. You are not trying to clear the drains of water.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Trying to understand, new to pool ownership.

Even if the they tie together in a Y, shouldn't the air being blown through from pad still exit from both pipes after the single pipe splits into Y? At what point and why does air only find its way out of just one of the drain pipes?
 
gobble9 said:
Thanks. Trying to understand, new to pool ownership.

Even if the they tie together in a Y, shouldn't the air being blown through from pad still exit from both pipes after the single pipe splits into Y? At what point and why does air only find its way out of just one of the drain pipes?
Click to expand...

Air follows the path of least resistance. Once it is coming out of one side it is not going to come out of the other side.
 
gobble9 said:
Got it, thanks!

The inverse of this...the side of the drain that is not showing bubbles, does that mean this side has less suction, or zero suction, pulling water back to filter?
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You don't know and it does not matter.

They both feed the same pipe with the same water.

You have two drains for anti-entrapment. If one drain is blocked, the other will operate.
 
gobble9 said:
At what point and why does air only find its way out of just one of the drain pipes?
Click to expand...
Two common reasons is that one leg is longer than the other so the air leaves the short leg, or its not quite level and it picks the high side.
 
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