First time opening, floor cleaning system

[Draxus]

I'm trying to open my pool myself and I'm co fused about how the in-floor cleaning system I have works. There is a 5 port valve, main equipment pad, and this cannister on the deck that confuses me. At the bottom there is a white pipe and black pipe. The black pipe was plugged and the chamber was filled with antifreeze which I removed. I then uncapped the jet on the wall right next to this chamber and water rushed in from the white pipe. Then I unplugged the black pipe and water was sucked in. There is a basket that sits above those pipes, and then this white fitting with brass insert... is that a plug I need to remove, connected to the main drain? It is very tight and a small space. How does water flow through this chamber and the basket?

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Please post your pictures on the forum. Many folks will not click through to other sites.

Picture Posting and Resizing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

@proavia may be able to explain your IFCS.

 

[Draxus]

Welcome to TFP.

Please post your pictures on the forum. Many folks will not click through to other sites.

Picture Posting and Resizing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

@proavia may be able to explain your IFCS.

Sorry about that, I updated the post. The size issue prompted me to use imgur; I hadn't seen that wiki.

I think I understand the system now. I still haven't been able to get the main drain plug out but I ordered what I guess is the correct removal tool from jandy. I attached what I think is the venturi nozzle to the black pipe in the picture, and tried running it with this plug still in. Everything works (floor jets pop up and shoot water in a sequence) but the pressure is higher than I remember it being last year (I bought this house at the end of last season)... I guess maybe that would be expected with that plug in?

 

[proavia]

In the pic with the plug and brass fitting.... post a pic from a little further away.
It looks like that is an in-deck leaf canister. If so, have a look at this link and the doc downloads available there:

https://www.jandy.com/en/products/in-floor/cleaning-valves/leaf-b-gone

All 5 plugs need to be removed from the water valve base and also the one in the white connector pipe. Check to see if there is a filter screen in the top of the water valve where the black and white pieces connect and if there, be sure it's clean.

 

[Draxus]

In the pic with the plug and brass fitting.... post a pic from a little further away.
It looks like that is an in-deck leaf canister. If so, have a look at this link and the doc downloads available there:

https://www.jandy.com/en/products/in-floor/cleaning-valves/leaf-b-gone

All 5 plugs need to be removed from the water valve base and also the one in the white connector pipe. Check to see if there is a filter screen in the top of the water valve where the black and white pieces connect and if there, be sure it's clean.

Hey thanks for taking a look, it is an in-deck leaf canister, and I did find that doc and it helped a lot, though my system is slightly different. I removed the plugs you mentioned and got the system running. The plug with the brass fitting will not budge however, and the space is very small. So nothing is being sucked into the main drain. Their documentation doesn't have much detail on the plugs.

 

[proavia]

That plug appears to have a brass valve stem in it.
Likely compressed air was put into the the pipe to winterize it.
Did you press the center of the valve stem to equalize the pressure (like deflating a tire)?
After you do that, attempt to remove the plug again.

Were the threads on the plug like that before you attempted to remove the plug?
What exact tools have you used to attempt to remove the plug?

 

[Draxus]

That plug appears to have a brass valve stem in it.
Likely compressed air was put into the the pipe to winterize it.
Did you press the center of the valve stem to equalize the pressure (like deflating a tire)?
After you do that, attempt to remove the plug again.

Were the threads on the plug like that before you attempted to remove the plug?
What exact tools have you used to attempt to remove the plug?

I did press the valve stem and some air came out, but not as much as I expected. I will try this again though.

The threads on the plug were already like that. I used a small strap wrench like this Amazon.com which felt like I could get a good grip and had just enough space to turn a little, but it was too tight. I also tried a plumbers wrench like this Husky Adjustable Plumbers Wrench 16PL0134 - The Home Depot but there wasn't enough space to get it on the flats and still be able to turn. I'm hoping the part I ordered helps but can't find it mentioned in the docs anywhere and the plug they show is like a normal winterizing plug. This doc is what my canister looks like https://www.jandy.com/-/media/zodia...1303.pdf?rev=8e53f3a2969045e28795d09463eea235

 

[proavia]

A pair of big channel lock pliers, time and patience will probably get it loose.

There probably won't be a lot of air pressure coming out. Likey they put enough air in to blow the line out. Pushing the valve stem will allow water to enter at the main drain and refill the pipe up to the water level of the pool.

 

[Draxus]

I bought a giant pair of channel lock pliers and got the plug out finally! Thanks for the suggestion @proavia

Should the flow be very slow when not primed (canister not full of water with lid on)? It does seemed better when primed but hard to tell. Vacuum isn't perfect I think, lid handle leaks air.

 

[proavia]

Does yours have the O-ring under the lower cover?
Did you twist the lower cover to lock it in plafe?
Did you lube the O-ring?
Is there a valve back at the equipmemt pad to adjust the flow into the venturi?
If so, is it open enough to create the necessary venturi action?

 

[Draxus]

Does yours have the O-ring under the lower cover?
Did you twist the lower cover to lock it in plafe?
Did you lube the O-ring?
Is there a valve back at the equipmemt pad to adjust the flow into the venturi?
If so, is it open enough to create the necessary venturi action?

Yes there is an o-ring under the lower cover (in a groove in the lip the cover sits on). I took it out and cleaned the area, applied some silicone lube and had a heck of a time getting it to fit back in haha, seemed too large, easily accidentally stretched I guess.

The lid is held down by some plastic tabs that swivel. The lid handle is rusty and a little loose and if I wiggle it I hear some hissing.

The only valve I have on the pad is a 3 way jandy valve suction side.

When I prime the canister it stays full of water while running so I guess the seal is good enough. Maybe there's a clog.

 

[proavia]

Yeah - those skinny O-rings can get stretched out easily.

Did you download and look thru the installation and maintenance guide available in the link I posted in post #4?

Maybe you can somehow seal the loose handle.

With the pump on, can you feel any water flow coming out of the in-pool port directly below where the in-deck canister is located?

Odd that there is no apparent way to adjust the flow to the venturi. The guide shows several plumbing diagrams with that valve. Post a few pics of your equipment pad from a few different angles so we can see everything. Are there any valve boxes or other covers on the deck or between the equipmemt pad and pool?

 

[Draxus]

I did read the guide and followed the recommended maintenance (e.g. cleaning the strainer in the valve, blasting the valve out, etc).

I ordered a new lid, but don't expect much effect from that.

With the pump on there is strong flow out of the jet directly beneath the canister. Today I noticed that if I block the jet with my hand with the canister full for a few seconds, a moment later a bunch of fine brown gunk comes out of the main drain line inside the canister (and gets mostly blown back into the pool)... think that's a clog I'm loosening with the pressure?

Here's some pictures of the setup. The pool is a little overfull as we just got a ton of rain.

The pad:



The Jandy caretaker valve alongside the pool


Whole pool