Polaris pool sweeps

[JJT]

Hi there.

I have a Polaris 360 I am pretty sure. I have noticed my pool sweep is not performing that well. It's moving kinda of "sluggishly" on the bottom of the pool. Sometimes it will float when it goes towards the deeper side of the pool then steel down and continue moving slowly. I have a household sponge on the tail because the piece came off. Could that throw off the balance? It sucks up the debris on the bottom of the pool but not that fast. The tires rotate and are moving at a decent rpm. But I just notice the actual pool sweep is having issues staying on the bottom and picking up debris faster than it should.

How can I fix this?

New tail? New float? New wheel bearing?

Thanks

 

[BoDarville]

JJT:

Welcome to TFP

There is one simple thing I would check first before resorting to replacing parts. That one thing is the filter screen that fits inside that part of the hose that attaches to the vacuum port. When I first got this pool, I had similar symptoms. A friend told me about that filter screen. After I cleaned it out, the tail was cracking almost like a whip and the cleaner performed much better. Even if that turns out not to be the cause, it is not time wasted since that screen needs to be cleaned anyway to keep the unit performing properly. It is a simple thing to check & fix, so let's rule that out first before spending $ on parts.

 

[anonapersona]

Does sound like a flow rate issue. Several causes, screen, as above, or pressure relief, as it was for me. After than could be booster pump issue or problem with the lines or hoses. Could be loss of flow inside the unit if interior hoses came off. Start at the wall as screen is easiest to check, go down the line, then look consider the pump if you must.

Just before you unhook the hose from the wall fitting, notice if there is a lot of flow coming out the side of the pressure relief valve there. As that begins to fail it lets more and more water bypass the hose itself. One day the top may pop off and the spring will be somewhere in the pool.

We had just moved in when that happened and for the life of me I couldn't recognize that logo on the top that popped off, couldn't see why there there was a spring in the pool. Polaris was dead and replacing the valve was the fix.

You may be able to check this if it is partially failed by covering the bypass flow with your hand or heel and seeing how the unit works. If it goes, you have the solution in hand (or foot)

PS, you can get those hose end scrubbers for a good price online from time to time.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

My 380 has an initial setup proceedure that has you test to see if you are getting 28-32 revolutions per minute. Since you say the wheels are turning correctly I'm assuming that you've checked the RPM's against whatever the 360 requires. If not, do the check first.

If the wheels are turning adequately then I don't think pressure valves, screens, etc are in play. I do think that a houshold sponge may be too bouyant and might keep the tail from working well. Pull the spong off and see if it behaves better without anything on there. I have talked to and read about people who run theirs without this attachment all the time. If it works without the sponge, you have your answer. If it doesn't then something else is likey the problem.

EDIT: I just saw that you aren't certain that what you have is a 360. The 360 will have three small jets on the bottom and will not have a dedicated booster pump. It's the only unit Polaris has that does not require a booster - at least that I am aware of. If you have two jets or three and a booster you don't have a 360.