Ball Valve

Here is a basic description of the ball valve operation. This is the valve that controls the flow of water between the bottom drains, top wall skimmer, and the filter.

Introduction The Ball Valve is the device that controls the flow of water from the pool to the pump. It determines how much of the water flow is from the skimmer and how much is from the floor drain. The valve is shaped like the letter T and it is sometimes referred to as a T-valve.

Internal cylinder Inside is the T-valve, or cylinder, which can rotate to close or open the different ports. IMPORTANT - To prevent any possible damage turn off the pump before making any adjustments to the ball valve.

Open position: The handle allows you to rotate the internal cylinder. There are markings showing ‘open’ and ‘closed. When all the ‘open’ designations are aligned with the openings (see below), the flow of water is coming half from the skimmer and half from the floor drains and going to the pump.

Skimmer only position By turning the handle you can adjust the flow or shut off either the skimmer or bottom drains. For example, you might close the drains to get more suction from the skimmer if you notice a lot of floating debris on top of the water.

Bottom drain only position If not, you might want more drawn from the floor drains to reduce the amount of vacuuming necessary.

Closed position You can also shut off the flow going to the pump if you need to service the pump or tank. IMPORTANT - When needing to turn the handle more than 180°, unscrew the yellow screw and raise the handle past the stop