Do actuators usually wear out?

[doncaruana]

I have some deck jets that are split from my returns with an actuator. I use my automation to turn them on every day during pool season for a few minutes, just to make sure the water doesn't get stagnant, etc when they're not in use. We don't actually use them a lot...seemed like a good idea at the time.

Anyhow, so the actuator has been used at least twice a day for 5 months a year for 11 years. But now, I can turn them on and there's barely a trickle and the water gets off the deck into the pool. Off and on again and this time it might be farther out. And the next time might be even farther out. Completely inconsistent and nothing changes.

So what I'm thinking is that either there's something weird with the resistance on the valve handle (seemed fine last time I checked) or the actuator may finally be going. Is that to be expected and, if so, is the kind of behavior I would see?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Don,

My thought is that actuators either work or they don't work. It is not common to see a failure where they only turn the valve a little bit.

What do you see when the actuator is told to move? I suspect it should move either 90 or 180 degrees depending on the plumbing.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mknauss]

Valve Actuators - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

A number of maintenance items. Even a thread on how to rebuild, if you are handy.

 

[ajw22]

Is it the actuator or the underlying valve that is your problem?

They are two separate devices and the actuator is screwed on top of the valve.

 

[doncaruana]

I set the actuator to only turn part way since I don't want to divert all the water to the deck jets. I haven't actually checked it to see if it turns to the exact same spot everytime.

So there are 2 scenarios I guess:
1) The actuator turns the valve to the same location each time but the valve is letting different amounts of water through
2) The actuator is inconsistently turning the valve the right distance

I'll read the linked article and check back tomorrow.

 

[1poolman1]

I have some deck jets that are split from my returns with an actuator. I use my automation to turn them on every day during pool season for a few minutes, just to make sure the water doesn't get stagnant, etc when they're not in use. We don't actually use them a lot...seemed like a good idea at the time.

Anyhow, so the actuator has been used at least twice a day for 5 months a year for 11 years. But now, I can turn them on and there's barely a trickle and the water gets off the deck into the pool. Off and on again and this time it might be farther out. And the next time might be even farther out. Completely inconsistent and nothing changes.

So what I'm thinking is that either there's something weird with the resistance on the valve handle (seemed fine last time I checked) or the actuator may finally be going. Is that to be expected and, if so, is the kind of behavior I would see?

Many times the shaft of the valve breaks. Actuator turns, valve doesn't.

 

[doncaruana]

So the issue is that the actuator does not consistently turn the handle to the same location. Its always close but not to the exact stop. This is a pentair cva-24, for which I found precious little information in general, just an install guide. The jandy says to lubricate the handle stem but this doesn't seem to work the same way.

Not sure of the correct scenario for the linked article. Wondering if maybe this is just the microswitches? Or maybe I have the stops adjusted funny somehow? Anyone have any thoughts in particular about what needs fixing or adjusting?

 

[ajw22]

You need to run the actuator with the top open and observe if the movement is stopping due to the microswitch being hit.

You need to observe where the variability in the operation is with teh cam and the microswitches.

 

[doncaruana]

You need to run the actuator with the top open and observe if the movement is stopping due to the microswitch being hit.

You need to observe where the variability in the operation is with teh cam and the microswitches.

Yeah, that will be the next step. This isn't a major priority for me and it's muggy as Crud today so I'd rather be in the pool than be sitting beside it! I'll do the surgery sometime this week as it cools down.

 

[1poolman1]

The shaft is in the valve itself. You can put a VERY light coat of lube on the cams that trip the switches. The cams do wear out and can get out of adjustment if the lock nut isn't tight.