1 of 4 fountain heads not working

[Dirk]

Managed to get cover off … my FIL had a pair of pliers where the ends are bent 90 degrees. It took some jimmying tho so will definitely call Crystal and see about a key permanently

Thanks @Dirk for the suggestion to try the eyeball first there was a lot of small muddy junk - not sure if it came from above or from under but it was preventing something form working either water flow or a valve.

Thanks so much guys

I don't have any experience with water features, but I can make an educated guess. My yard gets covered with a very fine grit. Kind'a like the dust that collects on furniture inside my house. It's probably fine particles of dirt in the air, perhaps from local agriculture. My last house had the same thing. Maybe everybody has this. Anywho, the same stuff that collects on my outdoor furniture and deck, lands in my pool. Some of it gets sucked into the skimmer, some falls to the bottom, and gets sucked up by my vac. Either way, it gets sent to my filter, which is why I have to clean my filter periodically. Now the big stuff, like leaves, gets trapped in my pump's basket, but the fine stuff gets through the basket and collects in the filter media.

Your pool has TWO circuits, and each one of them sucks water through a pump basket (where the big stuff collects). But only ONE of your circuits has a filter! Which means of the fine stuff that is falling on your pool's surface, some ends up in your filter, some in your vac, but some also gets sucked into your feature circuit, which doesn't filter anything. Some of it gets blown out of your feature jets, but apparently there is enough of it to also get stuck to your jets. Once the build up starts, it's probably self perpetuating, and the build up starts building up on the build up, to the point where it ends up clogging the jet.

Because you have four jets, as one starts to get clogged up, the other three take up the slack and get more of the pump's water. That's why that clogged jet didn't get cleaned out by the force of the water, because as the blockage increased, the force reduced, because that force of water found an easier path through the other three jets. Again, sort of a self perpetuating situation. You can test this theory by using your hand to cover one jet. Instead of pushing back hard on your hand, I bet it shuts down relatively easily, and the other three jets get a little higher.

Well, all that made sense in my head! Short version: get the key, pop the four covers off once a year to clean them out, and this won't happen again. You'll probably find one is always dirtier than the other three, and it'll probably always be the same one.

While you're at it, take the time to figure out which valve is for which jet and label them for reference next time you have an issue.

Hopefully that's all this problem was. Cheers and Happy New Year!

 

[Dirk]

Alternately, there may be an in-line strainer you could install in that circuit, a mini-filter of sorts, that would collect this gunk. That might save you from cleaning the jets once a year. It would just be a different maintenance task, to clean the stainer periodically. I imagine cleaning the strainer would be the easier task, plus they have a clear body, through which you can keep an eye on when it needs to be done.

The gizmo just after your feature pump looks like a check valve, but I'm not sure why you would need one there. Perhaps to keep the lines charged with water, so that they don't sputter at first? Not sure. I thought that might be a stainer. Either way, that's the pipe in which you'd install such a strainer.

 

[Dirk]

I wasn't too far off, and I guess I can't claim I invented this idea!

Water Feature Filter - CMP

A FILTER DESIGNED FOR WATER FEATURES All water features must use filtered water for optimum performance and to prevent damage to the feature. The CMP water feature filter is the perfect accessory for waterfalls, deck jets, bubblers and other water features. Use with Brilliant Wonders and Natural...

www.c-m-p.com

 

[Dirk]

Another "educated guess" I think I got right, from:

https://intheswim.com/eguides/check-valves.html

Raised Spas​

Remember that water seeks its own level, and when a spa, fountain or water feature is placed at a higher level than the pool water, it will naturally gravity drain (into the pool), when the pump shuts off. Check valves are used on spa return lines, and/or spa overflow lines, to keep attached spas on shared systems from losing gravity draining when the pump shuts off. Similarly, check valves can also be used for wall fountains, deck jets and waterfalls, to prevent draining when they are not being used.

 

[BDY]

Follow up

Heard back from Crystal Fountains - the key is not included with the sale of the fountains and must be purchased separately by a company, not individual.

(/facepalm)

I'm laughing at what could possibly need a security key on a built in fountain head. Either they get stolen a lot or there a lot of dumb poolowners that have somehow hurt themselves in the past enough the company doesn't let them service it anymore. Or, its a racket from the pool service people that you have to call them.

Ordering one now from the link above....sigh.....

Brian

 

[Dirk]

they get stolen a lot

Check.

its a racket from the pool service people that you have to call them

And... checkmate.