Secret to getting spa blower to work in a spa/pool system?

[pcm2a]

I was able to get all 6 jets out and I have the six plugs ready for tomorrow. How much pressure should I expect when I remove the check valve cover? I assume gravity is going to make water come out. Hopefully not so forceful that I can't put the cover back on with water pouring out?

 

[mas985]

Is the check valve below the spa water level? If so, it will drain until the spa level is below the check valve and then stop. Just make sure you are in spa mode when removing the check valve.

 

[pcm2a]

Yes it is below. That means it will drain until the water is below the jets which would be quite a lot of water. Maybe I should siphon out the water until its closer to the jets.

When I fire it up to clean the air pipe should I run both pumps or just one of them?

 

[mas985]

The blockage might just clear without running the pump. The pressure is not that great so you should be able to put the valve back in.

Do you have proper drainage in the area for a lot of water?

 

[pcm2a]

Hard to know how much water and what that looks like. The filter is back washed right in that same area without issue and that produces quite a bit of water rapidly. Obviously rain also gets there but not so quickly. I have a hose in it draining into the pool, once it gets down to the jets I will begin.

 

[Hayward Pool]

Not sure what brand of jets you have. Some jets have seals inside that make sure the air and water line are separate. I have see these fail on a jet or get left out and that specific jet will push water into the air line causing some but not all to not work correctly. I noticed that the jet is a spinner.

 

[pcm2a]

All 6 jets are spinners but I assume I could screw in any 1.5" jet. From my limited knowledge I assume the system was designed for water to be in the air line. At the bottom of the blower's pipe by the ground is a check valve. As soon as you turn off the blower water fills up to the check valve. Whether this is by design or by a failure with the jets I am not sure.

 

[pcm2a]

I drained it down to the jets so when I removed the cover I would only get a pipe worth of water instead of a drain of the spa. I removed the blower and set it away and also removed the check valve. A pipes worth of water (not much) came out and the seals on the check valve look good. I turned on both the pool and spa pump, water came out like a fire hydrant and shut it off after 30 seconds. I have no clue if any debris came out in all that mess. I put everything back, removed the busted foam from the blower, removed the caps from the jets, turned on pool mode and filled it back up above the jets. Finally I went back to spa mode, turned both pumps and the blower on.

BUBBLES!

Right now in the blower there is a clear path from the outside into the filter with no foam. What can I get to jam down in there to act as a replacement foam filter?

 

[pcm2a]

One real interesting item, since I moved in when the blower would work it would take at least a couple minutes before bubbles started. Now it takes 2 seconds. I guess it has always been mostly clogged up.

 

[mas985]

Good to hear. Makes it worth the effort. BTW, do get any bubbles without the blower? I don't have a blower in my spa and I get plenty of bubbles but not all spas can do this.


As for a replacement material, I would say any type of open cell foam that is stiff enough to not get sucked into the fan. I know you can get cut to fit filter material at lowes and HD that might work.

 

[pcm2a]

Totally worth the effort! TFP saved the day here and I did't have to use the warranty company, which wouldn't have covered a clogged pipe.

Here is what it looks like full, with both pumps on and no blower on. Not really any bubbles at the surface but you can see them down in the water. It's actually quite nice with both pumps on if you aren't looking for big bubble action.

 

[pcm2a]

So the issues are not resolved, sort of. I am now wondering if there was never any clog in the line. With the spinner jets out the blower works every single time. Once I put the jets back in it may work and most of the time it does not work. Pop the jets back out and presto it works. I am going to experiment with just some of the jets in.

All 6 spinner jets spin freely and when they are in the spa they are spinning.

 

[mas985]

Sorry to hear that. You might try flushing the water lines as I had described earlier and see if that helps. At the same time, you can inspect the jet nozzles to make sure everything looks ok and is not broken.