Caretaker system is not rotating through the zones

Jump to latest Follow Reply
G

gljohnson

0
Sep 6, 2015
2
St. Johns, FL
I have a Caretaker 5 port system that is about 10 years old. The system worked when it was installed but after we change the tank (different tank originally had a 4 filter large tank to a Pentar Clean and Clear 150SF single filter large tank) some 9 years later the system started have problems:(. We got a replacement kit from the vendor and changed it out. That did not help in solving the problem. I have about 30psi at the filter and 5-7psi at the Caretaker. The heads in the first zone on the steps pop up and one head in the next zone also pops up. Another thing is the Caretaker grinds or spins very loud but does not stop or change to the next zone or any zones for that matter.

Any suggestions in resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated:).

Thanks...
 
Hello gljohnson, and Welcome to TFP :wave:,

Let me start by saying I do not own a Caretaker, nor am I very mechanically inclined, nor do I have any previous knowledge of them other than the research done tonight. I did, however, possibly locate a few things during my research for you to try that Might help. Sorry I can't be of more assistance, but hopefully one of these will solve the problem.

1st, from my research, it is my understanding that when the Caretaker is not receiving enough PSI to it it will Not progress through the zones like it is suppose to, so hopefully it not going through the zones properly is merely from the low pressure to it, and nothing more serious like a gear issue.

There should be some knobs on it try turning the bottom knob which opens and closes the valves. (Normal parallel is Open, and when the knob is perpendicular the valve is Closed).

Be sure and check the impeller to make sure it isn't clogged with debris, if you haven't already.

Here is one of the links I read it is actually on the Caretaker 99 model, which appears to function basically the same way. I couldn't find a lot on the Caretaker 5, but all the links I did find are below.

The last comment, comment #41, in this link may be of some help to fixing your problem? This info was not just mentioned in one link, but 2, that I reviewed that the pressure issue was caused from this steel strainer having debris in it, and that is all it was that caused the pressure to be so low.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...r-pool-cleaning-system-giving-me-issues/page3


See comments #3 and #5 in this LINK for possible fixes: You might have to paste the address to get there, Sorry. http://x.havuz.org/viewtopic.php?t=7904

Here are the rest of the links that I was able to find.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8688480_troubleshoot-polaris-caretaker-5.html

lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/yhst-91425600618043/newcaretaker5port...

http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/49251-Caretaker-99-No-Pressure-The-Dome/page2


http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/59572-Caretaker-99-cleaning-system-troubleshooting

That's all I have hopefully someone with more experience and knowledge will come along and can offer you some more advice if none of these does the trick.

Have a fun and safe Labor Day :)
 
Thank you Crackerjack4u for your quick response. Your suggestion on opening and closing the valves, cleaning the strainers, impeller and filter was done to get the system to the point of one zone working (my apologies for not mentioning it initially). Additionally, I removed the filter from the tank to see if that would produce for psi's to the Caretaker, no additional pressure was added to make the Caretaker work properly.

The Caretaker install guide was very helpful and I appreciate you sending that link. I think next will be to inspect the pump and motor. I suspect possible mechanical issues with the pump (diffuser or impeller).
 
You're welcome gljohnson,

Sounds good.
Good luck on getting the issue resolved quickly, and please Do let us know what ends up being the culprit because not only am I curious about the cause, but it may help someone else in the future.

Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance, but perhaps someone else will come along, and be able to assist you further. Have a fun, and Safe Labor Day.:)
 
OldPoolMan said:
Have you checked the screen in front of the cleaner head? I think their is one.
Click to expand...

I have an infloor, but not your brand. I had a screen in front of my rotating mechanism. The grit from the house shingles would get into the pool after rains. It would settle in the pump basket, and some would work their way through the system during back wash. The were just the right size that they would fit into the holes in the strainer that this person mention. I'd have to use a toothbrush to get them worked out. It took me YEARS to figure out why I had so much trouble with my system.

I suggest doing this first because it's cheap.
 
The first thing that jumps out at me is the fact that you have 30 psi on the filter gauge and 5 psi on the caretaker distributor gauge. As stated above, the Caretaker requires fairly high pressure in order to operate correctly.

Are you reasonably sure both gauges are working and correct?
Did the problems start right when you changed the filter?
Do you remember what the square footage of the old filter was?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply