Replacing Polaris 360 center hose

[stewcarol]

We need to replace the center hose of the Polaris 360. I have the part number, but can't figure out if I replace the hose do I need to also replace the connectors the hose screw into? We are new pool owners, this may not be a diy replacement but I thought I would give it a go.

Thank you, nice forum here.

 

[rtkane]

You should be able to use the existing connectors. They will screw right onto the new section of hose.

 

[stewcarol]

Thank you for your response. I will order the hose and replace on my own and see how it goes.

 

[stewcarol]

I wanted to report that, this ended up being an easy repair! Once the hose came, I unscrewed the center hose section that had leaks one end at a time. The new hose screwed right into the existing connector no problem. I still don't have the cleaner running smooth around the pool and need to continue my troubleshooting, but at least now the hose does not leak so that should not be my problem. Thanks for the help.

 

[rtkane]

What's it doing? One thing that you need to do is ensure that the hose is cut to the proper length.. it should a foot or so longer than the farthest spot away from the pool (otherwise it'll tangle itself up). Take a look at the manual for the exact size it should be. May help with some of your issues if tangling is a problem.

 

[stewcarol]

Thanks for your reply. It doesn't tangle itself up and I'm pretty sure it's the same length you describe and the same length as it was pre-problem. It's hanging out around the deep end most of the time, and even if I pull it over to the shallow end, it wants to turn and make a bee line back to the deep end. Often around the various walls of the deep end. It does fire up to the top with a jet burst occasionally, then heads back toward it's favorite section. I did the spin test on the one wheel and it seems proper around 28 - 32 x per minute. Could be a clogged filter at the point the hose joins the pool wall (but need to ask husband to unscrew it, I've tried and it seems too tight for me to get it off to check that filter.) It's a very cold week so I'm probably laying low on troubleshooting it this week...unless you have suggestions? I also wonder if the very cold temps (20's - low 50s) and cold pool water make it lethargic and slow moving overall. Appreciate the response.

 

[rtkane]

Pull the Polaris out of the water when it's running and look up inside the suction inlet--you should see three really strong jets. Then as the wheels are turning, grab one of them and see if it's difficult to stop--if it stops very easy (like barely any pressure on the wheel), it's likely you're not getting enough water pressure (although if it's going up the side wall, that's probably not the case). If it does stop easily, look at the stainless steel filter that goes into the end of the hose where it connects to the pool and see if that's clogged up. Clean it out and see if that resolves the problem. Have you ever run it without that stainless steel hose insert/filter? If so, sometimes a small stone can get lodged in inside the polaris, which means you'll have to completely disassemble (hopefully not, but it's not too hard to do).

The other thing that I'd check if all of the above seems ok is the direction of the jet on the the back of the unit itself--it's typically set directed at 10:30 on a clock face almost to the end (the first diagram below--couldn't draw a circle, so hopefully you'll get what I meant).

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Do you have a fairly steep incline from the deep end to the shallow? you may want to experiment with different settings on that nozzle jet... try lowering the position so that it looks more like this, or reverse it. May take some experimentation to get right

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|...X...........|
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[stewcarol]

Excellent tips, I will try this when it warms up this afternoon, seeing if each of the wheels is resistant if I try to stop them from spinning. I DO understand your diagrams, lol and will check how it is pointed. I've never removed the filter near the pool wall (didn't even know it existed until I saw it as a troubleshooting tip online.) It doesn't actually climb the wall, it just gets to the wall and hangs in one spot. I understand I can also adjust the "dial" on the hose connector near the wall input, this has water gurgling out of it at all times (though pool guy said that is common...perhaps too much pressure is being released at that point.) Thank you!

 

[rtkane]

One quick note.. I can't quite remember if all three wheels are powered, but if they're not, you'll be able to tell which one (or two) is the drive wheel(s). That's the one you want to see if it stops easily.

Oh, and make sure when you're doing your testing that the polaris isn't in "reverse" mode where the water is shooting out of the part on the hose which backs it up every 5 minutes or so.

 

[Ross939]

A good point from rtcane on the wheels. All three wheels should have power, and be spinning when out of water. I know of at least a couple things that can prevent this. One is a small pebble in the gear assembly, which, as noted, would require you to disassemble, clean out and reassemble, not too tough of a job, you kind of learn as you go. The other thing that can cause this is a broken belt. I believe there are two belts, one on on each side, one controlling the two wheels and one controlling the single wheel. I've done both these repairs myself on my 360 and they are not awfully difficult. The belt cans be purchased on e-Bay for a decent price.



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[stewcarol]

Short update, it looks like I'm fixing this polaris piece by piece. After replacing center hose, was still not getting enough movement, getting stuck against the wall and after jetting up to top occasionally, moving slow. When I disconnected the connector that plugs into the side of the pool and removed the entire polaris and hose, I could see that the "quick connector" that went into the side of the pool had a split in the pressure guide, like a half moon thin gap that water was pouring out of. I'd noticed water pouring out near the quick connection to the pool, but had been told that is normal and the pressure guide will push out water based on necessary pressure. I guess it had gone beyond normal amount of water pouring out, and that would explain the slow movement of the polaris. So, I am waiting for the pressure guide replacement piece at which point I will be back to repair! Just wanted to post an update.

 

[rtkane]

Did you by chance screw down the knob by the half moon opening? Was that piece broken? You probably already know this, but the amount of water coming out of there is adjustable. Not enough pressure, close it down...too much open it up.

 

[stewcarol]

I had tried twisting the pressure relief valve while underwater, but it didn't seem to budge much either way. It's not till I took it all out of the water and looked at it closely did I notice the top of the valve wasn't smooth and round, but had a half a nickel sized slit in the smooth top. Not sure how long it was like that, seems like a series of problems happened with my cleaner as weather got cold...cracks in center of hose...crack in pressure guide valve. When the polaris works, it works great, so I'm not giving up. I didn't see a small filter that people mentioned in the quick disconnect valve that the pressure guide screws into. Maybe when I remove the old pressure guide I will see it (got cold out so I've held off until I get the replacement part in the mail)

 

[stewcarol]

Update, replaced the quick disconnect and pressure guide...mostly working really well, except I can't get the hose to securely screw into the connector nut on the quick disconnect piece...so after doing good work cleaning around the pool, the hose has popped off the quick disconnect piece. I tried trimming the end of the hose and rethreading, but can't seem to get a snug connection. Moving in the right direction though! Also, that pressure guide does not turn on it's own...I need to use a wrench, wonder if that is normal? Cleaners movement around the pool are still not totally smooth, but I left it be for a few hours, after a couple hours the pool was just about clean and an hour later I noticed the hose had come unconnected (for second time, first time it did it right away upon setup.) Just making some notes of my experience, should it help someone else! Also, wanted to say my quick disconnect does not have a filter??