Help figuring out pool valve setup?

[Bobynut]

Hi all!

I’m having trouble figuring out how these Jandy valves work and what the proper setup should be for all the valves. I’ve tried labeling the direction of flow of the whole system and each valve for reference:

R - Return Valve
MD - main drain
SD - Skimmer Deep end
SS - Skimmer Shallow end










I get that where ever the “OFF” side of the handle is turned to would mean water doesn’t flow in that direction, but im confused about the inconsistency in the setup between the valves. The return valve has 90° ROM but the others have the handle on the opposite side and so have like 180° ROM. This is how it was opened professionally so i assume the handles were installed right but it’s so odd. If I lift the handle a bit after unscrewing i can turn the valve past the lip so it matches up with the return valve but im not sure if im supposed to do that.

Also Was the main drain valve installed upside down? The IN side seems to be opposite the flow of water. I’ve circled where the “IN” side of each valve is.




the pool pump always has that air gap you can see in the photo even though the lid is on tight and o ring is greased. I assume that is a bad thing. I know that could mean there’s a leak somewhere in the system sucking in air but i wanted to make sure i understood the valves fully and got the setup right before jumping to that conclusion.

Could someone guide me on what’s going on with the valves and what the “ideal” positions are? From reading other posts it seems a 10% MD and 90% skimmers and 100% return makes sense

Thank yall!!!

 

[needsajet]

Skimmer Deep End (SD) and skimmer shallow end (SS) are both fully open.
Main drain (MD) is partially closed, and could probably be more closed.
A bit of air left in the pump is common. If it increases across a multi-hour pump run, I'd revisit that, but it may just be a bit of air left after startup. Is the equipment pad above or below the water line of the pool?

I'd advise against loosening the handle enough to turn it past the intended stop.

The main drain valve should work fine. I suspect someone has turned the guts around 180 degrees because the handle didn't clear something else, probably the concrete. You can remove those 8 screws and turn it back around, but I suspect the handle is going to hit something. If it's below water line, you won't be able to do that without blocking the main drain(s) with something, for example a heavy rubber mat.