Rehab in floor system or do something else

Jump to latest Follow Reply
S

Smitny

0
Mar 5, 2016
6
Melbourne, FL
Hello everyone,

First post here and new pool owner. I just bought a home with a pool, and after some internet research I have deduced that I have an infloor system that has A&A QuikClean Style 1 heads. 13 of the 19 heads are broken, and I dont have much faith that the other 6 will work so well when I get it up and running again.

Also, the 6 port distribution valve has been robbed of all its 'innards', there are no gears, balls, t-valves, etc inside anymore. Nothing. Nada.

Parts to replace all these things will be in the $1000 range (Retrojets) so my question to those more experienced is... Would you rehab the in floor system or go with an automatic vacuum/ robot? If you choose door #2, what do you do with the existing plumbing? I have searched for a cap or plug to cover the holes, but didnt find anything. Can I use the return line that goes into the distribution valve now, to power a blower side?? cleaner (havent done much research on the automatic cleaners yet)

The pool is in Florida and inside a screen enclosure with no real leaf problems, just small dust and dirt to worry about.

Thanks
 
Welcome to TFP!

I don't know much about infloor systems except that people either love them or hate them. There are a lot of folks here who love their robots, especially for picking up dust and dirt. It sounds to me like that is the way to go for you.
 
Yes I have an older gunite pool and the three floor cleaners were converted to be the returns by the previous owner. Three years here and it seems to work well.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Do you know if you can salvage the existing system? I absolutely love my in-floor cleaner. Literally, the only maintenance I have with my pool is the weekly sojourn to the closet to get out the TF-100 and then make any chemical adjustments. And occasionally I brush everything. The self-cleaning feature is, as my kids say, AWESOMESAUCE!.
 
I concur with Jay! Even though I do have to pull out the vacuum to get the one spot where debris collects, the In Floor is great!

If it were me, I would seriously consider if it could be revived. A&A have a great reputation (as far as I can tell) so it would more likely than not work fine if it was running.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I definitely think the existing system can be revived - to those who like their systems, have you experienced a short life with your hydro diverter valves - a few things I read said they last about 3 years before gears or impellers? go bad.

To those who re-plumb to the return line, what specifically do you do with the holes in the floor? (My son likes playing with / diving for golf balls in the pool, and I dont want a "hole in one" if you get my drift)

Thanks

- - - Updated - - -

I think I understand a little better about the plumbing to return now. The only 'returns' the main pool has is one small line that comes from the chlorinator, and the in floor cleaner heads - no wall returns, eyeball vents etc.
 
Mine is new - just a few months old. I don't know about lifespan or cost to repair. From what I read robots and Polaris type cleaners also have to be repaired/replaced periodically. I figure it's close enough to be a wash but I might be wrong.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I have had an A&A system in place for over 10 years. I had some issues with it not doing a really good jobs of cleaning. A&A provides a lifetime warranty to the original owner, so I called them. They came out and replaced every head with a new, better design, they also replaced the gear/valve pack, although it was still working fine after 10 years of use.

You could just replace any missing or damaged heads and leave it without a gear/valve assembly. That way I would just work as a water return that distributes water throughout the pool. But once you have gone that far, just replacing the gear/valve assembly (I think they are about $100) would get the system back into full service. What you have is a $5,000 option on a new pool, that you can get back in service for a few hundred dollars. There are some who love their infloor systems and others who think they are useless. I'm somewhere in between. It does clean the pool. It's not as quick or through as a robot though, but then you don't have to put it in and take it out, nor do you have cords or hoses to deal with.
 
The pool, (like the house attached to it) has been neglected for years. Even the heads that are still intact, (they range from whole, to half there, to not there at all) have a lot of mineral buildup/crust on them, to the point where I am pretty sure that when/if I do replace tHe diverter, even the ones that look "good" probably wont pop or rotate like they are supposed to. And there are 19 of them. So even at best prices, that comes to about $900 right off the bat. Add the rebuild guts for the valve and Im up to around $1100. That is the really long way of saying that this is my primary objection to rehabbing the system - the initial cost. The idea of the system seems great, and I am glad to hear from actual owners that it might be worth that cost to get it back up and running. Still mulling...

Thanks again to all you folks for stopping by to help people like myself "wade" through stuff like this. My next thread is queueing up already... pentair easy touch or hayward aqua plus automation for the planned salt chlorine generator upgrade.
 
Smitny said:
(You a Zildjian, Paiste, or Sabian man?) :)
Click to expand...

I started out a few years ago in my mid 40s just for fun. I bought a Tama Starclassic kit in Dark Cherry Fade. Beautiful kit. Loved it. I went Paiste 2002 series for cymbals. I did play some Zildjian Ks and the classic line and would do them again, too, but I preferred the 2002s. Wasn't a fan of the A's. For some reason (which I can't explain) I had a mental aversion to Sabian so I never even gave them a try.

After about a year of banging on acoustics I discovered Roland and have been an eDrum convert primarily to save my hearing. I prefer the sound and feel of acoustics but they just aren't practical since I don't play in a band and I only play in church (very seldom).

Thanks for asking. You?
 
I'll add another wrinkle, cost. If you have a vs pump you can filter your pool on low speed for hours at very little cost and trow in the robot once a month for a few pennies more. An infloor system requires you to run your pump at a signiocantly higher speed thereby significantly increasing your energy costs. On the other hand, when its working it cuts down on the work the pool owner needs to do.
 
My pool is programmed to run the infloor system each morning. It takes 1.5 hours for the infloor to run a full cycle, that is, each zone operating 12 times so that every head has popped up in each of its 12 positions. The system works with the pump set at 2,600 rpm (1,000 watt draw).
 
bdrums said:
Thanks for asking. You?
Click to expand...

Haha, I can totally relate to the mental aversion to Sabian, but dont quite know why either. Yamaha kit with a mixture of many Zildjians and a couple of Paistes, but all was many moons ago - havent played in years. Anyway, i guess i should get back to pools...

The only thing I have seen online to deal with the holes involves draining the pool and filling them and plastering over. You would think somebody would make a cheap head that just functions as a flush return, but i guess the demand isnt there. And since they are my only substantial pool return lines, I think I am just going to pay to get the system up and running again.
 
Smithy- I bought a house with neglected IFS (pcc2000) that wasn't functioning and we rehabbed it. Went from 3 pumps to one VSP replumbed and changed out the modules. It actually works pretty good now but I think one nice benefit is floor returns provide great circulation. Like Chief said we run at higher RPMs a cpl hours a day for the IFS- we haven't changed any heads out (may have to change a cpl at some point) but can't figure out why they are so expensive
 
I would contact A&A directly for advice. Their tech rep for my area was very helpful. Even though the warranty is no longer in effect, they still may give you some assistance in getting the system back in service. In any event, you have nothing to lose.
 
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