Weak Spa Jets & Air Blower Shutting Off?!?!?

[atxjmy512]

New pool... have been dealing with weak spa jets where only 3 have the necessary pressure to aerate properly. Now the air blower is having problems. When in Spa Mode - the blower can only operate for a few minutes before overheating and triggering the auto shut-off mechanism. I feel like the two issues are related as the blower works just fine if the pump is kept in pool mode.

What could cause these issues? Perhaps too much backpressure in the spa lines when creating issues for both the pump and the blower? a missing or faulty check valve somewhere? blockage in the spa loop? Pump is undersized for my flooded application? Any other ideas?

Some additional context: I have a flooded system, where my pool is higher than my pool equipment. I'm operating a Jandy ePump VSP (VSSHP270AUT).

 

[Poolbreh]

Sounds like some of your Venturi nozzles are clogged causing back pressure in the hart loop. Can you take a picture of your jet heads?

 

[atxjmy512]

Sounds like some of your Venturi nozzles are clogged causing back pressure in the hart loop. Can you take a picture of your jet heads?

It's dark now, but 3 of the six operate normally, the other 3 eject water at pressure but to my hand it feels to be less pressure. I'm not sure it if matters but the jets on the ends of the loop seem to have issues (I have a typical spa with a spillover edge with the jets situated in a "C" formation). To that end - when i can get the blower to work, bubbles only come out of 5 jets. Bubbles come out of all 6 with the blower on in pool mode.

 

[Poolbreh]

You have a pic in your media, and are the jets run off the filter pump or it’s own jet pump? 3 of the jets look to be waterway which most likely won’t be clogged, the Venturi nozzle is built as part of the jet. Are all the jet heads the same? They probably work without water going through them because there is no back pressure fighting against the blower.

 

[atxjmy512]

You have a pic in your media, and are the jets run off the filter pump or it’s own jet pump? 3 of the jets look to be waterway which most likely won’t be clogged, the Venturi nozzle is built as part of the jet. Are all the jet heads the same?

I forgot about that! yes, all jets are the same. They run off the filter pump. I've removed all of them at various points and I don't see any visible clogs in the jets or nozzle themselves. Pictures below

 

[Poolbreh]

is there any part number on those? Sorry there are like dozen of different jets. Did the builder leave you any extra orifices for those jets?

 

[atxjmy512]

is there any part number on those? Sorry there are like dozen of different jets. Did the builder leave you any extra orifices for those jets?

I see patent information and 218-6530 on the white plastic which tracks back to Waterway Mini Storm Jet Diffuser. I do't see anything on the grey plastic itself, but I would assume I have Waterway Mini Storm Jets. The builder did not leave anything but they're still working on their punch list, so they haven't fully exited the build yet and know about this issue.

 

[Poolbreh]

so the power storm have their nozzles on the back and should have come with different sizes. If you have a nozzle on the back I would increase the size.

 

[atxjmy512]

They definitely didn't leave any of those, I'll have to inquire when they are back tomorrow. Would incorrect sized nozzles lead to 1) jet issues and 2) enough back pressure to shut off the blower after a few minutes?

 

[atxjmy512]

Having some issues with spa jets / blowers (listed on another thread) - but curious what my RPMs should be for Spa Mode. I have a Raypak 406 Heater paired with a Jandy 2.7HP ePump. I had it set at 3200 rpm, but curious if it should be lower (as I'm now having issues with backpressure).

 

[Poolbreh]

Is there one on the back of the jets right now? If it’s too small yes it can cause back pressure. You can adjust your rpms and see what happens. But I would want the largest nozzle that works, that way I can have more options with jet speed.

 

[ajw22]

Having some issues with spa jets / blowers (listed on another thread) - but curious what my RPMs should be for Spa Mode. I have a Raypak 406 Heater paired with a Jandy 2.7HP ePump. I had it set at 3200 rpm, but curious if it should be lower (as I'm now having issues with backpressure).

You will only find out what works with your plumbing by trying different RPM and seeing what is best for you.

 

[atxjmy512]

Is there one on the back of the jets right now? If it’s too small yes it can cause back pressure. You can adjust your rpms and see what happens. But I would want the largest nozzle that works, that way I can have more options with jet speed.

It doesn't appear to me that there are any on the back of the jets right now. If I'm reading the attachment you shared correctly, it looks like i should be able to pry off and try different options? There's definitely nothing to pry off. I didn't photograph this angle but what my fitting looks like is #16 after you pry a nozzle off, its just sort of has this U shape to it...

 

[Poolbreh]

Silly question, you had all the jets open right?

 

[atxjmy512]

Silly question, you had all the jets open right?

I did, yes. Interesting though, opening closing one of the "non-working" jets impacts the performance of the ones that are working. It seems like anything that messes with the pressure in the loop has an impact. Builder is coming tomorrow to check out the blower issue - I will inquire about the missing venturi nozzles.

 

[atxjmy512]

I did, yes. Interesting though, opening closing one of the "non-working" jets impacts the performance of the ones that are working. It seems like anything that messes with the pressure in the loop has an impact. Builder is coming tomorrow to check out the blower issue - I will inquire about the missing venturi nozzles.

I'm also struggling with why the blower is having overheating issues.

 

[Poolbreh]

I’m not entirely sure if the jets you received should have come with nozzles. It was something I thought could possibly be the problem. Let us know what the builder says, I’m interested.

 

[ajw22]

I'm also struggling with why the blower is having overheating issues.

Vent some air from the blower until you find a balance that does not overheat it…..

Spa Air Blower - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[atxjmy512]

Vent some air from the blower until you find a balance that does not overheat it…..

Spa Air Blower - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Funny you mention that... the blower was blowing itself off the air tube while in operation. The builders solution was to glue it in place. At the moment, I don't have the ability to vent it unless there's some sort of ability within the housing that I don't know about (which is very possible). What did you have in mind in terms of venting it? How would I do that? In retrospect, I think the blower popping off was an indication of backpressure but I didn't even know what that was at the time.

 

[ajw22]

Drill holes in the pipe under the blower.

Start with small holes and add them and enlarge them until you find a setup that works. You can always close some holes with duct tape to fine tune it.

The air coming out of the holes may be noisy and whistle.

Overall I think your builder/plumber botched the spa plumbing and the air/water interface pipes to the jets.