Exploding Pop up Heads

[Kupo]

Hey All,

I've been having a problem with the pop up cleaners at the shallow end of the pool. They seem to be getting higher pressure than they can take and are eventually breaking from the pressure (and sending rust-causing metal stuff everywhere). They are A&A (style 1) pop ups, is there any fix for this?

Thanks!

 

[proavia]

Welcome to TFP!

Tell us a bit about your pool.
Single speed or variable speed pump?
Are the infloor pop-ups the only method to return water to your pool?
What type and size of filter?
What other equipment?

 

[Kupo]

48sq ft DE cartridge filter
VSF pump, " Pentair intelliflo vsf"
AFAIK yes, i guess there is the top-off sensor that adds more water from evaporation
Pretty simple setup I think for the most part, I hate the pull valve, seizes every year and have to have the techs come out to fix it (which is why everything is messy and covered in DE after I drained the filter recently to clean it, couldn't backwash)

attached is the pump setup and what comes after the timebomb popup heads I have some vitamin c im trying out on the shallow end since they are easier to get in place over there...

 

[proavia]

With a VS pump, you can lower the rpm to lower the pressure to the pop-up heads. What is the filter pressure? The heads should be good to at least 50psi - your filter should be at a much lower pressure. If the heads are breaking up and you are getting metal stuff into the pool because of it, the heads are probably old and need to be replaced.

I am not familiar with the A&A Type 1 heads - mine has Type 2 heads. I have replaced my heads every 5-7 years (under warranty, as I'm the original owner) due to wear. Only one has ever broken and I had pieces of it in the pool. The internal spring and retaining pins are all stainless steel and have not shown any signs of rusting.

I have seen others heads which have disinegrated . They were probably over 10 years old, the tops had worn because of the intense sun in the valley and too many years of poor water chemistry - both attacking the plastic.

 

[Kupo]

filter is at around 20 when its running, so shouldnt be a problem there. I've noticed the ones blowing up arnt A&A branded at the top (not sure where they came from). They look like this before they go



and this after



I also have some that have been around since before I got the place (8+ years that dont show any signs of damage) which is odd.

 

[proavia]

It may be to your benefit to replace those with A&A branded ones. You can find the A&A branded ones online. From several sellers for a better price than directly from A&A or a local pool store. A couple of those sellers are local to the valley.

 

[Kupo]

It may be to your benefit to replace those with A&A branded ones. You can find the A&A branded ones online. From several sellers for a better price than directly from A&A or a local pool store. A couple of those sellers are local to the valley.

Yeah I plan on it when I get some extra money, I tried removing them with the two-pronged tool but it just shreds through the plastic so I'll probably have the normal technicians replace them with the ones I buy. What is the normal price for these heads? Looks like cheapest I found is about 45$ from A&A Style 1 High Flow Pop Up Head (White)

Off-topic but is there a better way to handle the backwash piston, do I need to replace something in the internals every so often so it doesn't seize up when I try to clean out for the season?

 

[proavia]

That seems to be the going price these days.

You can disassemble the backwash valve and replace the o-rings and/or lube them with silicone pool lube.
You can find o-ring kits at your local PS or online.