What do these valves do & pool equipment + low suction?

thrillz23 · Postby **thrillz23** » Sat 14 Jun, 2014 20:49

Hello everyone. I'm a new in ground pool owner here & confused on what all these valves do? Their is also 3 meters

Here's my equipment information

Pentair 1 HP (single speed) Model# #196238
Vac-Alert SVRS
Sta-Rite system filtration Model: PLD70
Pentair Model 320 automatic chlorine Bromine In-Line feeder

Everything seems to be working right except it feels like the skimmer does not have a lot of suction power
Bunch of small flies/gnats are always just floating outside of the skimmer instead of inside the skimmer when the pump is on.

Not sure if it's cause maybe their is a leak, need to get more horsepower or need to move the valve in a certain direction?

I keep my valve in the middle but i also noticed when i moved the black valve by the skimmer to the left it gave more power to the skimmer at front of pool and started to give a little better suction

[imghttp://i62.tinypic.com/zvvf5l.jpg[/img]

TSH Tech · Postby **TSH Tech** » Sun 15 Jun, 2014 02:04

thrillz23 wrote:
I keep my valve in the middle but i also noticed when i moved the black valve by the skimmer to the left it gave more power to the skimmer at front of pool and started to give a little better suction

With your valve position in the middle, turn your valve to the left and set it so that your skimmer gets most of the suction and the other pipe gets some of the suction. So when you find that "sweet spot", the valve will look off-center from the middle point. That is ok! Turn the valve slowly until you see your flow is at its optimum.

Now keep in mind, your VAC ALERT system on your pump is a safety, and is designed to open a valve and suck air, should something lodge or stop the flow of water in your suction line.
Here's how your VAC ALERT works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZL0oQDYy8s

Hope this helps

thrillz23 · Postby **thrillz23** » Sun 15 Jun, 2014 08:21

I turned the valve all the way to right and saw more suction. I was told by pool people it should be at 50 percent. How long do you recommend it should stay to the right instead of the middle?

2) The other 2 level readers that are one the photos are always at 0. Is that fine? the one above the skimmer and the one above Vac Alert. Im guessing they don't work or not turned on as they dont move at all when pump is turned on.

3) Their is also another valve above the pump can you tell me what that does since its always in the middle too?

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Sun 15 Jun, 2014 15:04

thrillz23 wrote:I was told by pool people it should be at 50 percent. How long do you recommend it should stay to the right instead of the middle?

Set it for which setting works for you.
Setting at 50 percent is so water is circulated from the bottom drain and skimmer at equal portions. But if one pipe is giving you better flow than the other, there is a problem that will need to be addressed later down the road. Possible blockage or pipe air leak.

thrillz23 wrote:2) The other 2 level readers that are one the photos are always at 0. Is that fine? the one above the skimmer and the one above Vac Alert. Im guessing they don't work or not turned on as they dont move at all when pump is turned on.

The VAC ALERT gauge should read something, it appears the gauge has broken and needs to be replaced.

thrillz23 wrote:3) Their is also another valve above the pump can you tell me what that does since its always in the middle too?

That valve is for a pool sweep(Ray Vac, Letro Legend, Polaris 380) if it reads zero that is ok. The green area of the gauge is the manufacture setting for the best flow for the pool sweep. But in reality, that's not always the case.
As shown in your photos, the pool sweep feature is turned off.

thrillz23 · Postby **thrillz23** » Mon 16 Jun, 2014 12:56

Thank you! Learned a lot. Is the vac alert gauge important to fix?

TSH Tech · Postby **TSH Tech** » Mon 16 Jun, 2014 14:53

thrillz23 wrote:Is the vac alert gauge important to fix?

Not important. If your pool was a publicly used pool, then yes, important(ie. Health Inspectors, Code Enforcement)

Your pool is a residential pool, so it's up to you the homeowner. If you like to see the gauge reading to know there is suction, then replace it. Otherwise all you really have to do, or know, is if for some reason the Vac Alert does it's job and trips the safety, just reset the switch. Nothing to monitor on the Vac Alert.

StephenH · Postby **StephenH** » Wed 13 Jan, 2016 05:36

Very good info to know about....

Glen123 · Postby **Glen123** » Wed 13 Jan, 2016 07:18

Don’t take chances with your pool or spa safety! Fix the VAC and other things as soon as possible...