Hayward Navigator issue

[thoffland]

Hey everyone. I have a Hayward Navigator which is moving slowly. I've replaced the rubber feet, the wings and the flaps, however the pods are pretty well worn down. I didn't think that those would really slow the movement, but I wanted to check with someone who knows what they're doing before I buy anything else. I recently had to replace the board in my pools control panel, and the pool guy replaced some parts inside the vacuum, he said he replaced some bearings and a couple other parts. Either way, I'm already down $750 and would like to minimize any more cost if I can.

There seems to be good suction, and the feet are moving, but normally with the way my valves are, this thing should be climbing the walls.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[KramNilwob]

Hey just my 2 cents, I have a navigator as well. And when the darn thing starts acting like that, it usually means that I have a clogged pump. Dont know for sure what it is called but looks like the propeller. Just dig the old leaves and gunk out and then the pressure goes from good to great and the navigator hums right along.

 

[ThePoolNinja]

Navs have so many moving parts inside, you'd have to open it up and make sure the gears inside the gear box are all in good working order with nothing broken. If it's an old Navigator, sometimes it's more cost effective to just buy a new sweep instead of nickle and diming yourself to death, trust me!

But Kram makes a good point, first make sure it's not something simple like something jamming up the propeller.

 

[thoffland]

Thanks guys! I did check the propeller and it's spinning well. I also cleaned out my DE filter and all the little filter baskets. Suction through the hose is strong too, so I'm assuming it has to be the vacuum, but like you said, there's a lot of parts.

I ordered some new pods on amazon last night, should have them tomorrow and will see if that makes a difference. If not, I'll order a new turbine kit. It sure is nickle and diming me, but a new one is $400 and if I can get a couple more years out of this one I'd be happy. If it comes down to it I'll buy another and keep the new parts I bought for this one for future use.

While I'm at it, is the Navigator a good unit for a pebble tech pool? Or is there something better/longer lasting? I've had this for 4 years, which doesn't seem bad to me, but I'm open to ideas.

 

[ThePoolNinja]

Hopefully that will fix your problem finally. Let us know!

I have a couple Navigators in Pebble Tech Pools, and every year i have to replace the bottom plate, as well as the feet, wings, etc. as they get so grinded down by the Pebble finish. One Pebble pool i have is old and wasn't done well (Very Rough), and really eats at the Navigator.

But i believe if you replaced all the parts on the Navigator, it would be somewhere around just under $200 in parts, so you're still getting away cheaper.

In the future if you get another sweep, i'd recommend something with larger wheels and tracks like The Pool Cleaners or a Zodiac MX8.

 

[thoffland]

The pods did the trick. That and my drain was open too which decreased suction from the vacuum. Now its climbing the walls again and with some minor adjustments I should be in good shape.

Thanks again for the input!