How To Change a Diverter Valve

This guide will walk you through replacing a single Diverter Valve. Most damaged valves can be repaired by replacing the Diverter Valve Assembly inside the Diverter Valve Body. See our guide on "How To Fix a Diverter Valve". Occasionally, however, the Valve body may itself break and you will have to replace the whole Valve. Many times the broken valve will be integrated in s cluster of control valves and replacing one may require replacing the cluster. If you are lucky the valve will be off by itself and, therefore, much easier to replace. 

1. BUY PARTS - The main part you will need in a 3- way Diverter Valve. We would recommend a Valve with a Teflon coated paddle like the Jandy Neverlube 3 Way Valve 1 1/2 Inside / 2 Outside. This Valve never needs to be lubricated like the older models. This particular Valve will adapt to either 1 1/2" or 2" piping. The other products you will need are a section of piping and the straight PVC connectors.

2. TURN OFF PUMP - Turn off power to the pool pump. For maximum safety turn off the power at the circuit breaker to the pump.

3. RELIEVE PRESSURE - Relieve the pressure in the lines by turning the relief valve on top of your filter counter-clockwise. You should see the pressure reading on the filter pressure gauge go to 0.

4. CUT OUT VALVE - If you have a 3-way Diverter Valve, you will have to cut each of the three pipes attached to the Valve. Make sure you have enough room on each pipe to add in a straight connector and short pipe to reconnect each line. Allow for 3/4" overlap into the Valve and 3/4" overlap into each end of the connector. If you cannot fit the new connector into the pipe at this point, you will have to make your cuts further down each line. Also, to insert a new Valve into this pipe system, the pipes must have enough flexibility to allow for slipping the last short pipe into the Valve and Connector. If the pipes are too rigid, you might consider replacing the old Valve with a Valve with Unions.

5. FILE CUT ENDS - File the rough saw edges off the ends of the three pipes.

6. GLUE ON CONNECTORS - Glue the straight Connectors onto each of the three pipes. 

7. CUT SHORT PIPES - Cut 3 short pipes to fit between each of the Valve ports and their respective connectors. Make sure to make each of two pipes 1 1/2" longer to overlap into the Valve and Connector. Make the third pipe a half inch shorter to be able to force it into the last pipe connection.

8. FILE CUT ENDS - File the rough edges off both ends of each of the three short pipes.

9. REMOVE VALVE ASSEMBLY - As a precaution, remove the 8 screws on top of the new Valve and lift out the Diverter Valve Assembly. This will prevent any glue from accidentally slopping onto the Valve Assembly when you glue in the short pipes.

10. GLUE IN PIPES - Glue each short pipe into its Valve port and Connector. It may be easiest to glue both ends of the pipe and inserting it into both Valve and Connector at the same time. Save the shorter pipe for the last insertion. You will have to spread the piping a little to force this last short pipe in. Wait 2 hours for the glue to dry before turning on the pump

11. REPLACE VALVE ASSEMBLY - Replace the Diverter Valve Assembly into the Valve and tighten it down with the 8 screws. Make sure the Valve Assembly is inserted the same way as it was with the "INLET" label positioned on the middle port where the water comes in. If you insert the Valve any other way, you run the risk of shutting off all water to this valve.

12. OPTION - VALVE WITH UNIONS - If the piping is too rigid to force the new Valve into the system, you may want to consider using a Diverter Valve with Unions. You would cut the old Valve out, glue in one side of each union, drop the Valve in and screw it in place. This arrangement would also make replacing a future Valve much easier. Just unscrew the three Unions and replace the Valve.


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