Spa empties out

[strategy400]

Hi TFP. It seems like my spa suction valve does not close completely. If I don't have the returns going mostly spa it empties out. Even if I'm 100% pool mode it draws the water down. Could this have something to do with the air circuit for the jets?

 

[Jimrahbe]

400,

Nothing to do with air.. It sounds as if your Return or Intake valve is not moving like it should.

In the Spa mode, ALL the water should be sucked from the Spa drain and ALL the water should be returned to the Spa.

Check your valve positions and tell us what you see. Or post pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[strategy400]

400,

Nothing to do with air.. It sounds as if your Return or Intake valve is not moving like it should.

In the Spa mode, ALL the water should be sucked from the Spa drain and ALL the water should be returned to the Spa.

Check your valve positions and tell us what you see. Or post pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

I'll have to open up the valve. Maybe it has a bad seal or something. When I put both suction and return to pool it still slowly draws down the spa. It has done this since they installed the pool last year. I have to put the return valve 70% spa to keep water in it with the pump running. Pump off everything stays level.

 

[ajw22]

Sounds like your SUCTION valve is not sealing closed to the spa when in POOL mode.

 

[Jimrahbe]

400,

You should not need to initially open up any of the valves...

In the Pool mode, the automated Intake valve should suck all of its water from the Pool, and none from the Spa.

So, if your spa drains down with the pump running, water can only get out via the Spa drain.

In theory, your Intake valve is leaking, or the actuator is not moving it to the fully closed position, and allowing water to be sucked out of the spa drain.

Since this has been going on forever, how about showing us several pics of your equipment pad.. Maybe we can spot something. Make sure you show us the automated Intake valve, so that we can see where it is position in the Pool mode.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[strategy400]

I'll need to take more pictures when I get home. The only thing I have is from when they were building the pool.

 

[strategy400]

Here's a "better" picture (not). I suspect a problem with the suction valve or somehow it is drawing water out of the spa through the spa air circuit regardless of the valve being closed. Even if I put the pump on a really slow speed the spa level still drops when both valves are fully in pool mode. The valves are in spa mode here because I'm trying to use the solar to heat the spa. Also, the solar is not any part of the problem because it happened before I added the solar. The pentair actuators are less than 6 months old The problem happened before the actuators were installed so I don't suspect the actuators as part of the problem.

 

[Jimrahbe]

400,

Both of your automated valves appear to be in the correct Spa mode in your pic.

If you are in the Spa mode, and the water in the spa drains down, the problem has to be that not all the water that is being sucked from the Spa drain is being returned to the Spa. The first place to look would be at the Automated Return valve..

We have seen a couple of times where the valve handle would turn, but the shaft was broken so the diverter itself was not turning.
Could be that that the seal on the diverter is bad and allowing some of the water to go back to the pool.
We have also seen where the diverter was the wrong size and never sealed properly.. It was too short compared to a good one.

Could also be that the check valve in the Spa return line is bad not allowing some of the water to pass like it should. It could back up and then get forced past the Return valve diverter and then back to the pool.

Logic says, that if the Spa drains down, when running the pump in the Spa mode, that it has to be a Return issue.. More water leaving the Spa than is going back to the Spa. It can't be the pump or the filter..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[strategy400]

The problem only happens in 100% pool mode. In spa mode the water level is fine. My only concern in spa mode is that I'm sucking a little cold water from the pool which would make the heater work harder. It could be that check valve hindering flow and overwhelming the suction valve forcing it to draw some from the spa side. I'll look into that possibility. Here are more pictures with the valves in pool mode. Also a better shot of my air intake for the spa.

 

[strategy400]

View from other side

 

[Jimrahbe]

400,

Sorry, I somehow read your problem backwards...

If the spa drains when in the 100% Pool mode, that means your are sucking water from the spa, when you should not be sucking any water from the spa...

The only place this can happen is at the automated Intake valve... When in the pool mode, this valve should only suck water from the pool, never the spa.

You need to take the Intake valve apart and check out the diverter. If this were my pool, I would have a new diverter on hand and just replace it. Then see what happens.

This will also fix the problem where you are sucking water from the Pool when in the Spa mode...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[strategy400]

Yeah, it's probably almost the same price to just order an identical valve. I'll give the valve rebuild a try. If nothing else I'll end up with an extra valve to use somewhere else.