automatic pool cleaner parts image
Francaise
Its a vinyl inground pool. Rectangular 18x36. Also budget is an issue, I am looking at spending $500 or less.
Answer
After 25 years of hearing how great floor head systems are, I have come to a conclusion. If your pool would have stayed looking nice with any cleaning system in your pool, it will stay nice with a floor head system.
If you plan on owning a pool for 5-6 years, or longer, in my opinion the best cleaning system(Dollar for Dollar) is a Polaris 280 with a booster pump and a separate time clock. The reasons are as follows:
1.)Low cost of repairs. I have clients with Polaris 180âs that are 25 years old. (The 280 has the same drive system.) Total repair costs in 25 years are less than $300.00 total (Not counting bag replacements.) I Personally, have owned a Polaris 280 for almost 5 years and have not spent a dime. (other than on 2 bags, and one of them was torn by my kids, and the other by a big pine cone. )
2.)It will clean most pools spotless in 10-20 minutes per day. You have seen our (5) 40â plus Ponderosa pines that overhang our pool area. Not counting steps and love seat, if we keep the bag cleaned, the floor stays spotless.
3.)Initial installation costs should be in the $1400.00-1600.00 range. Floor head systems are usually about double the initial expense. Also, the motor for the cleaning system is usually a 2 H.P. or larger, and the pool needs to run for substantially greater times to even get close to what a Polaris will do in ½ hour or less. Also, if you are not the initial purchaser of the system, you will not get a lifetime warrantee. Replacement gear systems, floor heads, ⦠can average more than $200.00 per year after the first 2 year, not to mention if the cleaner is not working correctly, i.e. heads jammed in the up position, actuator gears jammed, ⦠you are running that large motor with absolutely no cleaning going on. Any way you look at it, running a ¾ H.P. booster motor for 20-30 minutes is going to be a lot cheaper than running a 2 H.P. for 3-4 hours. Add into this that most motors run for more than 2 hours per day seem to have a life span in the 5-6 year range, and that a 2 H.P. motor is about double the cost, I cannot see spending the money.
4.)Suction side cleaners have a lower initial cost, but are annoying because either they will not pick up sticks, twigs, small rocks, ⦠or they will, and then they will completely stop working until you spend 10 minutes pulling them out and cleaning the debris out of them. Some of these will end up needing replacement parts just because of punctured diaphragms, ⦠This is in addition to an average annual repair cost of about $200-250, after the first year or two. In less than 5 years(More likely 3 years), if you add in electricity savings, pool cleanliness and thus chemical costs savings, and electrical savings, you have more than paid for the Polaris. If you add to this the fact that, if you have a suction side cleaner, you will have had to bring it in to the shop at least 4-5 times, having a non-functional cleaning system, thus a horridly dirty pool at least 4-5 times, the fact that often it dies a slow death each time so your pool doesnât look right for months prior to each rebuilding, and the repeated hassles of needing to unplug the system when ever any ârealâ debris ends up in the pool, and I wonât have anything else in my pool, or my families pools. To summarize, If you are buying a cleaner and are selling the home quickly, I would probably go with a pool Vac(if there are no rocks, sticks, big leaves, ⦠In other words, dirt only, but your annual repair costs will be high) or a Kreepy Krauley if you have anything else(Or want 40% less repair costs than the Pool Vac).
5.)Floor heads, or suction cleaners destroy the natural water flow around the pool which is responsible for moving the debris around to the skimmer on the surface, and for moving silt, and dirt to the main drain. Therefore, the surface areas of both sides of the pool(If the cleaners are functioning properly) will be an average of 20-40% dirtier than the same pool with a pool vac, return lines properly adjusted, and approximately ¾ of the suction of the pool going to the main drain. Also, since almost all of the suction for a suction side cleaner is directed to the cleaner, and thatâs run through an extra 30 feet or so of corrugated hose, the water flow is greatly reduced, and to get the same water filtration you will need to run that system approximately 25% -30% longer than a system without a suction cleaner. Thatâs 1 ¾ hrs longer running a 1 H.P. motor than is needed to run the ¾ H.P booster. Also, as a suction cleaner picks up debris, assuming it doesnât get plugged up and stop functioning all together, the baskets will fill up and all the suction to the pool will decrease or stop. There are times during the year where about 60% of the repair work I do is related to suction cleaning systems picking up too much debris. Note: This is never covered under any warrantee.
There is more that I could add, but I am too tired to do so now. Installation is as follows:
I'm having trouble vacuuming my pool what should I do?
Q. when I attach the tube with full water to the skimmer it won't vaccum. I know that the tube cannot have air in it and I'm sure that it doesn't when I attach it to the skimmer so I don't think that's the problem. I have tried so many times but it won't vacuum!! It might be the tubes problem or the pump I'm not sure. Help? I have an overground pool with an automatic cleaner that attaches to the tube.
Answer
Vacuuming your swimming pool is essential to proper swimming pool maintenance. Most pool owners opt for an automatic swimming pool cleaner, but some also choose to perform this task manually. Below you will find the proper technique to manually vacuum an above ground or inground swimming pool.
1. Start by attaching the vacuum head and pole together. Then attach the vacuum hose to the vacuum head.
2. Lower the vacuum head to the bottom of the pool and use a hand-over-hand method to sink the vacuum hose, working from the part attached to the head towards the free end. This will remove air from the hose. You can tell if you have done it properly when water runs out of the hose.
3. Connect the free end of the hose to the opening at the back of the skimmer, after taking the skimmer basket off.
4. At the filter slab, turn main control valve off, and turn the control valve attached to your skimmer towards the off position until you hear the pump activate. Then open it slightly until the pump can be heard running smoothly again.
5. Now that you have most of the suction concentrated into your vacuuming system, you are ready to vacuum! Move the vacuum like you would a real vacuum on a rug, in slow linear passes.
6. Depending on how dirty the pool is, you may have to empty the pump strainer during this process.
7. When you are finished, do not lift the vacuum head until you have gone back to the filter slab and opened any of the valves you have closed.
Here are some more links with great information on vacuuming your pool. I hope this helps.
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