nitrous Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Iam doing my first water change and I am having water trucked in from my local city as I have well water and I am not going through the hassle of trying to balance that again and having my filter yellow again and staining. (dealer did not even mention how hard this would be after he had my water sample) Anyways so the guy has a 4inch hose and I know it states to always refill the tub through the filter. Does this have to be done as his hose will not fit in the filter ? I have a skimmer type filter system. Can we just take the filter out and fill through there or can I simply fill just by putting the hose in the tub ? I assume I just may have a air lock if I do this but I had a air lock anyways with my first fill with the garden hose through the filter and had to undo a union fitting to let air out. We are doing this in a couple hours here so any comments would be appreciated Thanks all !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 By not filling through the filter you only risk an air lock. If you're comfortable with this, and can easily deal with it, it shouldn't be a problem. (FYI; the air lock, or amount of air necessary to bleed out may be significantly more if not filled through the filter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Iam doing my first water change and I am having water trucked in from my local city as I have well water and I am not going through the hassle of trying to balance that again and having my filter yellow again and staining. (dealer did not even mention how hard this would be after he had my water sample) Anyways so the guy has a 4inch hose and I know it states to always refill the tub through the filter. Does this have to be done as his hose will not fit in the filter ? I have a skimmer type filter system. Can we just take the filter out and fill through there or can I simply fill just by putting the hose in the tub ? I assume I just may have a air lock if I do this but I had a air lock anyways with my first fill with the garden hose through the filter and had to undo a union fitting to let air out. We are doing this in a couple hours here so any comments would be appreciated Thanks all !! Based on the plumbing design of the tub, some it is never a problem and others it is inherantly always a problem. Seems if there is a downslope from the filter T to the pump it is more of a problem then if it is level. Do an experiment and don't fill it through the filter and see if it purges itself or airlocks. If it air locks feel free to come back and I will apoligize for suggesting it and explain how to purge it. It will help if when you first turn the tub back on after a refill if you instantly turn the pump on high for a few seconds. Turn it off right away if it doesn't pump water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 OK thanks guys I think I will just try and not fill through filter area.....if I do have a air lock is there a easier way of letting air out of my XP3 Flowmaster pumps other than opening the large unions ? I heard of someone saying there are usually black thumb bleeder screws ? not sure if my pumps have those or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 OK thanks guys I think I will just try and not fill through filter area.....if I do have a air lock is there a easier way of letting air out of my XP3 Flowmaster pumps other than opening the large unions ? I heard of someone saying there are usually black thumb bleeder screws ? not sure if my pumps have those or not If you have a problem let me know. The plug is on the pump, not the motor that drives the pump but the pump. And it may not be on top. Could be turned to the side or bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 right on guys thanks so if it's locked just open that bleed screw while pump is running on low or breaker off ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey_in_NY Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 After you've filled the tub why not try purging the air-lock out with a toilet plunger over the filter inlet? Very low tech but it's worth a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spatech (the unreal one) Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 right on guys thanks so if it's locked just open that bleed screw while pump is running on low or breaker off ? Open the bleed fitting or pump union ever so slightly with the pump off and you'll hear air escape. Shut it once water starts trickling out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Spa Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I'm not so sure I'd want to put my toilet plunger on my spa. No, actually I'm QUITE sure I wouldn't want to. After you've filled the tub why not try purging the air-lock out with a toilet plunger over the filter inlet? Very low tech but it's worth a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I'm not so sure I'd want to put my toilet plunger on my spa. No, actually I'm QUITE sure I wouldn't want to. After you've filled the tub why not try purging the air-lock out with a toilet plunger over the filter inlet? Very low tech but it's worth a try! Ya me neither.....crazy man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnepr Dave Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 You could sanitize your toilet plunger in a bucket of water/bleach mixture, or just buy a new plunger. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey_in_NY Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I'm not so sure I'd want to put my toilet plunger on my spa. No, actually I'm QUITE sure I wouldn't want to. After you've filled the tub why not try purging the air-lock out with a toilet plunger over the filter inlet? Very low tech but it's worth a try! Ya me neither.....crazy man I certainly wasn't suggesting you use a 'dirty' plunger directly on your tub immediately after using it to clear the toilet! You can probably buy a new (clean) one for a few bucks. Because a plunger over the filter hole will push/pull water through the piping system it may be a cheap and easy way to prime the system, and if it doesn't work then so what...you simply revert to more traditional methods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous Posted September 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Well guys after filling it not through the filter I flipped breaker and tub went through test cycle and then I put pumps on high and no air lock. Although the circ pump did not run right away it took another flip of breaker and pumps on high cycle to get it to start filtering. Kinda scared me at first but seems to be working good now. I didn't bleed any of the pumps. Roger or Dr Spa you guys seem to know your stuff, do you think the circ pump is fine? Can this one be bled also? It seems like it's pulling the same amount of water through the skimmer but I'm not 100% sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Well guys after filling it not through the filter I flipped breaker and tub went through test cycle and then I put pumps on high and no air lock. Although the circ pump did not run right away it took another flip of breaker and pumps on high cycle to get it to start filtering. Kinda scared me at first but seems to be working good now. I didn't bleed any of the pumps. Roger or Dr Spa you guys seem to know your stuff, do you think the circ pump is fine? Can this one be bled also? It seems like it's pulling the same amount of water through the skimmer but I'm not 100% sure The circ pump can be more difficult to bleed. Do you have a manual for your tub. It may say where the filter and line for the circ pump are. You can fill that way to increase your chances of no airlock. Sounds like your golden anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1oty Posted September 26, 2009 Report Share Posted September 26, 2009 Well guys after filling it not through the filter I flipped breaker and tub went through test cycle and then I put pumps on high and no air lock. Although the circ pump did not run right away it took another flip of breaker and pumps on high cycle to get it to start filtering. Kinda scared me at first but seems to be working good now. I didn't bleed any of the pumps. Roger or Dr Spa you guys seem to know your stuff, do you think the circ pump is fine? Can this one be bled also? It seems like it's pulling the same amount of water through the skimmer but I'm not 100% sure The circ pump can be more difficult to bleed. Do you have a manual for your tub. It may say where the filter and line for the circ pump are. You can fill that way to increase your chances of no airlock. Sounds like your golden anyway. I agree. Not to mention that the circ pump is probably moving water fine if you have heat indication on the topside. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted September 28, 2009 Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Well guys after filling it not through the filter I flipped breaker and tub went through test cycle and then I put pumps on high and no air lock. Although the circ pump did not run right away it took another flip of breaker and pumps on high cycle to get it to start filtering. Kinda scared me at first but seems to be working good now. I didn't bleed any of the pumps. Roger or Dr Spa you guys seem to know your stuff, do you think the circ pump is fine? Can this one be bled also? It seems like it's pulling the same amount of water through the skimmer but I'm not 100% sure To solve your circ pump purge problem you could find it's outlet and put your garden hose over it for a few seconds, blow the air back to the filter. The water level would have to be higher than the circ pump and it's lines though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous Posted September 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2009 Well guys after filling it not through the filter I flipped breaker and tub went through test cycle and then I put pumps on high and no air lock. Although the circ pump did not run right away it took another flip of breaker and pumps on high cycle to get it to start filtering. Kinda scared me at first but seems to be working good now. I didn't bleed any of the pumps. Roger or Dr Spa you guys seem to know your stuff, do you think the circ pump is fine? Can this one be bled also? It seems like it's pulling the same amount of water through the skimmer but I'm not 100% sure To solve your circ pump purge problem you could find it's outlet and put your garden hose over it for a few seconds, blow the air back to the filter. The water level would have to be higher than the circ pump and it's lines though. Thanks Roger but I think it is fine as it seems to be heating and looks like she's pulling water through the skimmer fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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