Setting Spa Water Level

[ajw22]

Water does not flow up without help from the pump. Look around at what opening is at the water level. I think it is the filter intake I circled in red. The spa water then flows from there naturally down to the pool.

 

[ngooo]

The pump is involved. The right side is the return line, that actuator on the right is allowing a small amount of water to go back to the spa jets when in pool mode, and the rest to the stair jets and pool jets. When I am in the spa and turn it off by going to pool mode, I do feel the cold pool water trickling through the spa jets.

 

[Jimrahbe]

N,

If this were my spa, I think I would put a 90 degree elbow on the under-spill port going back into the pool. I would add a pipe on top of the 90, cut to the height I wanted the spa water.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ngooo]

The spa has paving stones built all around. Piping around the spa is not accessible.

 

[Jimrahbe]

The spa has paving stones built all around. Piping around the spa is not accessible.

N,

Were you talking to me or Allen??

I was talking about running the pipe up on the outside of the spa.. Not pretty, but it would fix your problem and could be painted to blend in...

Adjusting the input valve will never work long term.. If you are just a little off, the spa will either continue to fill or it will go back to being too low position.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ngooo]

that is disappointing news. visible pipe along the wall will not fly with the Mrs.

is there some setting thing around the filter that awj22 is talking about?

 

[ajw22]

Show us better pictures of the filter intake area.

 

[ngooo]

On the step, light on the left side, and drain to pool on the right side.

Here is a close up of the actuator on the right side, leaving the pump and filter, going back to a little to the spa jets, and mostly to stair/pool jets.

 

[ajw22]

If you can construct some pipe or cap or plate that goes over the filter hole to block water from going into it you can then see if the water level rises and confirm or rule out the filter being the port that sets the spa water level.

 

[ngooo]

Do you know of any spas that has water level controls at the filter? Am i looking for something specific around that filter area?

 

[ajw22]

Do you know of any spas that has water level controls at the filter? Am i looking for something specific around that filter area?

You have a very unique setup. We are all on a discovery mission together. You have the lead on site.

 

[ngooo]

lol, i know i have to adjust the cam on the actuator to prove my theory, but i am so nervous of screwing the whole thing up.
It took them more than 5 weeks to figure our the water level in the spa. So when they finally got everything to work, but the water level was 2-3 inches shorter than i liked, i was told by my boss to keep quiet and live with it. 3 years down, i have that itch to tinker, but there will be a lot of the i told you so, if i mess things up.

so question, has anyone seen the valve setup like mine? if you zoom in, you can see the pool company's sticker/labels. as noted, left side is going into the shed where the pump is. right side is coming out after passing through the filter.

 

[ajw22]

so question, has anyone seen the valve setup like mine? if you zoom in, you can see the pool company's sticker/labels. as noted, left side is going into the shed where the pump is. right side is coming out after passing through the filter.

That is fairly typical valve setup for pool/sp suction and return actuators.

What do you think adjusting the cam on your actuator will prove? What is your hypothesis?

Adjusting the cam is pretty easy. See page 4 for how to adjust the cam - http://images.inyopools.com/cloud/documents/goldline-gva24.pdf

 

[ngooo]

In pool mode, I think that the flow from the spa to the pool is constant, call it S2PF. The amount of water being pumped into the spa jets, call it SJF. What if that actuator is keeping SJF=S2PF. If I adjust the cam and allow a little more flow into spa jets, SJF will be greater than S2PF.

Faster water going into the spa, then draining.

 

[jimmythegreek]

What happens if you take the hose amd add 3 inches of water to the spa when it's off. Doea it hold this water height or does it drain out?

 

[ajw22]

Do what Jimmy suggested before you mess with the actuator cam and see if spa water height is independent of water flow into the spa.

You can also manually move the valve to test your hypothesis at different flow rates.

 

[johnm160]

I like the garden hose idea its a nice quick easy test. How about contacting the builder that put it in to see if he has any recollection on what is setting the water height in the spa?

 

[ngooo]

so the pump filter runs from 8am to midnight.

This morning, at 7:30am, nothing is running. No water coming out of that jet beneath the spa.


Put the hose in, after a couple of minutes, the water is leaving the spa, going back into the pool via the jet


As previously mentioned, the pool guys did have an issue with the spa water draining back into the pool too much when they first installed it. They fixed it by removing
the coping, and installing some valve where the X is in the picture below.

So is the valve height/location setting the spa water level?

 

[Jimrahbe]

N,

Yes.. That is the point I have been trying to make..

I don't think the valve or pipe is near as high as where your red X is... That is the whole problem.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ngooo]

i get the point of he water draining from the spa into the pool now.

However, when the pump is running, it is set for a slight flow to the spa jets, if i increase that flow to be greater than the amount draining into the pool, won't I get the result of raising that level?