How to get my VSP to pull water from Spa to Pool ?

[tstex]

Hello to all,

[Correction: Title should read: "How to 'get' VSP to pull water from Spa to Pool"

Allen has been helping me w troubleshooting a leak in my spa. A PB stated that most leaks are from the light niche, but I am not 100% it is the light niche. So, I might have to see if one of the 2 drains are the culprit if the might niche does not show a leak.

My SPA is 10' x 10' and is raised 2.5 ft, therefore that's about 800-850 gallons to get to the drains. I saw a tech one time do something to my VSP [Hayward EcoStar] and he pulled the water from the SPA to the Pool. He put tape over the pool spillover drain.

Does anyone know the steps I need to perform to get my pump to reverse the water flow from Spa to Pool, then water I need to do to get the water back into the after I perform my testing and hopefully an eventual fix? I have both pool and spa modes and here's a pick of the equip pad. Thank you very much and let me know if you have any questions/

regards,
tstex

 

[mas985]

In pool mode, use the toggle switch on the pool/spa suction valve to change the suction to spa. Just don't forget about it because the spa drains pretty fast. The only caveat is that the pool level will rise but with a raised spa, this should not be a problem.

 

[tstex]

Great, thank you very much Mark.

Just to confirm, pic 1 is the valve I reverse, correct?

Then, whatever the position the toggle switch is in now (pic 2) , I switch it to the opposite, yes. When the spa level reaches the water level right above the light niche, I turn off pump to dye test wire out? If leak is found, fix, then reset toggle switch back to original position and turn on pump, yes? If light niche shows no leak, turn pump back on to drain water just above spa drains to test. Then dye test ea one.

One final question. If it is one of the drains, could it be a leak that would require the water being much higher to create the PSI needed to make the drain leak, or would any leak be detected regardless of the water level if the drain is the culprit?

Thanks again!

 

[mas985]

Just to confirm, pic 1 is the valve I reverse, correct?

Yes, you want the handle pointing the opposite direction.

Then, whatever the position the toggle switch is in now (pic 2) , I switch it to the opposite, yes.

Yes

For the light niche, check the grounding wire first. That is were I found one of my leaks. They use a putty to seal it but over time it hardens and can crack.

However, when you lower the water in the spa, the pressure is less so you may not find the leak with a dye test. It is better to do the test with full water.

When I was troubleshooting my spa, I just resealed all the connections and then retested.

 

[tstex]

Will do on dye test...

Pics 1&2 is the Hayward Colorlogic light I have, installed in Dec 2014...I have no doc's on model number. To extricate the light from the niche, do I unscrew the 12, 4 & 8 o'clock screws or other? I have never pulled or examined a light.

Next, when I researched a video on YouTube re sealing a leaking light, it looked like a solid piece of romex from wire hole to light, not showing individual wires (line, neutral & ground). Is this wiring individual wires or bundled?

Finally, should I consider procuring a new seal/gasket for the light?

Again, thank you very much!

 

[mas985]

Is this a dry niche or a wet niche? Most are wet niches meaning they are flooded so there is no gasket to keep water out of the niche. However, there is usually a gasket to keep water out of the light but that is not the issue here.

The bundle of wires should come through the back of the niche through a sealed conduit. Sometimes, the conduit can break and start to leak so that is one area. Another is where the ground wire connect to the side of the niche. That is where mine was leaking.

 

[tstex]

Thanks Mark.

I am not sure if the niche is wet or dry. I thought all of them were wet. I do remember that under warranty, one of my 2 color logic pool lights went bad and they replaced it w out draining the water to light level. I would conjecture that one is wet.

Went to PAP and procured my dye testing kit and pool putty. I asked them if they knew how to remove the H CL Spa light w 3 screws and no one knew and their tech was out. They called their H Rep & I'm waiting the verdict.

Good point on checking the wire casing integrity. I'll add that to the list. If the casing is compromised, a logical resolution is to leave light and casing outside to thoroughly dry, wrap w good 3M electrical tape and wrap P-putty around all of the tape and meticulously reinstall not to disturb the wrapped area(s). If a lot of the wire casing is bad, I guess I would shove as much as possible into the niche hole/conduit to lessen the amt of casing there is to repair, then plug the inside & outside of casing. I have all daughters so I'm used to looking at ALL options, many times over

Thanks again Mark.