My Polaris never seems to work properly. It always parks itself in one position and wont move. I've cleaned out the skimmer baskets and made sure there is not any debris in the lines. What else am I missing? Thanks for any help.
Polaris not working
- Thread starter JeannieC
- Start date
Hi Jeannie, and welcome to the forum!
Others with Polaris experience should be along shortly to help. Enjoy your time on TFP.
Others with Polaris experience should be along shortly to help. Enjoy your time on TFP.
Thanks for the response. I have a Polaris 280 that was purchased in May 2012. It was re-furbished last year and it never seems to work properly. It travels around the pool once and then will just park itself right back by the water jet hose where it is attached to the pool. I've been told that a Polaris should last several years, (more than 4) It goes to the shop for repair at least twice a year. Is this normal?
While my Polaris is a model 380 I had a similar issue. I recently purchased a house with a pool and have never dealt with pool maintenance before. I did plenty of research here and elsewhere and determined that the Polaris needed rebuilding, so that is what I did. Once I put it back together, however, the Polaris did not want to move. I then discovered that there are a few small conical water-jet outlets that provide streams to the gears, tail, output and the debris collection bag. My stream to the gear box was clogged with a very small amount of stuff, but it was enough to keep it from functioning correctly. I cleared it with a blast of air from a turkey baster, but a straw or even a poke with a fine wire would probably work well too. Now it zooms around like new. It is not very hard to take apart if you take your time. I would check that and the belts that propel the wheels and see if that does not fix your problem. You can also inspect the bearings to see if they actually replaced them too - if they are shot then your 280 won't be going anywhere fast.
One other thought - if the 280 has a thrust jet on the back like mine, it does matter what direction it points. play with that and see if it makes a different.
Good luck!
One other thought - if the 280 has a thrust jet on the back like mine, it does matter what direction it points. play with that and see if it makes a different.
Good luck!
Sorry about the hijack! I have a 360 and it does almost the same except it usually gets stuck in the corner or on its side. Just rebuilt also and a new back up. I read on polaris' website that the hose should be no more than 6" longer than the furthest point of the pool, mine is like 6 feet longer. Could that have anything to do with it??
Jaimslaw
LifeTime Supporter
I went through the process of rebuilding my Polaris (model 360) on several occasions. In hindsight, I wished I had just let the Polaris go instead of going the "death of a thousand cuts" route in my repeated rebuildng efforts to keep it functioning.
From what I've read, it seems as though the Polaris models work trouble free for 3 or 4 years...maybe more, but that once they start having to go into the shop, its downhill from there. I kept faith in Polaris much longer than I should have.
Based upon my experience and that of so many other Polaris owners in your/my situation, I would recommend moving on to another manufacturer. Just a gut feeling that you will continually be encountering problems from this pount forward.
From what I've read, it seems as though the Polaris models work trouble free for 3 or 4 years...maybe more, but that once they start having to go into the shop, its downhill from there. I kept faith in Polaris much longer than I should have.
Based upon my experience and that of so many other Polaris owners in your/my situation, I would recommend moving on to another manufacturer. Just a gut feeling that you will continually be encountering problems from this pount forward.
Your length may be an issue (easy to correct with a sharp utility knife), or you may have a problem with one or more of your in-line hose swivels and/or line float placement.
All the hose swivels are new also as are most of the nuts. The line float is about 6 or 7 feet from cleaner
Must be hung up on the hose, make sure your floats are spaced out correctly or adjust them differently. You may have a bad slope on the wall??? or you can adjust the drive jet to make the cleaner turn a different direction. Every pool is different and the cleaner may need to be adjusted accordingly. The polaris 280 is the best cleaner on the market when installed correctly.
Hi. I have a 380 with the same problem. He's been rebuilt, new pressure valve new backup valve thing. Plenty of pressure. The pressure to the rear valve is so strong it will shoot across the yard. But my tail is not moving and my wheels are not turning neither in the water nor out of the water. I've had several people look at it (2 stores, my pool guy, his equipment repair guy, my brother. They all say it's good, but when I put it back in the pool...it doesn't work.... ARGH!) You mentioned a gear box, can you tell me where it is and what it looks like? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I don't think his belt is broken.
