My in ground pool and spa was working fine. I used to close pool return and pool suction and get enough pressure in my spa jets. The other day i closed the valves to divert everything to the spa and the jets are not strong like they used to be and it is like bath water now. Not sure why the jets would not have as much pressure anymore when I close of the pool valves and suction.
PSI is at 20 when it is diverted to pool and 22 PSI when it is diverted to spa. It used to be like a 5 PSI difference when it worked fine
I’d double-check and make sure all of the valves are open that divert water to the spa.
Have you cleaned your filter recently? If not, a dirty filter can slow down the flow of water.
Is the pump fully primed? There should be no air in the pump strainer.
Hi Rob,
The pump is fully primed and I have one valve for spa suction and one for spa return. They both are diverted to flow to spa. I will try and clean the filters today and see if that makes a difference. I hope it does because it does not make sense to me what is going on!
I just cleaned the filter and still the same issue
Do you think the diverted valve for pool/spa return has gone bad?
You’d see water returning to the pool if the diverter on the return side was bad. Can you post a picture of your equipment pad so we can see the plumbing?
There is zero or little pressure coming from your jet nozzles, an air pocket may have formed in the line. This is known as an “air lock” and it will disrupt normal operation of your jets.
Is the pump to the far right the jet pump for the spa jets or other water features? If it’s for the spa jets, is it running and fully primed (water all the way to the lid and no air)?
My first thought is that the main pool pump is running and pushing water to the spa but the jet pump is not working correctly. That would explain why the water is hot but the pressure from the jets is not as strong as usual.
The plumbing example below is closer to what you have.
Rob - the pump on the right is for the water fall. The main pump is for pool and spa. The original picture you sent is how my setup is
I don’t see any in the picture, but are there any check valves on the return side of the system? There is often a check valve on the line going to the spa. This would prevent water from draining out of an elevated spa, back to the pool. It’s possible that a check valve could be broken and not opening up fully.
It could be a clogged or damaged impeller. That would cause the pump not to push as much water.
Outside of that, I can think of much else. We’ve concluded that the filter is clean, the valves are set correctly, and that the pump is fully primed. We’re also assuming that there are no return side or pressure side leaks.
I have a check value that is on a pipe underneath the pool/spa check value. I was wondering if it was not opening the full way. How can I tell? I see it close but when it opens I don’t know how far it should be
The check value is on a pipe underneath the pool/spa return line pipe.
It depends on the style of the check valve. Some have union nuts on either side. You can unscrew the nuts and look inside the check valve. You can push the spring-loaded piece and see if it pushes all the way open.
The other style is called a swing valve. The tops on those can be removed in order to see if the flapper swings back and forth.
I changed the check valve flapper and still having the same problem. I do notice when I turn the pool/spa return valve to close the pool side I can feel some force and when I close the spa side I can’t feel the same. Any thoughts?
When the pump is turned on
If water is still returning to the pool when the valve is closed, you should replace the valve internals or the complete valve.
The diverter assembly on the inside of the valve would look something like this. You can see a gasket on the diverter. That may have gone bad in your valve.
Would this have anything to do with my issue though
This issue is still not resolved. Do you think my motor may not be as strong as it used to be and I need a new motor?