kozmo

Thanks Scott. We've run the spa in spa mode for many hours and that hasn't solved the "no air in the jets when the blower is not on" problem. I'm not exactly sure how the spa air/blower equipment works or where a check valve would be located. My blower is about 40 ft from the spa and sits straight on top of 3" PVC pipe coming out of the ground. There are no valves that I can see on the PVC. Would the valve be in the blower?

We had a pressure test done on our spa. After this was completed we noticed that when running in spa mode the water from the spa jets comes out very still. No air at all. We can't be sure, but we seem to remember there was some air coming out in spa mode, even without the blower on. So, we switched the blower on and it will not come on. A few questions; - Does the blower allow some air into the water in spa mode, even when it's not on? Or is there something else potentially wrong. - Is it likely that the blower was damaged by the pressure test? - Is a blower fairly easy to trouble shoot and fix, or is it better to just spend $125 and buy a new one? - If replacing, is this a DIY job? It doesn't look terribly complicated and I am semi-handy. Appreciate the help!

Thank you Pool Clown - your information is always helpful. I looked up the valve my builder used. http://www.spears.com/prod_brochures/UT-2-0306_0510_web.pdf Any view on the quality of this valve? Does it seem possible/likely they would wear out in 2 - 4 years?

Hi, I've got a pool with spa, heater, a few sheers and a few fountains. The valves the builder used look pretty cheap and one of them has already become stuck open after 2.5 years. Fortunately it is a valve that is normally open, however I am concerned that I can't close it if I need to. The guy I'm having look at it tells me the valves are cheap and wouldn't suprise him if they all go out in the next year or two. So I'm looking at replacing this valve and all the other critical valves. I have a few questions; Is it reasonable to expect my "cheap" valves to wear out after 2 - 3 years? I have an estimate of $500 labor and $55/valve to replace 8 valves with Jandy never lube valves. I think the valves would be 2 or 3 inch. Does this sound like a reasonable estimate? I am reasonably handy with PVC and have done a lot of work with sprinkler systems, but never on pool equipment. Is this a job that I may be able to do myself or do you recommend a professional. Are Jandy neverlube valves a good choice? I see the also have a "Gold Standard" ball valve, which frankly looks similar to the cheap valves I have now. Any help appreciated!

i concur with Waterbear. I've had a salt system now for 10 years. YOu still have to by acid, stabilizer, algeacide, etc., but you will save some money on Chlorine. The two reasons I like it; I don't have to mess with Chlorine chemicals (one less caustic chemical to deal with) and we love the feel of the water. You will at some point have to replace your salt cell. I got 5 years out of my first one. We moved and built a new pool so have only had this one 3 years...still working fine.

Hi PoolguyNJ, it is definitely not coming out the backwash port. No visible water anywhere near the pump equipment. Since my last post I let the pump sit idle for 48 hours and the water level in the pool did not change. I've been out of town so haven't had a chance to check on things since that point, but definitely looks like it's related to the pump running. There are two pipes on the back of the pool, underground, that could be the culprit. The other possibilities are all under the concrete decking so less likely, but if they have somehow ruptured then I have big problems! Does my analysis sound correct or are there other things I should be considering?

Hi Scott, I am dealing with 2 somewhat separate, but possible related problems. 1. The pool over the last 2.5 years has lost water faster then our previous pool. We add water 1 - 2 times a week. Both pools are in Austin, TX. Only 2 differences that I can think of. This pool has a spa and it has the rock face extending into the water line. I've been trying to determine if these 2 differences would account for greater water loss. 2. Over the last 30 days the water loss has accelerated. I'm estimating we are losing 1/2 - 1 inch of water a day. There is a wet spot in the lowest point in the yard below the pool. I'm positive we have a leak somewhere and not sure if it's related to the pump running much more due to the very cold weather or if it's a leak from one of the fixtures (we have three lights). I am going to do a bucket test over the next few days with the pump off to see if I'm losing water from something in the pool itself. If the water level remains relatively stable then I would surmise it is a cracked pipe - which would be very bad as most of my pipes run under the decking Does this sound like a good game plan?

Hi TXPoolGuy. thanks for the advice. My builder is saying the salt water can affect the seals around the light fixtures in the pool. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. I find that hard to believe and we never had a problem in my previous salt pool during the 8 years we owned it. As for the water loss, I'm sure the strong winds we've had and temp differences here in Austin are part of the issue. HOwever, we do have a wet spot in the back yard. This is just below a conduit that runs from the upper decking so I'm thnking something (like a light) is leaking into the fill below the upper decking and then working it's way out to the lowest spot in the yard.

Thanks for the response poolguys from TX and NJ. Responding to your questions; "Are you losing water faster than normal" This pool is 2.5 years old and loses water faster than a similar pool we owned for 8 years before building this one. The two differences are, a hot tub that spills into the pool when the pump is on and stone at the waterline instead of tile. The stone is Oklahoma Flag stone which is definitely porous. I'm sure some additional water loss is due to the water spilling over the hot tub. More surface are of water = faster evaporation. But I also think the stone has something to do with it. "When the time comes to do the rock facing, let it dry for a week or so, use a sealant like Thorough-Seal which will also act as a bonding agent and you will never have this issue again" Unfortunately the pool is 2.5 years old. I think I am going to lower the waterline below the stone and let it dry for a week and then apply a good sealer. Will definitely check out Thorough-Seal.

We have a guinite pool with a standard plaster finish located on a slope. The shallow end is on the high side of the slope and is in-ground. The back right side of the 7ft deep end is on the down sloppe and sits mostly above-ground. The back wall of the deep end rises 18" above the waterline and is covered in natural stone that extends below the water line where it then meets plaster. The stone is in constant contact with the water. There is tile around the rest of the pool at the waterline, but not on this wall. Can water be seeping through the stone/mortar and then through the guinite? I don't know if guinite is waterproof, but I'm pretty sure the stone isn't water proof and not sure the builder did anything special to seal the mortar joints between the stone pieces.

Hi Paul, yes I've read about the bucket test and am going to try that this weekend when the temps get above freezing and I can safely turn off the pump. I want to see if I'm still losing water with the pump off. My pool guy says that it is likely the lights, but that is based soley on his experiences with leaks. He also blames it on my choice of a salt system - it can cause the seals to fail. I don't buy that.

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but have been reading it the last 24 hours and it is great! I have a Jandy Aquapure system with the Service light on and service code 110 displayed. The unit beeps every minute or so when the pump is on. The manual doesn't have a service code 110 listed so not sure what this is. I cleaned the salt cell (it had some scale), but that hasn't affected it. The cell is 2.5 years old so I suspect it is the sensor. We're not sure sensor has every read salt levels correct and there is some discoloring on the inner face of the sensor - the non-metalic part. I'm thinking of ordering a new sensor. This issue started over the last week where we've had below freezing temperatures for over 72 hours straight. Very unusual for Austin, TX. Pump was runing non-stop during that period. If anyone has any other ideas I would appreciate it.

I live in Austin Texas and have had the same problem over the last week. Pool is 2.5 years old and has always lost a little more water than our last pool. This week it has accelerated and looks like I'm losing about 1/2 inch per day. Pump has been running non-stop and am concerned it may be a pipe - more water running through, more water loss. Not sure if cold water affects a pressure leak in the pool itself. I called one company and it's $800 to come out and check for leaks!