Polairs 280 - trying to trouble shoot pressure valve

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M

meestahmarc

Well-known member
Jun 7, 2018
156
Paramus, NJ
Pool Size
32000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi - got my pool redone and after cleaning manually for a months, finally got my 280 in the water.

He is slow and lethargic.

I noticed a lot of water coming out by the pressure relief valve, I current have it fully seated hand tight, seems like a ton of water comes out by threads, right under the large nut on top.

I've tired to back out the piece to see if that makes him go faster, but then I get even more water leaking out... from that connection.

So - if there is too much pressure, what should this feel like? Should any water be coming out from here?

Do you think its the insert piece of the quick connect body piece???

Thank you
 
hi -

yes booster pump is on and its news, good pressure there... Im unsure where the red or blue disk is or would be positioned.

Ive read online about the pressure relief valve leaking, but its not clear how to tell if its leaking vs doing its job.

I tried to describe my condition - it put out water under the nut, not above it near the black circle.
 
My pressure relief valve spits out a little bit of water when the booster pump is on, almost like a small leak. If it's spraying out a bunch of water then you have a crack in it and need a new one. The blue or red discs are normally necessary and will also make your booster pump quieter. If you buy a new pressure relief valve it will come with blue and red discs.
 
thanks. I now see where it would go I think, inside the piece that connects to the wall. I do not have either the red or the blue in there. However I have a valve after my booster pump that lets me dial down the pressure (and quiets down the booster pump). Ive played around with this, letting more water flow and seeing if the 280 moves faster, but it does not, it only seems to let more water out from the valve nut. I just looked at the valve and see if I push really hard the black piece lifts up, but my thing is spitting out water under the nut, where the threads are coming together.

I guess Ill see if the new valve and housing solve the problem. $20 investment. but this did not include the two pieces that screw into the wall and that would I think encase the red or blue disc.
 
just for reference - mine has always leaked pressure. in fact I just replaced mine last week and the new one does the same. I suspect that those reducer disks are your issue. Is the polaris brand new or an older one? You can also remove the top cover and insure the hoses are hooked up properly to the propeller shaft inlet. Mine slipped off one time and it will cause the unit to appear all but dead...
 
yes, I now see all the parts online. unfortunately I ordered the new pressure relief valve and body without the new restricter plates. seems like I also have the G9 adapter too, so thats why I never thought about the blue or red disk. hopefully the new valve solves my issue and I can reduce pressure with my spigot valve. I recently rebuilt the unit with the fibropool kit. all was well inside. wheels definitely spin slower than 28 - 32 rpm despite me having a lot of pressure coming from the pump. so I am losing pressure somewhere.
 

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I've often questioned the design of that cap that leaks. Tried to wrap my head around the purpose of the spring and plastic actuator installed under the cap. Only thing I can image is, it's designed to relieve too much pressure... I don't like the idea of controlling the pressure via inline valve. I've got one too and I always worry I'll either starve the pump of water or cause it to overheat unless my cutoff valve is fully opened and unrestricted. Probably just me overthinking it though
 
my valve is after the booster pump... so definitely not starved for water... anyhow, much appreciate the help and happy to know now whats going on with my robot... I am 100% the pool maintenance guy, I've come so far, just a few more things to figure out and fix, my lights and my aerator (that's it)... pool was just refinished this year with new tiles and new diamond brite. its beautiful.
 
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Putting the pressure relief valve aside for now, when was the last time you did a rebuild on your 280? A few years ago mine was sputtering around and not climbing the walls or out of the deep end and once I did the rebuild, it was like I had a brand new cleaner. If replacing the relief valve doesn't fix it for you, a rebuild may be needed. I think the kits are approx $130-150 or so.

Having the blue/red washers to restrict the flow shouldn't be make or break in your polaris working and without them restricting the water flow, your relief valve will just spit out more water. Restricting the pressure should just help you fine tune your polaris speed/pressure and if it is really sluggish, a rebuild is likely needed.
 
The PRV is there in case you have a restriction in the hose, back up valve, or the main Polaris unit. It should not be leaking ANYTHING if it is working properly.

If the PRV is leaking, I would replace it. If it looks like it is leaking around the threads, I'd replace it and the whole body. And go through the rest of the unit. I did a full rebuild on my 280 about 3 years ago and is working as good as they work.

OTOH, I am replacing this power suck with a Dolphin DX5i
 
The proper red or green restrictor will reduce pressure and reduce the relief valve leaking by (unless the valve is broken). In most cases A lethargic cleaner is because the internal rubber hose has come off. The clamp doesn’t do A good job of securing it. Pull it out and inspect it (it’s under the blue cover). I double zip tye each side now and haven’t had a problem since. I’ve also fixed a few neighbors 280s with the same exact problem.
 
Last edited:
Rossterman said:
The proper red or green restrictor will reduce pressure and reduce the relief valve leaking by (unless the valve is broken). In most cases A lethargic cleaner is because the internal rubber hose has come off. The clamp doesn’t do A good job of securing it. Pull it out and inspect it (it’s under the blue cover). I double aip tye each side now and haven’t had a problem since. I’ve also fixed a few neighbors 280s with the same exact problem.
Click to expand...

That internal hose is a good point. I think I secured mine with stainless hose clamps.
 
Hi - yes, I rebuilt my P280 last week, with the fibropool kit. I ziptied both ends of the rubber hose.

I got my new Pressure Relief Valve and body. What a complete different. The PRV threads in super tight into the body. I had to use adjustable pliers to get it fully seated. It doesnt leak anymore and the robot is moving much faster.

I ordered the red/blue plate and will install it, along with a new backup valve, mine had some pinhole leaks (which I dont thing were a big deal, but why not do it right).

No and before, I still see the robot up sometimes on two wheels going around, why is he not falling down on all three. I have not adjusted or changed the position of the little water jet coming out the back yet.

Thanks,
 
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Rebuilding a Polaris is like rebuilding an old car. You can replace all the parts but will have to make several adjustments over a couple weeks to make it work really well. It has been revived with power and the adjustments you had set previously are not aligned with this supercharged system of gears and sprayers.
 

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