Kreepy Stops Dead

[pcmacd]

I've a very old Kreepy Krauly that I have manged to keep in relatively good condition.

I've been having trouble with it getting stuck. On the side or the bottom of the pool; after a while it just stops. Not just verticals; on the bottom, too.

I have a decent pump, LOTS of suction. I am not talking about something getting stuck on the flapper. Everything looks cool; he just gets STUCK.

I threw out the stupid plate and valve that came with this one (it is my second unit) and use the original regulator. I have the side gate fully closed, and, the baffle operated gate on the other side opens pretty wide for suction relief, as it should.

I just replaced the seal, or "skirt" as I like to call it. I thought that was the problem (it was pretty shot with the webbing between the fingers mostly gone.) It din't seem to make any difference at all. It is a Chinese knockoff that was labeled as OEM. Time will tell how long it lasts, but then, I digress.

The thing just keeps getting stuck! I've pulled it out of the water, will let it dry tonight, and will give it a MAJOR dose of food grade silicone lubricant tonight in the flapper area, then let it dry for a day before putting it back in. I can't figure out what else to do?

The flapper is floating free (sounds like the name of an XXX movie?)

• It's all loosey and goosey.

What the WHAT is going on? This is new business on a 15 or 20 year experience with this product!

HELP! CECIL! HEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!

 

[Casey]

I can't help you with your Kreepy Krawly. Do you think it may be time to put him to rest?

 

[pcmacd]

baaaaaaaaaaah!


NEVER SAY DIE!

 

[pcmacd]

Seriously, anybody got a hint???

 

[Kilgore]

On my Kreepy, this can happen if one of the two tubes leading to the flapper gets partially clogged. A flow imbalance then results, holding the flapper to one side intermittently. Make sure there isn't something stuck in the tubes. Try flushing it out, or poking a stiff wire through each tube, etc.

 

[gtemkin]

Can you post a picture of your regulator setup? I think there may have been a couple of types and I'm not clear which style you have. Whenever my KK has stoppage issues it's almost always related to the regulator valve sticking open from some debris getting caught between the regulator piston and the housing.

 

[pcmacd]

Thanks for 'yall helping. I shall try to get a picture of the regulator if I can remember to do so. Don't be afraid to prong me about it.

~~~~~~~~
And, on the matter at hand: I let Kreepy dry out overnight. Then I FLOODED the flapper hinges and such from the entry of Kreepy with a food grade silicon lubricant, the can having a very long snout.

I mean, I really hosed it down.

I let it be for another 16-24 hours to dry out and set the lube in.

~~~~~~~~
And LO! It is not getting stuck any more! I would have bet against this, and will believe it is a fix after a few more weeks, but in the interim, this works.

I find it difficult to believe. I could go on and on... how-evah.

This Kreepy is really old. Some of the parts, in particular, the "K12058 Weight Holder" were worn so thin on the INSIDE where it wears against the main tube that I had to go in and build it up with layers of plastic, Gorilla Glue (waterproof urethane based when cured), aluminum strips, epoxy and CRES screws. It is OLD. And it is now revived!

So, I guess, the flapper parts have gotten a wee bit worn? In any event, much to my supplies, the flapper has been set free. I am about on day seven of the new and improved Kreepy. I would not be surprised if I have to do this once/month in the future.

No worry. I am leaving this place in about a year, and if I don't have to invest in a $400 cleaner in the interim, I will consider it all to be a success.

Take it for what it is worth.

 

[pcmacd]

Well, this page won't upload a 68KB jpg, so here is the photo of my ancient regulator. The new design on that suction plate is just awful.

https://www.mediafire.com/?gi1i9vsde0pkjha

Here is the message I get (and the one I tried is really is 68KB):

<BEGIN QUOTE>

kreepy old regulator 20140806_184304.smaller.jpg: Exceeds your quota by 822.4 KB. <a href="misc.php?do=attachments" target="_blank">Click here to view your attachments</a>

>END QUOTE<

 

[gtemkin]

Here's a version of your photo so other's can possibly help identify it. If you have a photo hosting site you use, you can link to that and your photo will show up embedded in your post.



I don't think that's a Kreepy Krauly regulator. If you type "Kreepy Krauly regulator into Google images, you'll see the more common, what I'll call the grenade style regulator. The one in your photo says Skim-Vac on it. I couldn't find any pictures of a Skim-Vac that looked anything like your's, but Skim-Vac appeared to be a common Hayward product name.

My Kreepy Krauly is 18 years old and came with the grenade style regulator. You said your's was quite old, so it's possible the regulator you have was an old style one but since there's nothing showing on the web, I'm hoping someone else would be able to identify it. Regardless, it almost looks like it uses a plastic bellows as a spring or damper, which I imagine might deteriorate over time.

Have you tried hooking it directly and not using the regulator?

 

[gtemkin]

....and here's a photo of the old and new Kreepy Krauly regulators. Turns out the grenade style I have is the old style.

 

[pcmacd]

Oh, it is, for certain, a Kreepy regulator. Probably 20+ years old. It came in the box with the first "Kreepy Tony." It pre-dates the despicable "grenade style" regulator.

I had a fool pool guy who used to open the gate, look at the pool, and leave (I watched him do so one Thursday....) His name was Tony. I replaced him with this mechanical doohickey, and from then on, "Kreepy" was called "Kreepy Tony."

It probably paid off the $400 price in ten months.

AND... my pool was LOTS CLEANER!!!!

- - - Updated - - -

Ahem. About the Kreepy Tony getting stuck?

It was not the food grade silicone lube that did the trick -- Tony got stuck again after about three weeks.

When I was pulling Tony out of zee pool, I noticed what appeared to be a leak in the hose segment adjacent to Tony.

It had rotsa leaks. Changed the hose; no more stuck Kreepy Tony.

Duh.me.