Question about three port diverter valves

mShark

Silver Supporter
Jun 5, 2024
102
San Marcos, Texas
Pool Size
10000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Does the center port on a diverter valve always have to be the "inlet" open port? Can a valve be reconfigured to have another port be the "inlet"?
 
Does the center port on a diverter valve always have to be the "inlet" open port?

No.

Can a valve be reconfigured to have another port be the "inlet"?

Any port can be the inlet.

You can remove the screws and reposition the top plate to align the INLET label with the port used.

You should remove the top and diverter before gluing and correctly position the INLET label.
 
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Thanks for the reminder. I learned proper fastener technique when plastic is involved a few years ago doing a rebuild of my water softener. Their instructions came with graphic warnings of failure if improper tools are used.
 
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I've been working on the plumbing and realized that pools have some similarities to working on your home. I had a good friend who commented AFTER my home remodel to never look behind the sheetrock because you will find things that have to be fixed. Well, exposing your plumbing can be a lot like that. Found one of the suction side lines from a skimmer using thinwall pvc. Had to be patient when cutting it or it would crush and shatter. I also found a buried brass globe valve in the line.
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The old stuff being replaced...
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What I've gotten done...
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Trying to finish up tonight.
 
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Back up and running. I added a check valve and moved the flow switch for the SWG to a horizontal position. I'm currently running without the SWG cell in the plumbing while I get the chemistry back in shape. Refilling with softened water. CH has dropped from 600 to 375 which was the goal. I have about 6 more inches of water to add in the morning after the water softener regenerates tonight. Currently I'm running only on the pool vacuum line as I'm not up to the skimmers yet. Dialed back the speed, that is just so cool, and the Polaris Maxx went from hypersonic mode to the normal cleaning speed at 1500 rpm. Not sure about my new pressure gauge. It only registers 2-3 psi. The old one was stuck at 10, lol.

RunningAgain.jpg
Now to bury the pipes before the freeze next week. I've got a tarp and heater for the above ground equipment.
 
PSI. Is proportional to pump speed.

2-3 PSI can be fine at 1500 RPM.

See what your PSI is at 2400 RPM.
 
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What are those big grey sweeps? Is that electrical conduit? I like the big, long sweep, but electrical conduit is generally not rated for pool plumbing applications (it's not likely rated for the water pressure in pool plumbing).
 
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These look a little like DWV sweeps, which are not to be used in pool plumbing. They are not rated for pressure applications. Might just be how they look in your pic. Look for "DWV" on them. If they are, you should change them out, along with the electrical conduit, if that's what that is.

RunningAgain.jpg

There are true Schedule 40 sweeps for pool plumbing, they look like the one on the left, below. Notice how much more glue area it has than the DWV sweep on the right. If you bought yours at Lowes or HD, it's a good chance they are DWV.

shopping-1.jpegshopping.jpeg
 

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Yep, oddly enough I found pool elbows at Lowes. No DWV on them, and as you described the pvc was a bit thicker and the sockets were deeper. They weighed more than the DWV sweeps that Lowes had. I was a bit surprised to find them in the next town down the road. I can't shop for plumbing at my local Lowes because the shelves are rearranged by 3 year old snots.

The long sweeps are conduit pvc. My system has never exceeded 14 psi at the filter. Everything else is downhill from there. If my pressure was up at 60 psi or higher 🤔. The old plumbing I dug out was riddled with DWV fittings and pipe and much of it survived 45+ years. I'm betting the conduit is significantly better than the DWV.

I have a dirty pool. There, I said it. Too many trees. That's why I wanted sweeps on my suction lines to avoid clogs I've had in the past. It's also why I did a pre-filter. It catches a lot of trash that I cleaned out of the sand in my previous filter multiple times.

Oh, the pressure gauge reads 12 psi when running at 3000 rpm.
 
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I'm betting the conduit is significantly better than the DWV.
My Father in Law ran electric conduit all over his shop for his compressor. It held over 100 psi for 20 something years.

'Not rated' doesn't mean weak, but of course YMMV.
 
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Yep, oddly enough I found pool elbows at Lowes. No DWV on them, and as you described the pvc was a bit thicker and the sockets were deeper. They weighed more than the DWV sweeps that Lowes had. I was a bit surprised to find them in the next town down the road. I can't shop for plumbing at my local Lowes because the shelves are rearranged by 3 year old snots.

The long sweeps are conduit pvc. My system has never exceeded 14 psi at the filter. Everything else is downhill from there. If my pressure was up at 60 psi or higher 🤔. The old plumbing I dug out was riddled with DWV fittings and pipe and much of it survived 45+ years. I'm betting the conduit is significantly better than the DWV.
Cool, as long as you have the info, you can make an informed decision.

What do I do with my old pump? Do they take them for recycle anywhere?
I sold my old one to a local farmer, who probably used it for some sort of irrigation. But I regret selling it (I only got $100). I should have kept it as a backup. If yours still works, that's what I would recommend. If your new one goes down, it might be days/weeks/months waiting on a new one, or even a repair. Plenty of time for your pool to turn to ruin. With a backup pump, you can call the shots about repair/replacement and won't have the pressure of having to accept less than ideal.
 
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My system has never exceeded 14 psi at the filter.
Last thoughts on the conduit...

Pressure ratings matter way less under "normal" conditions. It's when something goes wrong that they come into play. Like if something clogs up, and suddenly your pressure spikes, then the weakest link will fail. Maybe that's the pump, or the filter, or one of your sweeps. If the pump survives a conduit failure, and goes back to normal pumping, it could pump out your pool in a few hours, or pump it down below the skimmer openings in a few minutes and then burn itself up.

All theoretical, of course, and perhaps unlikely, but I'm just pointing out the 14 psi "reasoning" isn't really applicable...

Another consideration is the insurance angle. Insurance companies exist to collect your dough and strive to never give it back. They'll use code violations to reject a claim, sometimes even if the violations have no bearing on the damage. Another farfetched notion, but stuff like that is not always on our radar when we DIY.
 
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The pump is messed up. If you could find caps for it you might get it running again. I struggled to find them last time. It either won't run or runs backwards most of the time when it does. The other problem is the two pumps are significantly different in size and port diameters. Swapping back in a spare would take plumbing mods again.
 
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