The previous owners of my pool had the bottom drain closed off, so the recirculation comes completely from our Kreepy Krauly Classic, and a little be from the single skimmer (using a Vac-mate.) I've read that you should remove the Kreepy Krauly when shocking, but if I do this, I'll get very poor circulation in the deep end. What do people recommend in this situation? Should I still remove the Kreepy and rely on the single skimmer to circulate the water, or should I just leave the Kreepy in the pool during the shock treatment in order to get superior circulation?

I would have thought that the high Cl levels would not hurt a Kreepy since it's entirely plastic, but can it still be damaged? I feel like the cleaner is mandatory in order to get proper circulation when shocking.

Thanks,

Larry

Hey Larry, I am not certain what would happen to your Kreepy Krauly at shock levels. I don't THINK it would damage the unit, but maybe someone else has a more definitive answer.

Another option would be picking up a sump pump and putting that in the deep end (with a hose to she shallow end).

How many returns do you have and how are they pointed and where are they located in the pool. I would think you should be able to aim the return(s) so you'd help the circulation. Having said that, the Kreepy will probably be fine even at shock levels but are you willing to take a chance?

It would be very nice if you'd add your pool and equipment info to your sig so we could see what we're dealing with.

I have 3 returns in the pool and one in the spa. All the pool returns are in the shallow end, so it's the bottom of the deep end that I'm worried about since all the suction would be from the one return right at the surface. It seems like I need some suction down low, which the Kreepy provides. It also seems like the shock would be a lot more effective with the Kreepy constantly stirring things up and pulling water from all over the place over time.

Would there be any particular signs that the shock had damaged the Kreepy? I would have thought that plastic would be pretty much impervious to the chlorine.

I'll have to look into setting up a signature.

Thanks,

Larry

What about getting some PVC pipe and some fittings to attach to where your cleaner plugs in and run the pipe to the deep end through the water ?

That's a thought, but I still can't help wondering if it's even necessary -- how much damage can 30 ppm or so of chlorine do to plastic or rubber, especially given that I appear to only rarely need to shock? I spoke with someone at a pool store that said they always just shock with their Kreepy in the pool. My inclination is to go ahead and shock with the Kreepy in the pool just for the sake of the vastly superior circulation I'll get this way. I'm still curious, however, to hear other people's experiences with this. I can't be the first person to try this.

Thanks again,

Larry

That cleaner is made to be used regardless of the CL level. They all fade the plastics a little over time, but I suspect that is UV degradation more than the CL. If it were me I would use it, no problem.

I have owned 3 Kreepys since 1994 and all are still performing just fine.
The owners manual says to remove Kreepy when shocking.

My experience is to follow those rules.

especially the hoses.
They will have so many leak problems if you do not remove them from high CL levels.
The hoses for Kreepy is the weakest link IMO and experience.
The bottom pleated seal WILL also wear out quickly with high CL levels. I learned that the hard way. But they are very easily replaced.

I have never had a circulation problem in 3 pools while having the main drain plugged while in shock mode. The skimmer provided plenty of water to the filter and the only few times I did have an algae bloom, from being on vacation, I had no problem clearing the green water after a few days with just using the skimmer.

All are older pools that do not have a value to turn off the main drain. The 4th pool has a value for the main drain is easy to use.
I assume you do not have a value for the main drain.

But you do have to see what works for your pool.
I say remove all Kreepy parts and hose while shocking and wait until the CL is below 5 B4 installing them back in.

Note all 4 of my pools also have solar pool covers and that goes a long way in the less work Kreepy actually has to accomplish.
After large winds and storms in SoCal, there still is a mess in the pool that I would rather manually vacuum than have Kreepy do all the work.
Good for us humans to vacuum every now and then!

Enjoy!

Not according to Kreepy's owners manual from 1995 or 2011.
See my other post, above or below, for some details.

The hoses and Kreepy's bottom seal are what really needs to be removed from the pool until the CL level is below 5ppm.

If you do not, expect to replace many hoses and seals way sooner than expected. I guess if you have lots of money to spend, no problem.

Enjoy!

It seems really surprising that Cl would have any significant effect on the hose given that it's made of a plastic that is specifically designed to be exposed to both chlorine and UV for extended periods of time.

Larry

We have left our kreepy krawly in several times while shocking. In 2 years we have only had to replace the foam tip on the end of the sweeper tail. The grey exterior of body bleached out a bit. Still operating great otherwise!

Are you sure that you're talking about a Kreepy Krauly cleaner? I thought that "sweeper tails" were only on other models.

Larry

Yes, I am sure i have a kreepy krawly legend. It is grey with 4 wheels, a sweeper tail, collection bag on top, and attaches via a long hose to the sidewall return. Stays in Pool while shocking and no leaks yet!

The "Legend" cleaner is a pressure side cleaner (a Polaris clone), not the same as the suction side cleaners that this thread is mostly about.

That said, all of them can deteriorate from excessive chlorination, which is why the manufacturers recommend removing them during shocking processes.

That said, the effects are pretty small, and unless you have an exceptionally troublesome pool, I wouldn't worry too much about the effects of chlorine on your pool cleaner.