Valve actuator making clicking sound

[Tricky]

One of my valves has an old Compool valve actuator that started clicking a couple of nights ago. I unplugged it and then pulled up some YouTube videos and decided to try to open it up to check inside to see if something was wrong with the motor (not that I would know what to do if it was). I removed the entire actuator from the plumbing and can now adjust the valve manually using the handle from the other valve, but I simply cannot open up the problem actuator.

I removed the four screws holding the actuator cover on, but the handle to the actuator is fixed solidly and I'm sure I have to remove that handle before I can get the actuator cover off. There is no center thumbscrew to loosen on the actuator handle, just what appears to be a threaded hole where such a screw seems like it should go. The handle is solidly stuck in place and I can't decide if I should muscle it a bit more or whether I'm just end up breaking the plastic handle.

I suppose my question is this: if the actuator was clicking and having a hard time moving the valve, are there possibilities for salvaging this actuator or should I just buy a new Jandy actuator and install it where this one was? I'm guessing the clicking is a bad sign...

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Compool was bought by Pentair so you might find spare parts that way. These actuator can be fully serviced and it sounds like some of the gears in the drive train are broken or worn out. However, a new actuator on Amazon is only running about $120 so it's up to you if you want to salvage the old one.

The fact that the handle isn't coming off is weird and leads me to believe the previous owner jammed it on. The shaft and the handle are "keyed" with two different sized dovetail grooves. It's designed that way so that the handle can only go on in one particular orientation relative to the door seal in the three way valve. Someone that doesn't understand that would think the handle is somehow defective and just try to jam it onto the shaft. Do the internal slides on the plastic handle look marred like someone tried to force it on?

 

[Tricky]

No, they don't look marred and the plastic dovetail pieces look intact. When removing and replacing the handle on the other valve (which is newer) I realized that the grooves are different sizes for the reason you mention. My best guess is that the handle on the old, problem actuator is probably on correctly, but somehow it got stuck in that position. I'm not sure how, since I think the parts that touch each other are probably plastic and couldn't have rusted together...

Our pool guy replaced the other actuator a year or two ago, and this one is pretty old (it was manufactured before Compool was acquired by Pentair), so I may end up having to just replace it. But now that I've taken the time to try to figure out how these work I wanted to try to troubleshoot it before plunking down another $120+.

New question: are most of the different manufacturers' actuators universally configured to work with the same style valves? In other words, could I get a new Jandy actuator and use it in place if this old Compool/Pentair one? If so, are there advantages to any particular style/manufacturer's actuators? Mine doesn't have a toggle, so I assume that's a good feature?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What kind of automation system do you have?

Sometimes the wiring connectors to the drive board in your automation panel for the various actuators are different. If you have a Compool actuator, then I would replace it with a Pentair (CVA-24T) as that would be the direct swap. These actuators are all manufactured in the same way and I see no substantial differences between them. Sounds like the current "bad" actuator had a long life....nowadays I think that most of the data on TFP suggests that a valve actuator used at least once per day probably has a useful life of 12-18 months before needing repair and it's typically the limit switches that go bad or the occasional plastic gear.