When I move the Jandy Valve, I get different reactions

[IguanaSwim]

My pump gauge rides at 9.

When I move the Jandy valve so that the main valve is 80% cut off, and I'm mostly pulling on the skimmer line, it stays at 9.

When I move the valve so that the skimmer is 80% cut off and the pump is jpulling mostly on the main line, the gauge goes down to five.

Seems like the main line is plugged? Any other explanation? If there is a plug, how to address - either diy or professionally?

Will I hurt my system by moving the Jandy valve to 100% cut off either line?

 

[Jimrahbe]

I,

While you watch the water in the pump basket, shut off the main drain and use only the skimmers and see what happens.

Then, open the main drain..

Then, while watching the water in the pump basket, shut off the skimmer and use only the main drain. See what happens. Does the pump continue to get water or not??

Let us know....

That said. Pools do not even need a main drain. I have two rent house pools without operating main drains and they work just fine. If your main drain line is plugged, which I doubt, I would just shut it off, rather then spend money to fix something that is not even needed.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[1poolman1]

Your man drain could be slightly clogged. However, when you pull water from the main drain you are forcing the pump to lift from the bottom of the pool rather than from the skimmer that is much higher. This increases the head on the pump. At the same rpm it is harder to lift from a greater distance. Less flow = lower pressure.

 

[IguanaSwim]

Thanks v much this is why I love this site.

I did not follow :

"Then, open the main drain."

I now see that the valve is constructed so that you cannot shut off both the skimmer line and the main line at the same time.

With both lines open gauge is at 10.

With the main line shut off the gauge stayed at 10.

With the skimmer line shut off, the gauge stayed at 5 for about 5 minutes, then it went to zero and the pump basket looked like it had almost no water in it.

I should add that instead of only scooping stuff off of the bottom of the pool, I also sweep leaves and whatnot to the main drain. Maybe I should only be scooping?

Also did not follow:

This increases the head on the pump.

But I definitely get the concept that the pump has to work harder if it exclusively "lifting" water from the main drain.

I will also add that when I rotated the jandy valve in the direction to close off the main valve, it would not shut 100%, more like maybe 90%.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I,

Show us a couple of pics of your valves from far enough back so we can see how they are connected

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[IguanaSwim]

Thanks again for your help.





I took the top off of this valve and inspected the o-ring it looked good. I also put silicone on the o-ring. I replaced the top and then did some testing on the pump.

When turned like this, the skimmer is entirely off.



Testing the pump again with the valve in all three positions tonight gave me some different results, others no change.

1) When the main drain is shut off entirely, the gauge says 10,

2) With both open it says 10.

3) But tonight when I shut off the skimmer and only pulled on the main, the pump ran with the gauge at 5 for about an hour. I then started pushing some leaves into the drain to clean up the pool and then the gauge went to zero and it seemed there was almost no water in the pump motor basket.

Before, when I shut off the skimmer within about 5 minutes the gauge would go to zero and there was low or no water in the pool motor basket.

 

[MITBeta]

Sounds like you have a clog or restriction in the main drain.