Spa water level keeps dropping when pump is turned off

[poolguy968]

So I have a gunite pool and spa combo. The spa is raised 18 inch above the coping. For the equipment I have a Pentair intelliflo3 vsf pump, a Pentair 320 filter, a Pentair MasterTemp 400 and Pentair Intellicenter (with Intellivalves).

I've been dealing with an issue which is that whenever my pool pump is turned off, the water level in my spa will start gradually dropping and within about an hour or so the water level will drop below the tile and start exposing the plaster. Because I want to avoid this, I've been running my pump 24/7 to prevent the water level from dropping.

However that's been using a lot of electricity and I'm also concerned that it'll shorten the lifetime of my pump. Its also increasing my pH from aeration since there's always a spillover from the spa. So I'd like to resolve this issue.

I've posted some pictures of my equipment pad (the last photo shows the valves when the pump is off) and I'm wondering if folks here may have any ideas of how to proceed to identify the root cause of the problem and fix it? Like I've read some posts about maybe the check valve being bad? Is there a good way to check these things are good or not before I replace them?

Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

Remove the check valve lid circled in red and examine the spring and flap for condition.

Close the valve circled in blue, which should shut off your spillover, and leave it closed overnight to confirm the spa is siphoning through that path.

You can use your IntelliCenter and shut your spillover and schedule the spillway circuit to run for 20 minutes twice daily to refresh your pool.

Pentair Automation Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[poolguy968]

Thanks! So one other thing I want to mention is that from the very beginning, I noticed that when I close that blue valve to turn off the spillover while keeping the pump running for the pool then the water level in the spa also drops. It actually drops a bit more quickly than when the pump is off. Like the plaster becomes exposed after like 30 minutes.

So basically when the pump is off the spa water level drops and if that blue valve is closed and the pump is running then the spa water level also drops.

I’ve had to keep the pump running 24/7 while keeping that blue valve half open this whole time so there’s always a spillover to prevent the spa water level from dropping.

I guess that’s also not normal?

 

[ajw22]

It sounds like you are pulling suction from the spa when in POOL mode.

Show me pictures of both of your Intellivale settings. I can not see the way it is positioned, which regular actuators show with the handle position.

 

[poolguy968]

That does seem like what's happening. So I've attached pictures of my two IntelliValves.

The second picture shows the top IntelliValve and the third picture shows the bottom/lower IntelliValve.

These were taken while the equipment is running in pool mode.

 

[ajw22]

The top valve is for your return, and the bottom is for your suction.

The IntelliValves look set correctly, but there may be a problem with your suction diverter.

How old is your pool, and is your stuff under warranty?

I would lift the suction IntelliValve off the diverter and put the handle on it. Did the builder give you the handle?

Move the handle around to see if you can get a better seal on the spa suction. You may need to open the diverter, examine the port and paddle, and see if any glue got on them.

 

[poolguy968]

Thanks, so the pool equipment is only about 6 months old and it should be under warranty. But the builder has been very flakey and hard to get a hold of. When I called him about this he first said that it was probably an air leak in one of the pipe fittings to the heater and that I should just tighten the connection. I couldn't really tighten it any more and asked him to come out and then he's been evasive, saying he's on vacation for the next few weeks and he doesn't know when he has time, etc etc. So I'm trying to see if this is something that I can address in the meantime.

The builder didn't actually give me any handle but I guess would it be a part like this?

https://www.amazon.com/R0487200-Diverter-Include-R0486900-Replacement/dp/B09QRL1KCB/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=2K6BBMIWVBP3G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1C3Qb_mdmHJJgmp7ufDoarF-uUZ4aPfZbYjXUOYj6OzudiDIeQQMwP5aiRU6Fu2GLdWReZYTOAyyi-R95lFmG1sgQwipXOcVZO7rEy5oDQCIU6_BNUxYa-N9Ehjl0o6bZdNiEGv9ZR12F3_nNgOnjoYEFklx6EXaikXEH6SSz0vvDtEUgPYGpIr3svj2RpfPDjjKWlFs86ByKRmrcQ5VUw.27FjaL0CYaz7jeWVNCNXSLrLW2SKwceOVCN_oB_-yUA&dib_tag=se&keywords=pentair+pool+actuator+handle&qid=1736290080&sprefix=pentair+pool+actuator+handl%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-5

 

[ajw22]

The handle depends on whether he put in a Jandy, Pentair, or Hayward diverter. They are different.

The handles all fit any diverter, but having the wrong handle will mislead anyone about the correct parts. Some of the diverter parts are different.

Pull the actuator off and see if there are any embossed words on the top plate or sides.

Valves - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[poolguy968]

So as it turns out I’ve actually got Jandy Never Lube Valves (attached a picture of a different valve on my equipment pad that’s used for the vacuum functionality).

I’ve ordered a new handle and it should arrive today. I’m planning to lift the Intellivalve off my suction valve tonight to try to get to the bottom of this.

I’m wondering, in case I do need to open up the suction diverter to fix this , then are there any steps I should do beforehand to make sure that the water from the pool/spa doesn’t just come gushing out? And should I also release pressure from the filter before taking apart the valve?