Greetings all,
I finally got my IntelliProXF VSF installed (it's been on order for over a year....) for the spa jets.
As a refresher, here is some information on my jets and pumps: Ideal plumbing for spa jets and jet pump?
The equipment pad is about 30-35' of plumbing away from the spa.
Spa suction:
There is one 32" channel drain with three 2.5" lines leaving the sump of the drain. Two of those lines are combined into one 3" near the spa wall and that goes to the pad to connect to the IntelliProXF VSF (3.95HP).
The other drain outlet is converted to a 3" and heads to the equipment pad to the main circulation pump (Circupool 3HP VS).
Spa Air/Pressure:
There are two jet loops in the spa, that share a common 3" airline. The airline has a hartford loop within a foot of the bond beam, then goes underground for about eight feet before coming up out of the ground. There is no blower, the air intake is not at the pad, it is located in another direction, closer to the spa. The air line is plumbed in a loop going all the way around the spa.
The IntelliProXF has a 3" pressure line that splits between the two JetArray Clusters, nothing else is on this loop.
The four "standard" gunnite-style spa jets are fed by a 3" line from the Circupool 3HP pump. These jets are the type with the air line on the top and the water line on the bottom and you can insert different bodies into the housing. The Circupool pump also has the filter and heater on it. For all of the tests that I mention here, the heater was bypassed.
When I turn the jets on (both pumps 3450 RPM), there is strong water flow, but no air/bubbles out of any of the jets. I would call the flow from the four standard spa jets normal, the flow from both of the JetArray Clusters is extreme. It almost pushes you off the seat. The JetArray nozzles do not have the 3/8" reducer installed at this time, but I have them and can install them.
I removed the bodies of the four spa jets, and the eight nozzles from the JetArray clusters, and checked that there was no blockage in the body/venturi. In the standard spa jets, I also checked with my finger all four top air holes where they enter the rear of the housing, nothing was there that I could see or feel.
I ran the pumps with all the jets/bodies uninstalled to try to flush out any debris. All had strong water coming out of them.
I reinstalled all of the jets/nozzles and ran the pumps again, still no sign of air/bubbles.
I took my shop vac and towel and inserted it into the 3" airline.
With the pumps on, when I use the shop vac's blower, air will come out of the JetArray clusters. When I turn off the shop vac, the air stops. Restarted the pumps after this without the shop vac, still no air.
With the pumps off, and shop vac on, I am able to eventually get air to come out of all the jets.
I was not able to get air to come out of the standard jets with the shop vac blower and the pump on.
Feeling defeated :-/ Any ideas?
I finally got my IntelliProXF VSF installed (it's been on order for over a year....) for the spa jets.
As a refresher, here is some information on my jets and pumps: Ideal plumbing for spa jets and jet pump?
The equipment pad is about 30-35' of plumbing away from the spa.
Spa suction:
There is one 32" channel drain with three 2.5" lines leaving the sump of the drain. Two of those lines are combined into one 3" near the spa wall and that goes to the pad to connect to the IntelliProXF VSF (3.95HP).
The other drain outlet is converted to a 3" and heads to the equipment pad to the main circulation pump (Circupool 3HP VS).
Spa Air/Pressure:
There are two jet loops in the spa, that share a common 3" airline. The airline has a hartford loop within a foot of the bond beam, then goes underground for about eight feet before coming up out of the ground. There is no blower, the air intake is not at the pad, it is located in another direction, closer to the spa. The air line is plumbed in a loop going all the way around the spa.
The IntelliProXF has a 3" pressure line that splits between the two JetArray Clusters, nothing else is on this loop.
The four "standard" gunnite-style spa jets are fed by a 3" line from the Circupool 3HP pump. These jets are the type with the air line on the top and the water line on the bottom and you can insert different bodies into the housing. The Circupool pump also has the filter and heater on it. For all of the tests that I mention here, the heater was bypassed.
When I turn the jets on (both pumps 3450 RPM), there is strong water flow, but no air/bubbles out of any of the jets. I would call the flow from the four standard spa jets normal, the flow from both of the JetArray Clusters is extreme. It almost pushes you off the seat. The JetArray nozzles do not have the 3/8" reducer installed at this time, but I have them and can install them.
I removed the bodies of the four spa jets, and the eight nozzles from the JetArray clusters, and checked that there was no blockage in the body/venturi. In the standard spa jets, I also checked with my finger all four top air holes where they enter the rear of the housing, nothing was there that I could see or feel.
I ran the pumps with all the jets/bodies uninstalled to try to flush out any debris. All had strong water coming out of them.
I reinstalled all of the jets/nozzles and ran the pumps again, still no sign of air/bubbles.
I took my shop vac and towel and inserted it into the 3" airline.
With the pumps on, when I use the shop vac's blower, air will come out of the JetArray clusters. When I turn off the shop vac, the air stops. Restarted the pumps after this without the shop vac, still no air.
With the pumps off, and shop vac on, I am able to eventually get air to come out of all the jets.
I was not able to get air to come out of the standard jets with the shop vac blower and the pump on.
Feeling defeated :-/ Any ideas?
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