Popup troubles

[Spiccolli]

So my pool is quite old (26 yr) and the pop-up system never worked well, we were always taking apart the clocking mechanism (round thing with balls and gears), and still had to vacuum all the time. So we got a hayward ultravac about 12 years ago and never looked back. There is no dedicated port, so we use a skimmer adapter, nevertheless, the solution has worked very well.

The problem we have now is that the popup gaskets have deteriorated to the point of coming out into the pool and kind of looking like black algae. The other day, i tried to remove one to take it down to the local hardware to replace the gaskets thinking i would save major $. Well, the removal tool cracked up the top real bad due to the weakening of the plastic over the years.

What I would like to do is replace all the popups with "dummies" because the real replacements are $50! each! Not doing that for a system we do not use.

Any advice? Anyone know where to get something to replace them on the super cheap?

They look just like the ones here: A&A QuikClean Style 1 High Flow Pop Up Head 2 Prong

ANY help greatly appreciated!!!

 

[kimkats]

I don't know the answer but know a couple of folks that might! Hold on a few until they get back with us.

 

[blakeusa]

Thats a hard one.

Maybe you could just remove the gaskets and glue the unit shut to seal it.

There are places that sell Orings online but you would need to do the research to find a match.

 

[kimkats]

Blake so you are saying they can push the pop up down and seal it shut? There is no screw in thing to do this? The new o-ring would help make sure it does not leak right?

 

[Jace4fla]

I always use http://infloorpoolparts.com but your source http://aapopups.com is a tad cheaper for the replacement gaskets, but I always call and usually get a better deal after talking to the repair department. My guess is that you could either remove the heads, remove the gasket and clean off the black residue, then apply a bit of underwater epoxy to the pop-up and replace with the tool and twist tight. This is a permanent fix, however, and should take care of the issue. Otherwise, spend the $10 bucks or so per pop-up and replace the gaskets which should take care of the problem for years to come. Just remember to disable the valve to keep pump damage from occurring if the system gets turned on if you are going to epoxy the pop-ups closed. Good luck!

 

[Spiccolli]

Well, there's no happy ending here yet, turns out there is algae in the popups (and i'm sure in the pipes because they have not been used for so long.
@Jace4fla - i turned the valve to wall returns and removed the handle when we first got the hayward - guess i should have had it just a bit open for circulation!

I'm gonna keep the CL a little high over the summer and then drain the pool in the winter. I'll remove all the popups and sandblast all the algae out of the holes. Also gives me a chance to blast the tiles as well.
From there, I'll find something at the hardware store to cover the holes and epoxy them down permanently. gotta be a decent looking 4" round plastic plate somewhere i can use.

This should get us through until the house is paid off and then we can do a full pool and yard remodel- no cash for that right now.

Thanks for the suggestions and replies!