Not too sure about this…

[HermanTX]

Thanks. That is helpful. Now I know what you are working with in regard to scheduling and powering your equipment.
I was going to ask about the dip switch because you must have DP1 to ON for cleaner.
When you take a picture, we want to ensure that the power cable from the booster pump is connected to the HP relay that is in the lower left of the box under the Relay where the main filter pump is connected.

Apparently the booster pump was working prior to closing and now it is not. Can you hear if the booster pump is clicking on?

 

[GoldMomVA]

Hello, again
Thank you again for your help. I opened up the panel again, and the booster pump was indeed disconnected, along with the low speed of the filter pump. I plugged those back in, and the booster pump started right up…yay!

The actuators are a puzzle now. They were also unplugged, but when I plugged them in, they moved in pool mode, and then the spa overflowed! I tried flipping the direction of the actuator, but pool mode always fills the spa.

I noticed in my previous pictures with the frozen actuators, they were positioned up. Now, when activated, they turn all the way left or right.

Any ideas on this? I thought maybe I was finished, but no luck.

On the brighter side, the pool water chemistry seems to have stabilized, so at least that is working!

Thank you again for everything!

 

[HermanTX]

Thank you again for your help. I opened up the panel again, and the booster pump was indeed disconnected, along with the low speed of the filter pump. I plugged those back in, and the booster pump started right up…yay!

Great. Assume someone did this as a precaution

The actuators are a puzzle now. They were also unplugged, but when I plugged them in, they moved in pool mode, and then the spa overflowed! I tried flipping the direction of the actuator, but pool mode always fills the spa.

I noticed in my previous pictures with the frozen actuators, they were positioned up. Now, when activated, they turn all the way left or right.

Now we know the actuators function. They are supposed to be in either the left or right position as they move 180 degrees when moving from Pool Mode to Spa Mode or vice-versa. A picture would help but maybe 1 actuator is out of sync with the other.
In Pool Mode - open suction from the pool and open return to the pool. The word OFF should be facing the Spa suction and return
In Spa Mode - open suction from the spa and open return to the spa. The word OFF should be facing the Pool suction and return

You may need to flip one of the switches on just ONE of the actuators. Remember it is ON-OFF-ON so as long as the switch is in either of the ON positions the actuator will work.
Put your system in Pool Mode and see how the actuators are positioned on both suction and return lines.

 

[AndyTN]

I've always opened my pool myself it could not be easier. I'm about to cancel my pool closer's closing contract as well. Only thing I use them for is they can blow the lines easier than I can.

I had "Santa" invest in a air compressor this past Christmas and I blew out the lines myself. Maybe $15 in attachments and there were bubbles streaming out of my main drain.

 

[GoldMomVA]

I think I figured it out via trial and error. Thank you again for your help. I will probably be back for help if I decide to try to close the pool myself in the fall!

 

[GoldMomVA]

Ok. I was wrong. The spa overflowed again.

 

[GoldMomVA]

This is how they are situated in pool mode, but then the spa overflowed again.

 

[GoldMomVA]

This is how they are in spa mode.

 

[GoldMomVA]

Is it maybe one of the manual valves in the wrong position?

 

[GoldMomVA]

NOW I think this is correct. The valve on the left must be some bypass for winter spa operation. I closed it, and now spa no longer overflows while in pool mode. Phew! No more watering the hillside with expensive pool water.

 

[HermanTX]

NOW I think this is correct. The valve on the left must be some bypass for winter spa operation. I closed it, and now spa no longer overflows while in pool mode. Phew! No more watering the hillside with expensive pool water.

The bypass (or spillover) valve that you closed manual is there for a purpose. When in Pool Mode and when the spillover valve is open, it allows flow to the spa to keep your spa chlorinated. Since you are in Pool Mode, there is no suction from the spa, so the spa fills with this added water but it is suppose to “spillover” back into the pool. I do not understand the comment that it is overflowing onto the landscape. Does you spa flow back into the pool? Can you show a picture of your spa and how it sits relative to your pool? It is just confusing why it’s overflowing out of the spa.

 

[GoldMomVA]

bummer. I thought I had it figured out. Here is the picture of the pool and spa. They are completely separate. When the valve was in the previous position, when in pool mode, the level in the spa kept increasing until it overflowed onto the pool deck. I used the spa drain setting to get it back to the correct level. I see the overflow pipes in the spa, but when in pool mode, it just kept filling past the level of those pipes.

I was trying to map out the water flow in the pool equipment pad between the different parts. What I thought the valve on the left did was to send the heated water to the spa, bypassing the valve with the actuator. So, a different setting for winter when the pool was closed and the spa was open.

So, I suppose I really don’t understand this stuff….sigh!

 

[HermanTX]

To run the spa in winter, all that has to happen is to put the automation in SPA mode. I went back and looked at your pictures before you took the plugs out and they put both return and suction actuators in open to both spa & pool then plugged the pool side so only flow would go to the spa side. They may have done this to facilitate blowing out the lines to the pool side. So with the plugs in place and the automated diverter valves open to both sides, it doesn’t matter if you are in Pool Mode or in Spa Mode because it will only draw water from the spa and return to the spa because the pool side is plugged off (disconnected). Furthermore they disconnected your automated diverter valves (remember when you found them unplugged) so that prevented anyone from moving between Pool and Spa mode.

As you can see, on the return side, flow can go both ways to the spa when the manual valve is open. That bypass valve would be useful if the spa was connected to the pool but it is not - so you need to keep that manual valve closed when in Pool Mode.

So in summary, now that all the pipes are connected - in Pool Mode, you must keep that manual valve closed on the return side as that allows pool water to flow to the spa. The best idea is to close the valve, then unscrew the thumbscrew on top of the handle, remove and store the handle and replace the thumbscrew so it is not loss. Therefore no one can turn that manual valve by mistake.

In Spa mode, all will work as planned.

So that brings up the question - how do you chlorinate your pool and spa? Since the 2 bodies are not connected, you need to test each separately and ensure that each are properly balanced.

Attached 2 pictures.
I circled in RED the 2 pipes you think are overflow pipes. You want to ensure these are open because if it rains, that is the only way it will naturally not overflow. The alternative is to drain the spa.

On the return plumbing, you can see when set in SPA mode, and you have the manual valve open, that water flow return to the spa can go both ways.