Adding A Blower

[cabana man]

Hello, I have an in ground hot tub which uses one of the pool pumps for its operation by turning a couple of valves. I was wondering if I could tee in a blower in my return line just after my pump and filter, or would the pressure of the water be too great (10psi). There is no way I could add any air lines to it since it is surrounded by concrete and stone. I just thought it might make it a little more enjoyable since it acts more like a small pool than a hot tub.

[Dr. Spa]

This is not at all how a blower is intended/designed to be used and would cause a nightmare.

[PreservedSwine]

There's a few that I've seen in that configuration in S Florida.

As Dr Spa predicted, total nightmare. When the pump is running, the blower isn't powerful enough to compete with the water pressure, it simply overheats, and shuts down. When the pump isn't running, the bubbles coming out of the jets have all the force of a fart.

[footie]

My pool has swimming jets which have small valves which you twist and suck in air from the room itself to add inline as the water comes out through the jets, no pump what so ever. Don't know how it's plumbed behind the scenes but all I do know is you don't always need a blower to add air to the system and by God can these jets push with some force.

[PreservedSwine]

My pool has swimming jets which have small valves which you twist and suck in air from the room itself to add inline as the water comes out through the jets, no pump what so ever. Don't know how it's plumbed behind the scenes but all I do know is you don't always need a blower to add air to the system and by God can these jets push with some force.

That's the way it should be. I doubt you would notice the difference if you added an air blower to the venturi line. The venturi's can pull in as much air as the blower puts out.

[cabana man]

I don't have any venturi lines, just 1 1/2 spaflex hooked right to the pump, so there is no way to add air to the line, that's why I thought of the blower idea but it sounds like its not going to work.

[PreservedSwine]

I don't have any venturi lines, just 1 1/2 spaflex hooked right to the pump, so there is no way to add air to the line, that's why I thought of the blower idea but it sounds like its not going to work.

You might be able to find a venturi valve to plumb in after all the equip on the 1.5" line. But I'm unsure how effective it will be. In spa's, each jet has it's own venturi built in. The only time I see an venturi valve is for low-flow applications such as adding ozone, typically in much smaller pipe. In a pool, the add on venturi valve may not be adequate for your application of an air blower.

You'd need a check valve also, to be sure the air didn't end up going unintentionally backwards through the equipment even with a venturi, in case the air blower is on and the pump is off.