Water features Valve
- Thread starter NoNameGolfer
- Start date
So I was able to completely close my spa return line valve even though it looks open still no water is flowing into the bottom of the spa. Prior to that I replaced the check valve below it and the spa still drained down. So check valve in spa return line I now believe wasn't the problem. I have the pool on and the spa is draining down like it did with the pool off. I did replace the inside of my 3 way pentair valve that controls spa drain on one side which is supposed to be off and on other side it is the skimmer, pool main and vac line. Because it is now happening when the pool is on is it safe to say that the spa drain is not being properly shut off by the three-way valve and essentially sucking the water out of it and returning it back to the pool when the pool is on and leaking back into the pool when the pool is off? I thought this might have been the case last week and I have taken this valve apart and We seated the inside door and replaced all the o-rings three times now there is no visible leaks on the outside so I'm not quite sure what my next step would be. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get a better seal when replacing the inside of this three-way pentair valve or do I need to have someone cut the valve completely out. I'm not big on doing that because it appears that they're going to have to replace plumbing and possibly other valves in the process which could be costly. Finally if anyone else has any other ideas on why this is happening please share. Thanks 
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,814
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
With the pump off, how far down does the spa drain?
With the pump on for several hours and spa return off, how far down does the spa drain?
With the pump on for several hours and spa return off, how far down does the spa drain?
With the pool off it drains down to the spa seat which is about the level of the pool water since it raised. I am running the pool now and waiting to see how far it goes down. If it goes below the seat could I assume the drain is continuing to suck the water out even though it should be closed? It has never gone that low with the pool off.
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,814
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Verify you installed thr new check valve with flow pointing toward pool.
Did you try plugging the small return on the spa floor?
With pump on and spa return off, if the water level continues to drop, changes are the issue is on the drain/suction side.
Did you try plugging the small return on the spa floor?
With pump on and spa return off, if the water level continues to drop, changes are the issue is on the drain/suction side.
Thank you for the help. I installed the check valve with arrow down as it was originally before we had an issue with it draining down. I have not plugged the floor spa return but plan to do so if this doesn't drain further down than it has in the past with pool off. If it does drain down more then I guess it is safe to assume that the drain is not completely shut off in the valve on suction side and is pulling the water out of the spa?
With pool pump on the water in spa is now below the pool water level. Never dropped this low overnight with pool off. It's always been equal with pool water level. So is it safe to say the spa drain 3 way valve is leaking? It shows as it is closed. 
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,814
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
That seems like a reasonable assumption.
If you continue to run the pump - while monitoring the spa level and the pump closely - see if the pump sucks air when the spa is empty. This will verify if the suction valve is not fully off on the spa side. Don't let the pump suck air for more than a minute or two.
Thank you. Makes sense. I turned it off just above the spa light to see if it drops anymore. This has been going on for over a week and I'm not losing water so I doubt it's spa light. I will turn it back on and do as you said and report back. Thank again.
So I tried to drain all the way down to the drain to see if it sucked air into the pump but as soon as the air blower got exposed it started pulling air into the suction line and the basket had all kinds of air in it. Bubble coming out the pool return. I shut it off. Is this normal? I thought the air blower was on return side?
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,814
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
That isn't for the air blower. The blower takes air from directlyoutside the blower and forces it into the plumbing.
Many spas have on drain in the spa floor and one in the side wall - which are tied to a single suction line - for user safety/anti-entrapment purposes. This works the same as dual main drains in a pool.
Many spas have on drain in the spa floor and one in the side wall - which are tied to a single suction line - for user safety/anti-entrapment purposes. This works the same as dual main drains in a pool.
So that is a drain then? Should it be on if my spa drain is closed at the valve?
- Feb 6, 2015
- 7,814
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
If the spa drain is fully closed, the sidewall and bottom drain should not be sucking any water.
Ok. Thank you so much. I think the issue is the 3 way valve on intake side then. Now I need to see why I can't seem to get it to seal off the spa drain when closed.
When you replaced the paddle seal in the 3-way valve on the suction side, did you purchase OEM part or a knock off replacement part? It could be a quality issue of the parts you used.
So started off with the knock off amazon part (atie paddle). Still had issues with spa draining down so I thought it might be the problem. So then I ordered the entire pentair valve and used the paddle (div-20) is the part number along with the front plastic cover and the 2 o-rings and the spacer in the between along with the o-ring that seals the plastic cover and the new pentair handle. So not sure what I missed but still leaking it appears.
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So this is just weird. I did nothing to fix this issue yet except let the spa drain all the way down yesterday with the pump running and then open the spa return line and fill it back up. This morning I get up and the spa only drained down about 2 inches. Prior to today it was draining done close to 10 inches or more overnight. So not sure what to make of this. I have not fixed the three-way valve that I have determined is leaking by the paddle and allowing the spa main drain to be open. Very strange.
Thanks for update. Not sure what to make of that. Could have been some debris in the valve that was removed and allowed it to seal better. I would put it in spa mode for a while, then go back to pool mode and see how it does over night again.