New pool owner..Cant figure out the controls(pool & hot tub)

[jkcrumb]

Hi

I purchased a house last winter with an inground pool and hot tub....and I have no clue how to use the flow controls. The pool was just opened by a company, so I know the water is ready to go, but I'm not sure how to go about isolating the flow to just the hot tub.....I also wanted to stop the overflow from the pool to the hot tub (while the hot tub is in use) so the heater wouldnt heat the pool when its not being used....hopefully this makes sense. I attached a few pics for reference.

Thank you a ton!!

 

[JasonLion]

Re: New pool owner..Cant figure out the controls(pool & hot

Your plumbing looks fairly standard, so I'm fairly sure I know what is going on. However, it is possible for things to be plumbed in all kinds of strange ways, so there is a chance I am wrong.

There are three groups of controls to think about. The large slightly yellow valve with a blue? label controls filtering, backwashing, vacuuming to waste etc. The group of three valves near the pump control where water is drawn from and the group of two valves near the heater control where water returns to.

The valves closest to the pump and heater are normally the ones that pick between pool and spa. Turn all the way one way and they go to the pool, turn all the way the other way and they go to the spa. At various positions in-between they draw/send water from/to both locations in different proportions. From the look of things the pipes with red tape on them go to the spa, while the remaining valves in both groups control different sources and destinations for the pool.

Those three way valves can block at most one pipe at a time. The pipe opposite the handle is the one that is turned off. So turn the handle to the spa pipe and the pool is turned off, and visa versa.

For spa mode you normally turn the valves so the pool is completely turned off. For pool mode you normally turn the spa drain (going to the pump) completely off, but leave the spa return somewhere around the middle so water goes both to the pool and the spa and the spa spills over.