Spa Drains to pool...

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Spa Drains to pool...

Postby Guest » Tue 26 Dec, 2006 22:35

Hello all, I am new to this forum (and grateful that I found it) also, I am obviously a new pool owner...

here is my delimma...I am not very technical so please forgive me...

we have a gunite pool and we have been brushing the plaster... when i brush it in the spa, i turn the vales to "spa suction" and "spa return"..

i noticed that as i was brushing... the SPA EMPTIES.. there is water coming back into the spa, but it is also returning to the pool... so within a matter of minutes... the spa is empty...

i end up have to put it on "pool suction" to fill it back up again...

Why is this happening??? (I am still awaiting a resonse from the pool company...)

TIA... Gina


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Postby Pool Owner » Wed 27 Dec, 2006 13:32

Gina, it appears that your return line valve is not is not sending all of the water back to the spa. Do you have similar problems when you are using/heating the spa? When you say turn the valve to “spa return” is that manually or through a controller? If it is manually, you probably have a valve that needs to be adjusted/repaired/replaced. If it is through a controller, you will need to trouble shoot the entire system. Since it sounds like you have a new pool, the builder should respond quickly.

For the future, you may want to invest about $30 into getting a good reference pool book. If you have not yet done so, check your local library for books on the subject of pool maintenance/construction to see if there is one you like. I have a short review of a few books on my blog (noted below). While it is very large, I think you will find “The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual” a good choice. Since it is almost 700 pages, you need to use it like these pool bulletin boards, search for the information you need and only read the part that covers your problem.
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Postby Ginafara » Wed 27 Dec, 2006 18:21

we haven't run the heat yet... the plaster is less than a week old... we just filled it last thursday/friday...

heater is still not hooked up yet.

the valves are manual... i have to turn them and i have followed all of the start up instructions to a T... I am guessing that when the valves are in their positions, the alignment of the diverters inside must be off...

the bad part is that the pool company sub-d the plumbing so i don't have their contact... (the cascades don't work either)... and the pool company is off for two weeks... go figure, just my luck.

thanks so much for the reference guide info... i will definitely look into that.

Thanks so much!!! Happy New Year
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Postby Guest » Thu 28 Dec, 2006 02:39

My guess is that you are correct about the alignment. If possible, loosen the handle nut on the valve lever so that it can turn without hitting the stop to see if you can get all of the return water diverted back to the spa as desired. If so, use this as a good temporary fix.

If you have a Jandy Never Lube valve, it is real easy to adjust the whole thing by removing the 8 screws (with the pump off). The lever only fits one way and you will be able to see how simple the design is...just rotate the "cap" until the stops are in the right place, put back in 4 screws (alternating holes), turn on the pump for a minute to double check the valve works the way you want it to, turn the pump off, them finish installing the remaining screws.

Enjoy your new pool during 2007.
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Postby Ginafara » Sun 07 Jan, 2007 18:32

the spa bypass was on backward...

took nearly two weeks to get someone out here to see what i was talking about... is this typical in this industry??? do pool contracts typicall take their time like this?
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Postby Pool Owner » Mon 08 Jan, 2007 12:17

Gina, unfortunately, this is not totally unheard of. Adding the holidays did not help the situation. However, I would have expected your builder would have at least visited the pool shortly after it was filled (especially when you said there appeared to be a problem) to confirm things were working properly and/or explain to you why what you observed was not a problem. I’m glad to hear the problem has been resolved. Have fun with your new pool.
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