We bought our house in Aug 21, and have constantly had issues with our pool cleaner. I don't know much about it, and trying to get the thing to finally work. Can anyone shed some light on what model I might have? I think the connection to the little box on the hose has a leak and that's preventing it from working well. It just doesn't move much.

Any recommendations on a replacement that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

https://ibb.co/7jXFv1w
https://ibb.co/F3WFh6j
https://ibb.co/BwLjz90

It's a Polaris 380. The backup valve periodically redirects the water flow to pull the cleaner out from wherever it might be stuck. It can start to leak continuously rather than directing all the water to the cleaner and you'll start to see poor performance, but you can replace it for less than $50.

There's a lot of small parts inside which wear out over time and can break. There's probably a cheaper option, but you can take drop off at Leslie's to have it serviced. Turnaround time probably isn't great this time of year though.

Thanks all. Definitely appreciate the help. I've tried to get help from our pool company but they are not great at answering phone calls or emails. We are in the process of finding a new one.

I found kits online to replace all the gears and drive shaft in the cleaner for relatively cheap, so I may give that a shot. As of now the thing is completely dead and literally just sits on the bottom in one spot.

Texker said:

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We had a Polaris similar to yours then discovered the Dolphin robot. It's amazing how much more the Dolphin picks up. Worth the cost.

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Mind sharing which model you got? Trying to decide if it's worth trying to fix the Polaris or not.

Of course. I purchased 3 years ago so the models have likely changed. We have an Active 20. I was in your shoes back then and decided repairs weren't worth the effort. I know it's $ but telling ya after 3 years it's worth every penny. Cleaner water is much easier to manage and less costly. We bought from Marina Pool & Spa in Colorado based on a TexAgs recommendation.

Texker said:

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Of course. I purchased 3 years ago so the models have likely changed. We have an Active 20. I was in your shoes back then and decided repairs weren't worth the effort. I know it's $ but telling ya after 3 years it's worth every penny. Cleaner water is much easier to manage and less costly. We bought from Marina Pool & Spa in Colorado based on a TexAgs recommendation.

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Second Marina Pool and Spa. You have to call, though. The prices on their website are usually MSRP or the minimum advertiseable price (if that's a word). Calling will get you a better price.

The house we purchased a few years ago has five large trees around the pool-every little storm and continuously in the fall it is full of leaves. It is irregular shaped so not easily amenable to a cover.

Any cleaners better than others at handling this?

555-PINF said:

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Texker said:

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Of course. I purchased 3 years ago so the models have likely changed. We have an Active 20. I was in your shoes back then and decided repairs weren't worth the effort. I know it's $ but telling ya after 3 years it's worth every penny. Cleaner water is much easier to manage and less costly. We bought from Marina Pool & Spa in Colorado based on a TexAgs recommendation.

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Second Marina Pool and Spa. You have to call, though. The prices on their website are usually MSRP or the minimum advertiseable price (if that's a word). Calling will get you a better price.

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MAP pricing is a thing. Call them.

Texker said:

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555-PINF said:

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Texker said:

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Of course. I purchased 3 years ago so the models have likely changed. We have an Active 20. I was in your shoes back then and decided repairs weren't worth the effort. I know it's $ but telling ya after 3 years it's worth every penny. Cleaner water is much easier to manage and less costly. We bought from Marina Pool & Spa in Colorado based on a TexAgs recommendation.

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Second Marina Pool and Spa. You have to call, though. The prices on their website are usually MSRP or the minimum advertiseable price (if that's a word). Calling will get you a better price.

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MAP pricing is a thing. Call them.

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good to know. i sent them an email earlier but i will give them a call.

My property is pretty similar to the description listed just above, several HUGE pine trees and oak trees surround the pool, so i am constantly pulling out leaves and needles. I asked them in the email if they had any recommendations.

Very well. Figure out the right model and buy one.

yeah i decided not to replace the hose. its crazy what those go for. i figure mine is ok for now, as it seems to have stretched and straightened out after i laid it in the sun for a while the other day.

Our Polaris 280 is about 23 years old and still going strong. I get most of the parts from Amazon, and I can use my brother-in-law's commercial account at Leslie's, so I see how crazy over-priced everything is there, it's highway robbery. Always keep extra wheel bearings and hose floats on-hand.

I have a Polaris Racer. Looks like the kids left it in the pool recently and somehow managed to crack the casing. Seems to be the one part that cannot be replaced.

:-(

My wife said the pool has been very cloudy these last couple weeks I've been gone. She had it tested 2x and added everything necessary but it is still cloudy, likely with dead algae. Anyone aware of how to clear up a pool that is testing satisfactorily?

I assume a chlorine pool, take it to a pool store and get your CYA number and report back. If too high it will inhibit the chlorine from working correctly and result in an algae bloom, especially in this heat. And the only way to lower CYA is to drain part of the pool. What type of filter? If DE, there could be a tear in one of the grids, allowing DE to continually circulate in the pool. I went to saltwater from chlorine a few years back and love it, mostly from not having to mess with the 3" tabs anymore and battling the CYA number.

No it isn't that. Everything seems to be in line except chlorine which is why we shocked it, but even after that it remained slightly cloudy.

Add a clarifier to get all those small dead bits of algae to bind together and the skimmer will take care of them.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/2018/12/12/slam-shock-level-and-maintain/

Sea Speed said:

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No it isn't that. Everything seems to be in line except chlorine which is why we shocked it, but even after that it remained slightly cloudy.

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Need your CYA number.

I dont Evan what it was but it was ok when we had it tested just the other day

Clean or replace your filters if clarifier isn't getting the algae out.

As another poster suggested, high CYA will cause cloudy water after shocking.

Rule Number 32 said:

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Quick Update:

I decided to try to fix the Polaris. Found a kit on amazon for about $150. Spent about an hour the other night and replaced all the gears, belts, wheels, everything except the frame. Also replaced the backup valve for about 30 bucks. So for just under $200 I basically have a brand new polaris. Definitely glad I went that route instead of dropping $1k on a new one.

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man I've rebuilt my Polaris 360 completely twice now, once just 30 days ago...and already having problems again. These things don't last....just be prepared for the yearly money sink LOL. I've been thinking about going robot cleaner as well...I just don't know how long those things last.

Haven't tried clarifier, will do when I get home.

Your chemistry being all within range likely takes it to a mechanical filtration problem, OR the filter hasnt had enough turnovers to clean out all the debris. Clarifier speeds this up. Run your pump 24/7 for a couple days after cleaning to get proper turnover. Make sure you are brushing regularly to keep the debris in suspension. Cartridge style filters take the longest to clear suspended debris compared to de and sand.

Couple other things to think about when you look at chemistry

With cloudy water, bring your pH down to bottom of range, will help with the cloudiness.

CYA >100ppm skip the clarifier as the first step, replace some water, then evaluate.

For the clarifier, as a reminder, it doesn't kill algae, so don't use if you have mustard or green color in your pool. Treat that with shock, then use clarifier after to coagulate bleached algae for the filters to catch.

If you are still stuck at that point, go get a full chemistry panel and we can look at it further.

I'm going to hit it with clarifier and keep the pump running and see what happens. I think a full filter cleaning is due anyways because we just bought this house so I should check the condition. Thanks.

Sea Speed said:

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I dont Evan what it was but it was ok when we had it tested just the other day

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The CYA number doesn't have a huge range (20-100 generally) so how did you determine it was ok?

Sea Speed said:

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I'm going to hit it with clarifier and keep the pump running and see what happens. I think a full filter cleaning is due anyways because we just bought this house so I should check the condition. Thanks.

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My DE grids were extremely fouled up a few weeks back, apparently I had my SWG down too low, and got a bit of an algae bloom, so the grids were coated with grey-water looking nastiness that was dead algae. I knew there was an issue when I couldn't get the pump to prime, even after cleaning the impeller twice. So it's always a good idea to check the grid condition and clean. Before re-assembly, make sure to clean the filter housing o-ring grooves (and the o-ring itself) and lube it with something like Magic Lube. I always WD40 the inside of the restraining band so it will tighten up enough to keep it from leaking.

texsn95 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I dont Evan what it was but it was ok when we had it tested just the other day

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The CYA number doesn't have a huge range (20-100 generally) so how did you determine it was ok?

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Had it tested at leslies but I dknt recall what the number was but they specifically stated it was not a concern whatsoever.

I just got the numbers, I have never bought anything from them. Numbers are numbers. I double checked them, after them telling me it wasn't an issue. I'm in brazil so I csnt look at the handy printout they gave me. There really isn't any point in arguing this, honestly. We shocked the pool to kill some already and it needs to be cleared up. I'll hit it with a clarifier and see how that goes.

The point is, if your CYA is too high, then the issue is only going to get worse.