I used my spa last night and turned it off when finished. I woke up this morning to find that my spa was completely empty and my pump won't prime (basket won't fill with water). The level of my pool water did not change. My spa is connected to my pool. My VS pump sounds louder than normal and doesn't appear to speed up when trying to prime it. Attached is a picture of my pool equipment when in auto/pool mode. Any thoughts/advice is appreciated.
Spa Drained Unexpectedly
- Thread starter jwcod
- Start date
Remove the actuator for the suction line (4 screws) and see if the valve stem is broken. If so the actuator will turn but the diverter in the valve will remain in the "spa" position. If the spa is empty and the valve is broken, the pump has nothing to prime. If the stem is broken, turn the remaining part with a pliers to the "pool" position so you can circulate the pool while waiting for a repair. Be alert to a leaking pump as running dry for a long time can damage the shaft seal.
When replacing the screws, do not use a power screwdriver as the valve body is very easy to crack if not very careful. The diverters are specific to those Pentair valves, part #270056. If the stem is broken you need to get ones for Pentair valves, not Jandy, though they look very similar. These are Pentair diverters:
That's exactly the problem. Not sure what the remaining piece is (or if there is anything remaining as stem broke into tiny pieces) or how to turn it to pool position. Thanks so much for your help.
Is this the correct part - Pentair 270056 Diverter Assembly Replacement ComPool 2 and 3-Way Pool Diverter Valve, Black? Available on Amazon for $62. I would like to be able to circulate pool water until I get it repaired, but I am not sure if there's anything remaining to turn with pliers.
Pull the remaining 4 screws, remove the top of the valve, move the diverter to the correct position, reinstall the lid and actuator. Fill the pump with water and give it a try.
That's the correct part. Might want to try this as opposed to the Pentair brand. I've used ATIE aftermarket parts like this in the past and had no problems (I stay away from electronic boards, though). For the price of Pentair you can get 4 of these, and they come with the O rings and spacer to do a complete job, be sure to lubricate the O rings:
No reason to apologize, you don't work on these things, its all new to you.
Remove the remaining screws. When you open the valve you will see one port (hole) covered. That is the pool suction port. Just rotate, or lift, the diverter, and have it cover the port that is opposite the one now covered, the spa suction port. In the picture, it is probably now covering the port to the left. Be sure to not cover the port that leads to the pump. Again, be careful to not overtighten the screws when re-assembling the valve. You need to replace the actuator as well to get the lid to properly seal.
Please, for the sake of your heater, and wallet, do not use that tablet feeder for chlorinating your pool. Unless you run your pump 24/7, the tablets will eventually damage the check valve and then the heater. If you want to use tablets, get a floating tablet feeder and put them in the pool where they will give a bit of chlorine (and CYA) continuously.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,665
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
That's it. The pool will now circulate. Be sure to add water to the pump if there is none.
Will do. Thank you so much for taking the time on Christmas Eve to walk me through this. I assume I don't need an entire new actuator? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,665
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I put the actuator back together with the diverter in the correct (spa drain off) position, but I still can't prime the pump, the filter shows zero psi and there's no water coming out of the return jets. Could this be a pump problem. I cleaned my filter in October and had planned on replacing them in May.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,665
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
While we said don’t over tighten the screws on the diverter valve did you tighten them enough to seal the cover and not have an air leak in?
The diverter cover has an O ring to seal it and the diverter stem has O rings for a seal. Were they all intact when you replaced the cover? Did you put some Pool Lube - Further Reading on the diverter O rings?
Get a new Pentair O ring kit for the diverter valve when you order the new diverter.
Did you fill the pump with water?
The diverter cover has an O ring to seal it and the diverter stem has O rings for a seal. Were they all intact when you replaced the cover? Did you put some Pool Lube - Further Reading on the diverter O rings?
Get a new Pentair O ring kit for the diverter valve when you order the new diverter.
Did you fill the pump with water?
I will recheck these things and let you know. Also, thanks for the heads-up on the inline chlorinator. I only use it when I am gone in the summer for an extended time. Otherwise, I only use liquid chlorine. It never occurred to me that the chlorine could ruin the check valve. Good to know.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,665
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
It is the acid in Trichlor pucks that ruin the equipment.
Trichlor contains chlorine, acid, CYA, and salt in one tablet.
TriChlor - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
The O rings look ok and I lubed them, but still same problem with no filter psi and no flow from the return jets. I had this problem ( no circulation) about a month ago when I noticed a reduction in water coming over the spillway shortly after I cleaned the filter cartridges. I was able to get the filter pressure up to 10 psi and some water coming out of the return jets by raising the pump speed from 1200 to 2000. The amount of water coming over the spillway increased a bit, but it was still less than when the pump speed was 1200. Today, I temporarily increased the pump speed to 2500 to see if I could get any circulation, but no luck. The pump is noisier than usual and took a long time to change speed. I was told that I probably need to replace my filter cartridges, which were cleaned in October and which are five to seven years old. I purchased new cartridges, but haven't installed them as I am not convinced that this is the problem. Not sure where to go with this, but I would like to resolve the matter asap to get the pool water moving. Should I refill the spa now or wait until the diverter is replaced and the circulation problem is resolved.
Regarding the diverter, I will order a replacement. Is this something I can install myself?
Thanks again for your time and advice.
John
Regarding the diverter, I will order a replacement. Is this something I can install myself?
Thanks again for your time and advice.
John
- May 3, 2014
- 58,428
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Remove the filter cartridges and run the system. That will eliminate the cartridges as an issue.
Replacing the diverter is as easy as it was to move the broken one. Just pull out the old and install the new. Be sure to use the new O rings and spacer and install them as you see on the old diverter.
After replacing the valve diverter, I will try removing the cartridges and see what happens. I appreciate your help.