Fix up Polaris 280 or swap to robot?

[gkw4815]

Our Polaris 280 pool cleaner does a decent job on the middle of our pool, but has two issues:
1) Doesn't reach either end of the pool - hose is too short.
2) Hose regularly gets tangled up - I've tried leaving it stretched out on the patio for a few days at a time, and this seems to reduce tangling for a week or two, and then it's back to knotting itself up. I've tried replacing the swivels and adjusting the float placement along the hose, neither of these made any difference. Recently replaced the backup valve when it died. I also checked the condition of the float attached to the top of the cleaner - it's not leaking, so that's not the issue.

Other than these two annoyances the cleaner is in good shape. My PB4-60 booster pump is ancient (pre-2012 model) and has a slow leak, but still works and is fairly quiet. I've got a nearly-new PB4-60 on the shelf for when this one croaks (picked up cheap from someone who was upgrading to a robot).

Two questions:
-Would I be better off fixing up my Polaris 280, or should I bite the bullet and upgrade to a robot? I like the serviceability of the Polaris (vs a robot) and the seamless integration with my automation system, but the low running cost and potentially improved performance of a robot are appealing.
-If I hang onto the 280 - will a new hose likely fix the tangling issue? Any other troubleshooting steps I should look into, besides those I've already tried?

TIA!

 

[ajw22]

Put the proper length hose on your Polaris.

I suspect you do not have the right length feeder hose between the backup valve and the cleaner. And your floats may not be positioned correctly.

See the installation manual.

Also see the discussion and pics in this thread…

Polaris gets caught up in the line

This is my Polaris every time it runs. I've replaced a couple of the hose swivels and even added one to try to give it more of an opportunity to avoid getting tangled. Yet it still happens every time. As a result coverage and efficacy is poor. I've read about possibly lubricating the...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Is electricity usage or costs any issue to you? Because a robot will use a small, small fraction of the juice a booster pump pressure cleaner requires.

Maddie

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Sounds to me like you’ve answered your own question - if you like your Polaris, then stick with it and do as @ajw22 suggests.

I switched from a suction side cleaner to a robot even though my suction side cleaner was adequate for the job. I thought the robot was going to be a “game changer”. Turns out the game that got played was on me because, after 5 seasons, it was dead with no way to service it back to life. Seeing as how I paid roughly $200/year for that cleaner (I could have bought a new suction cleaner every 2 years at that cost), I decided to go back to using a suction cleaner. I know the suction cleaner will have its failures too, but it’s serviceable/repairable for much less than its original cost. And, as I said, it works fine for my pool. So, lesson learned and no more pricey robots for me

 

[gkw4815]

Thanks everyone - sounds like fixing up the 280 is the way to go (especially since I already have a pump ready to swap in when needed).

I'll order a new hose that will be long enough for the cleaner to reach both ends of the pool, and will ensure that I position the floats and swivels in line with the instructions.

Is electricity usage or costs any issue to you? Because a robot will use a small, small fraction of the juice a booster pump pressure cleaner requires.

Maddie

When I renew in a couple months I'll be at ~12 cents/kWH. Unless I did the math wrong, running my booster pump 5x a week for 2 hours/day is costing me <$100/year in electricity. I did swap my main pump for a VS pump last year - that pump is consistently saving me >500 kWH/month and will pay for itself in less than a year.

 

[Homebrewale]

I switched from a Polaris to a robot because the Polaris did a terrible job with the fine dirt. The fine dirt would go right through the bag and back into the pool. The pool looked clean until the fines had a chance to fall back to the bottom of the pool.

 

[gkw4815]

Mine seems to do a good job with both small debris and larger leaves - except for the fact that it misses the ends of the pool.

 

[gkw4815]

Just wanted to share an update - I ordered a new OEM Polaris hose and installed it yesterday, taking care to trim the lengths as per the instructions. Also adjusted the jet at the back of the Polaris to shoot straight out (was aiming all the way down and to the side).

Between these two updates, the Polaris is working great, cleaning the whole pool and no longer tying itself into knots!

For anyone else who bought an existing pool with a Polaris of unknown age thrown in - I'd suggest considering a hose replacement if your Polaris is getting knotted up. The new hose is far more supple and flexible than the old one.

 

[skylar18]

I actually have both a robot and a 280. I have had them about 10 years and after rebuilding the 280 a couple of times, this year with hose issues and the backup valve being bad it was going to be close to what a new 280 would cost so I finally replaced it yesterday. Kinda felt bad throwing the old 280 away, kinda like getting rid of an old friend, it has done a great job for me.

I also have a Polaris Robot. Does a great job as well. But they both excel at different things. I usually keep the 280 in the pool. I pull out the Robot a few times a year when my Bamboo Trees drop their leaves or my oak trees pollinate. The 280 just can't keep up during those events but the 280 is great 90 percent of the time.

 

[dfwnoob]

Just wanted to share an update - I ordered a new OEM Polaris hose and installed it yesterday, taking care to trim the lengths as per the instructions. Also adjusted the jet at the back of the Polaris to shoot straight out (was aiming all the way down and to the side).

Between these two updates, the Polaris is working great, cleaning the whole pool and no longer tying itself into knots!

For anyone else who bought an existing pool with a Polaris of unknown age thrown in - I'd suggest considering a hose replacement if your Polaris is getting knotted up. The new hose is far more supple and flexible than the old one.

This is exactly what I did with the aging 280 that was in the pool when we bought the house. It needed a LOT of work and no amount of adjusting it would make it move correctly, plus all the gears inside were getting near stripped. Decided it was just worth the $$ to replace it altogether. The new one has been in the pool since April or so and it's been great. Our pool gets a bit of sand and gravel from the surrounding yard and even lowly pressure-side 280 does a pretty good job of getting nearly everything up. The booster pump finally failed about 3 or so months ago and starting spraying water everywhere. It was original to the pool install from late 2006. I replaced it with another one and hopefully it'll go for many more years. I know you have to factor in electric use and all, and the pressure side cleaners might be "old tech" or whatever, but they just work.

 

[blue devils]

Our Polaris 280 pool cleaner does a decent job on the middle of our pool, but has two issues:
1) Doesn't reach either end of the pool - hose is too short.
2) Hose regularly gets tangled up - I've tried leaving it stretched out on the patio for a few days at a time, and this seems to reduce tangling for a week or two, and then it's back to knotting itself up. I've tried replacing the swivels and adjusting the float placement along the hose, neither of these made any difference. Recently replaced the backup valve when it died. I also checked the condition of the float attached to the top of the cleaner - it's not leaking, so that's not the issue.

Other than these two annoyances the cleaner is in good shape. My PB4-60 booster pump is ancient (pre-2012 model) and has a slow leak, but still works and is fairly quiet. I've got a nearly-new PB4-60 on the shelf for when this one croaks (picked up cheap from someone who was upgrading to a robot).

Two questions:
-Would I be better off fixing up my Polaris 280, or should I bite the bullet and upgrade to a robot? I like the serviceability of the Polaris (vs a robot) and the seamless integration with my automation system, but the low running cost and potentially improved performance of a robot are appealing.
-If I hang onto the 280 - will a new hose likely fix the tangling issue? Any other troubleshooting steps I should look into, besides those I've already tried?

TIA!

Let me preface by stating I live in Texas, have trees that shed into the pool certain times of year. I've been told that leaves contributed to my necessary repairs, but shouldn''t leaf cleanup be part of its job?!

We went from a 280 to the Quattro in 2019, LOVED it until it stopped working in 2021. Thankfully it was under warranty and we had ~ $700 worth of parts (both L & R Gearboxes, Engine Assembly and Gearbox Assembly) replaced at no charge. Forward to March, 2023 when the EXACT grouping of parts needed replacing AGAIN! ~ $700 worth of parts needed just 1.5 years after the first $700 were replaced. No thank you, we went back to the 280. Have to admit the new 280 isn't as well built as our old one. Wish we'd kept the old one and replaced the parts over and over again.

 

[blue devils]

Just wanted to share an update - I ordered a new OEM Polaris hose and installed it yesterday, taking care to trim the lengths as per the instructions. Also adjusted the jet at the back of the Polaris to shoot straight out (was aiming all the way down and to the side).

Between these two updates, the Polaris is working great, cleaning the whole pool and no longer tying itself into knots!

For anyone else who bought an existing pool with a Polaris of unknown age thrown in - I'd suggest considering a hose replacement if your Polaris is getting knotted up. The new hose is far more supple and flexible than the old one.

Let me preface by stating I live in Texas, have trees that shed into the pool certain times of year. I've been told that leaves contributed to my necessary repairs, but shouldn''t leaf cleanup be part of its job?!

We went from a 280 to the Quattro in 2019, LOVED it until it stopped working in 2021. Thankfully it was under warranty and we had ~ $700 worth of parts (both L & R Gearboxes, Engine Assembly and Gearbox Assembly) replaced at no charge. Forward to March, 2023 when the EXACT grouping of parts needed replacing AGAIN! ~ $700 worth of parts needed just 1.5 years after the first $700 were replaced. No thank you, we went back to the 280. Have to admit the new 280 isn't as well built as our old one. Wish we'd kept the old one and replaced the parts over and over again.

 

[gkw4815]

Ya, the Quattro looks pretty impressive, but from the long-term reviews I've read the reliability isn't great and may be worse overall than that offered by electric robotic cleaners. I'll likely just hang onto my 280 and keep replacing inexpensive parts as they wear out.

 

[98Poolmaster]

Sounds to me like you’ve answered your own question - if you like your Polaris, then stick with it and do as @ajw22 suggests.

I switched from a suction side cleaner to a robot even though my suction side cleaner was adequate for the job. I thought the robot was going to be a “game changer”. Turns out the game that got played was on me because, after 5 seasons, it was dead with no way to service it back to life. Seeing as how I paid roughly $200/year for that cleaner (I could have bought a new suction cleaner every 2 years at that cost), I decided to go back to using a suction cleaner. I know the suction cleaner will have its failures too, but it’s serviceable/repairable for much less than its original cost. And, as I said, it works fine for my pool. So, lesson learned and no more pricey robots for me

What suction cleaner do you have?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

What suction cleaner do you have?

I have a Pentair Kreepy Krawly Sandshark but my next suction cleaner will be a Pentair Rebel V2 (assuming there isn’t a V3 yet…)

 

[98Poolmaster]

I have a Pentair Kreepy Krawly Sandshark but my next suction cleaner will be a Pentair Rebel V2 (assuming there isn’t a V3 yet…)

I just repaired one this week put a new gear kit(gw7504)flap kit (gw7506) and an oscillator kit(gw7912) for like $125 or $130 I would have just got a Rebel 2 or Zodiac MX8 but the guy wanted to fix it it’s working good so far he also replaced all the hoses

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I just repaired one this week put a new gear kit(gw7504)flap kit (gw7506) and an oscillator kit(gw7912) for like $125 or $130 I would have just got a Rebel 2 or Zodiac MX8 but the guy wanted to fix it it’s working good so far he also replaced all the hoses

I’ve opened my up a few times. Very simple and efficient mechanism inside. They are designed for rebuilding which is nice. When you compare them to the price of a robotic cleaner, you can either rebuild a suction cleaner for decades at the same cost or buy a new suction cleaner and toss the old every 2-3 years for about a decade. You really can’t beat the cost efficiency of a suction cleaner.

 

[98Poolmaster]

I’ve opened my up a few times. Very simple and efficient mechanism inside. They are designed for rebuilding which is nice. When you compare them to the price of a robotic cleaner, you can either rebuild a suction cleaner for decades at the same cost or buy a new suction cleaner and toss the old every 2-3 years for about a decade. You really can’t beat the cost efficiency of a suction cleaner.

Agreed the older robotics lasted 7-10 years before any need parts,the newer Maytronics have become very expensive and unreliable after 3-5 years.Suction side work good especially if you have a dedicated vacuum line or we use a Vac Mate in the skimmer which work good.You just mainly have to replace the gasket around the basket and the soft rubber piece that attaches the elbow where hose connects.

 

[Mayorb]

I consider the 280 to be the workhorse of pool cleaners. There's a reason they've been on the market for almost 30 years.
All things considered, the repairs are very cost effective to keep them running. I have several in my pools that are 15+years old.