Pentair Legend Pool Cleaner vs Polaris (Pressure side)

[mnittler]

My pool was built with a Paramount in-floor cleaning system and it was also plumbed for a pressure side pool cleaner at my request during construction. In order to get the leaves, acorns, and debris off the bottom of the pool that the in-floor system leaves behind I am considering adding a pressure side cleaner. I also have a separate 1hp Pentair pump plumbed to a geyser and the slide and would like to use the same pump for the pressure side cleaner with the addition of a new valve? I have seen several old threads here comparing the Legend to the Polaris but I would like some new current input if possible.
I currently have a Pentair skid so if I choose the Legend it should be included in the extended Pentair & Pool Contractor warrantee?
Does anyone have any experience with a pressure side cleaner also working with an in-floor pop-up system?
Pros and Cons to Legend Vs Polaris?

 

[Christian]

They are pretty much the same thing, though with an in floor system I would probably go with the Pentair as the 4 wheel design gives it a bit more stability over the 3 wheeled Polaris. You will need a 3/4 hp booster pump for the cleaner it won't run off the existing pump. Pressure cleaners require a dedicated pump. Which warranty are you referring to? If you are talking about the 3 year Pentair warranty that you get when you buy 3 Pentair pieces of equipment it would not be included, that warranty only covers pump, filter, heater and salt chlorinator. Pressure cleaners work fine with an in-floor system though you don't want to run both at the same time.

 

[mnittler]

The main pool pump is a Pentair 3050 3hp pump (running 2400-3100 rpm) and the aux pump for the slide and geysers is a Pentair 1hp single speed pump. The Geysers were put in just to use some of the water that was not required for the slide from the 1hp aux pump. It looks like the 1hp should be able to supply enough water for a pressure side cleaner and still have to bypass some of the water to another place like the geyser. The aux water features have individual valves and would be closed as necessary when running the cleaner. The 1hp pump is connected to 2 wall suctions totally separate from the main pool pump. The main pool 3hp pump is connected to a bottom suction and 2 skimmers when in pool mode and is connected to the spa bottom drain when in spa mode. Does anyone know what the requirements are for the Pentair Legend pressure side cleaner (gpm and pressure). What makes a separate cleaner pump so special?

 

[mnittler]

I called tech support at Pentair and asked what the gpm requirement was for the Pentair Legend. They guy I talked with did not know of any documented gpm requirement but indicated that the correct setting was whatever it took to make the wheels of the Legend turn between 28-32 rpm. He said to make a mark on one of the wheels so that the wheel rotations could be counted. The normal booster pump for the Legend is the Pentair 3/4 hp pump. The tech also indicated that the Legend crawls over its own hose without difficulty. Therefore I (not the tech) am assuming that as long as the nozzles are no taller than the Legend supply hose then it should crawl over them also? Now all I need to know is how big is the Legend supply hose? I (not the tech) think that my 1hp aux pump should work as long as some of the water is bypassed to a water feature to control the wheel rpm under load? I guess worst case would be that the 1hp does not work and I have to purchase the Legend booster pump anyway.

 

[mnittler]

Now I am beginning to doubt if my existing Pentair 1hp aux water feature pump will drive a Pentair Legend or Polaris 280 pool cleaner. It should power a Polaris 360 or a Pentair Legend II return side cleaners but not a Polaris 280 or Pentair Legend booster pump type. I was doing some searching and found where someone said that the Polaris or Pentair cleaner booster pump supplies 50 psi (104 ft head) and around 12 gpm. For one thing I am not sure that when I add a filter to the Aux water feature pump that the filter can withstand 50 psi (They are normally rated 50 psi so it might) but this looks very upper end on the 1 hp pump psi curve and low on the gpm side. I guess I will go ahead and install a booster pump after the existing pool filter and be more conventional? I can just apply the money I was going to spend on the extra filter and apply it to the price of the booster pump and settle for 3 pumps. My water feature aux pump does not have an existing water filter installed (just the normal pump strainer. I also have a chlorine generator so should the cleaner booster pump suction be plumbed right after the DE filter and before the SWCG or after the SWCG? My plan is to operate the existing valves so the suction of the main pool pump is from the pool and the return to the hot tub (the spa overflows/spills back to the pool). This will shut down the Paramount in-floor cleaning system and remove obstacles (pop up cleaners) for the secondary cleaner during this secondary cleaning device cycle. Has anyone else run both types of cleaners (in-floor and automatic) on the same pool? With all the pools out there someone must have tried it?