Spa drains when pump off.

[Randy21]

I have an elevated spa. When the pump is off the spa drains significantly overnight. The check valve is fine. Actually there is a manual diverter valve before the check valve that can either be set to pool or spa that is always set to pool so I don't think water can get back through there. I use the spillover to divert water to the spa but when the pump is off so is the spillover. Where else can the water be going and how? I've done a bucket test without any significant difference in level.

I appreciate any responses. Thank you

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

Show us a couple of pics of your pad from the side.

When the spa drains down to just below the level of the jets, it is almost always the check valve.

Your spa is draining way down below the jets, so it has to be some issue with the spa drain. I can't see the spa drain plumbing in your pic.

I would suspect the Intake valve (the one that selects water from the pool or the spa drain) is leaking.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Randy21]

Could the actuator that diverts to the the spa jets be the culprit? I notice air bubbles coming through the jets in spa mode and when on spillover.

Thanks! Attached are some more pictures

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

Does the water for your spillover come out of your jets or does the spillover water have its own pipe into the spa. If it has its own pipe, where is it?

Just seems to me that any flow backward from the jets would quit once the water got below the jets.

It could just be the pic, but it looks like the water leaks way down below the jets.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Randy21]

Yes, the water is way below the jets. The water from the spillover comes from the jets. I'm going to fill the spa and run the pump all night isolated from the spa. If the spa level drops that should eliminate the water being sucked back as an explanation. Right? It would have to be leaking from the drain.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

To me, it seems that the leak has to be associated with the Spa Drain.

1. It could just be leaking into the ground.
2. If the Intake valve is leaking it could allow water from the spa drain to leak back into the pool when the pump is off. You would think that problem would also allow the pump to suck water out of the spa's drain when the pump is running..

What happens to the spa level if you leave the spillover off for several hours with the system running in the pool mode?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

When I had this problem in my spa a couple of years ago, it turned out water was leaking from the far end of the light conduit into the earth. It was non-obvious because the water found its level above the level of the light. Another possibility to check.

 

[Randy21]

Last night I turned off the spillover and ran the pump in pool mode. The spa was isolated. When I woke up the spa was way down about 7 inches.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

Assuming that the spa water is not just leaking into the ground, and that it is making its way back to the pool, then the cheapest thing to try would be to replace the "guts" on your Intake valve.

Another option would be to plug the spa drain with a winter plug and run the same test again. If it still leaks, then it would be the spa light as suggested above..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Randy21]

Is the intake valve the one that toggles between the pool suction and the spa suction? I

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

Yes it is.. It is the only valve that is connected to the Spa Drain.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Randy21]

Thanks for your help.

 

[Randy21]

There was a leak in the seal around the drain. All is good now. Saved $150 by self diagnosing. Thanks