I have an in ground pool with attached hot tub. When the pool pump is running, and in the current valve configuration, the hot tub has a water fall feature where water cascades over the edge and into the pool.

I believe there are four outlets that take water back to the pump / filter / heater / salt water generator. There is one at the bottom of the pool in the deep end, one in the skimmer, one on the side of the pool for use with a vacuum, and one in the hot tub.

These are pictured here;



In the pool there are four inlets that sends water back into the pool. These are fairly evenly spaced around the pool. And then one inlet in the hot tub that send water back in.

Looking at my set up, it would appear that there are 3 pipes returning water to the pool and hot tub.

These are pictured here;


Would I be incorrect in assuming that maybe of the four inlets in the pool, two have a pipe, and the other two have a pipe, and then the hot tub is one on it's own?

What I want to do is turn these valves so that I can shut off the pool outlet and inlet and only run water through the hot tub. That way I can heat that area much more quickly and much more cheaply.

I plan to just throw on my bathing suit, put my hands up against the returns and then start turning valves until I get it right. But before I do, figured I would ask here in case someone can save me some time.

Assumptions made, based on what's visible.

I'd think the valve just before the pump would pull from the spa if you flip it & block off the inlet from the pool/skimmer.
Same on the return side, guessing the bottom valve will force just through the spa.

Yes, it is designed exactly to do just that. If you had auto valves hitting “spa” moves all the returns to off except the spa return. It shuts off all the inlets as well so that only the hot tub water is cycling through your heater.

The important point here is that you want to shut off the input and the output lines of everything EXCEPT the spa. Otherwise you waste a lot of time and money heating pool water.

Your suction side (going back to pump, heater, salt cell) are the drains on pool bottom, skimmer, and vacuum. In the spa you will just have the bottom drain. On the return (output) side you have the waterfall and the returns on the sidewall. The spa returns are just the side wall jets.

That is all you want open in spa mode the spa drain and the spa returns. Everything on pool should be closed.

Man who plumbed that thing it's confusing eh?! You should, in my opinion at least, only have to turn one valve on each side (inlet/outlet) to isolate the spa from the pool. I would guess in the first pic (inlet side) it is the valve closest to the pump inlet (and you). That would take in water from the spa only.

For the second pic (outlet) I would say it's the first valve in the chain. Your spa water feature should be on the pool side so that it doesn't run when you're isolating the spa, at least that's how mine is plumbed. If you have 3 returns total I would imagine the first one goes to the spa and the other 2 split between the pool returns and the water feature. In the pic you supplied the way the valve is currently set whichever return the left pipe feeds is getting the majority of the flow while the other side is getting some but not as much. If I was to hazard a guess the pool return is to the left and water feature to the right.