Swimming pools blog

Well, the fun continues.. I turned on my pump this morning and after
several minutes noticed something odd… the water level wasn’t rising
even though I was filling the pool to top it off. I also noticed the
glass bulb by the valve had water flow, which shouldn’t happen unless
I’m backwashing or rinsing the lines. Apparently my valve is not
functioning properly. It’s a Hayward Variflo 6 position valve. When in
the “filter” position it is flushing some water out the drain line but
it’s mostly diverting back to the pool jets as it should.. I’d venture
to say it was about 70/30, pool/drain.
One observation I made is that the valve handle, which you need to push
down to turn, doesn’t have the same resistance when you push it down now
compared to normal. It’s not completely loose, but falls a tiny bit
when you let go. There is also some black residue in the notches.
Anyone ever have this problem or have any other experience with this
particular piece of equipment? I assume there is a worn part that needs

to be replaced. Any recommendations on a vendor?
Looks like the weekend project list has grown yet again.
Tim