[Looking for advice] Repair PB450 booster vs buying a Robot Cleaner.

[sterfry1988]

Hi all,

Some long backstory...

Our pool was finished in Jan 2021. Originally I wanted to go with a Robotic cleaner (we previously had a booster P3900 in our first pool and I wasn't super impressed).

Since owning our PB450 + polaris quattro sport I've had to fix both a couple different times. The PB450 had one gasket seal fail already, and also had a leak at the hose portion that connects to the pool plumbing.
The polaris quattro sport Had a gear box grind out and I replaced that not too long ago. It's worth adding that this leak(video for the curious) occurred during a historical Feb 2022 Texas weather event and drained nearly half my pool while I was asleep.

Cleaning wise it's always done an alright job when it's not stuck on my drain.

I went out today and the PB450 is leaking again, this time from somewhere else I can't really tell (Video for those curious). I am unsure if the pump is still under manufacturr/pool builder warranty but honestly I am getting sick of the unit.

This is compounded by the local warranty company I have to deal with is very difficult and unhelpful (Took nearly 2 months to fix the pump the first time and when they reconnected the pump it was done backwards).


So my question is what would you do if you were in my situation, buy a robotic cleaner and be done with the booster setup? Or continue to repair the pump (Assuming it's under warranty)?

My hopes with a robotic cleaner is to finally get away from my cleaner getting stuck on drains + tangling itself with the booster hose. I was looking at the Polaris Freedom unless there is a better option to consider.
One thing I liked about the Quattro sport is I was able to take it apart and repair it myself. But I am not sure that's worth the headache that I have dealt with so far.

Thanks for the advice/ any follow up commiseration

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Robots can be just as temperamental as your pressure cleaner and will fail too. You’d likely get a few good years out of it (2 to 3) and then the problems will set it (years 4 to 5) and then it will fail. They are not cheaply repairable and, outside of warranty, it’s not worth repairing them. You trash them and buy new. The corded Maytronics models seem to have a 3-5 year life span and the battery powered ones are too new to the market to know for sure what their life expectancy will be. Robots get hung up on drains all the time so if your pressure cleaner is doing that then a robot will too. Robots do not clean stairs or ledges. Your basically traded the devil you know for the devil you don’t know.

 

[sterfry1988]

I agree that it's a devil you know situation. I did find out that the PB450 are known for failing in cold weather. I also found out that the pump is now out of warranty.

Do you know if there is a better booster pump that is known for being more resilient than the PB450? Are booster pumps specific to models e.g do I have to have a polaris booster pump paired with my polaris cleaner?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I agree that it's a devil you know situation. I did find out that the PB450 are known for failing in cold weather. I also found out that the pump is now out of warranty.

Do you know if there is a better booster pump that is known for being more resilient than the PB450? Are booster pumps specific to models e.g do I have to have a polaris booster pump paired with my polaris cleaner?

@1poolman1 is very knowledgeable about these types of questions. Perhaps he has some suggestions.

 

[jark87]

I’ve had the opposite experience with my side pressure cleaner and pump. I have a Polaris 380 and PB4 pump. The 380 has been going strong for 16 years without a single part failure. I had to replace the pump a couple of years ago, but only because I ran it just before a hard freeze and the retained water froze, cracking the pump casing.

When faced with replacing the pump, I considered a robot, but after researching, I replaced the pump. Too many issues with robots for my liking:

According to most documentation, they’re supposed to be removed from the pool when not in use and stored out of the elements. They’re heavy and yet another item to store somewhere. My storage space is already at a premium and I didn’t want to have the schlep the thing back and forth every time I needed it. That also renders programming useless. I’ve read where quite a few people on TFP disregard the documentation and leave their robots in the pool 24x7. I don’t know if this contributes to the short lifespan.

Smaller debris bag. Our pool is surrounded by trees and it’s not uncommon for lots of leaves to get knocked into the pool during storms. The 380 handles it well.

Need to also have a long extension cord every time you use a robot - not a huge factor, but another annoyance. Some may be battery powered now, but if so, I suspect that would drive up the cost quite a bit.

High cost/short lifespan. Pump replacement was about $400 when I replaced mine. Highly rated robots were in the $1k range. However, if the robot brought some significant conveniences to the table, I would gladly spend the money. I want to enjoy my pool, so I’m always on the lookout for anything that makes pool maintenance easier.

The one factor I found in the robot’s favor was better cleaning - scrubbing the surface. That wasn’t enough to overcome the deficiencies for me.

If you’re having to weigh replacing both the pump and the cleaner, costs are probably in the same ballpark, so your decision might be a little more difficult. If I was in the same situation, I’d still go with the side pressure cleaner, for all of the reasons above.

 

[buck1s]

I had a 380 for a long time too. How did you never have to rebuild it in all that time? I rebuilt mine at least twice. It is very nice to be able to leave it in the pool.
There are a few minor hassles - retrieving it to empty the bag every day (don't want to leave the dead mice/snakes/frogs in the pool too long if you can help it), inconsistent cleaning, moving it out of the way when wanting to swim laps, no brushing (like a robot), noise of booster pump, inconsistent wall-climbing, hose memory influencing cleaning pattern.

 

[jark87]

How did you never have to rebuild it in all that time?

No idea. It just works and has for 16 years. I did have to repair a leaky connection in the hose and replaced the pressure control valve that connects to the wall, but the total of those repairs was around $20 and not part of the cleaner itself.

retrieving it to empty the bag every day

Emptying the bag is a requirement regardless of cleaner type.

moving it out of the way when wanting to swim laps,

I’d rather do this than having to haul a robot in and out of storage every time I use it. Moving the hose is simple. Just place it on the edge of the pool.

noise of booster pump

I don’t even hear mine. The pool pump is louder than the booster pump and I also have a partition between the equipment and our backyard, which helps deflect any noise.

hose memory influencing cleaning pattern.

I don’t have this issue, but I suspect robots have better, less random cleaning patterns.

no brushing (like a robot), inconsistent wall-climbing

Definite factors in favor of robots. Just not enough for me.

 

[johnnydot]

Hi all,

Some long backstory...

Our pool was finished in Jan 2021. Originally I wanted to go with a Robotic cleaner (we previously had a booster P3900 in our first pool and I wasn't super impressed).

Since owning our PB450 + polaris quattro sport I've had to fix both a couple different times. The PB450 had one gasket seal fail already, and also had a leak at the hose portion that connects to the pool plumbing.
The polaris quattro sport Had a gear box grind out and I replaced that not too long ago. It's worth adding that this leak(video for the curious) occurred during a historical Feb 2022 Texas weather event and drained nearly half my pool while I was asleep.

Cleaning wise it's always done an alright job when it's not stuck on my drain.

I went out today and the PB450 is leaking again, this time from somewhere else I can't really tell (Video for those curious). I am unsure if the pump is still under manufacturr/pool builder warranty but honestly I am getting sick of the unit.

This is compounded by the local warranty company I have to deal with is very difficult and unhelpful (Took nearly 2 months to fix the pump the first time and when they reconnected the pump it was done backwards).


So my question is what would you do if you were in my situation, buy a robotic cleaner and be done with the booster setup? Or continue to repair the pump (Assuming it's under warranty)?

My hopes with a robotic cleaner is to finally get away from my cleaner getting stuck on drains + tangling itself with the booster hose. I was looking at the Polaris Freedom unless there is a better option to consider.
One thing I liked about the Quattro sport is I was able to take it apart and repair it myself. But I am not sure that's worth the headache that I have dealt with so far.

Thanks for the advice/ any follow up commiseration

I have had the Aiper Seagull Pro cordless for about a month and it does a great job with no cords to deal with.

 

[jark87]

It's worth adding that this leak(video for the curious) occurred during a historical Feb 2022 Texas weather event and drained nearly half my pool while I was asleep.

I took a look at your video and it appears as if you had the same problem I did - the cleaner was used around the time of the hard freeze and the ice caused the leak. That’s not a pump failure issue because that pump shouldn’t be used during a freeze. If your booster pump was also used this past winter when we had another hard freeze, that could be the cause of your current leak. It just may not have been as obvious as it is now. Just a guess, of course.

 

[sterfry1988]

I took a look at your video and it appears as if you had the same problem I did - the cleaner was used around the time of the hard freeze and the ice caused the leak. That’s not a pump failure issue because that pump shouldn’t be used during a freeze. If your booster pump was also used this past winter when we had another hard freeze, that could be the cause of your current leak. It just may not have been as obvious as it is now. Just a guess, of course.

Specifically it was running during the freeze because of "Freeze protect mode". My assumption is the freeze put enough stress on the pump to cause a small leak to become a big one.

I think I am going to go with a Hayward 3/4 booster. The company near me offers 3y warranty on them and It should work with my existing cleaner.

 

[1poolman1]

@1poolman1 is very knowledgeable about these types of questions. Perhaps he has some suggestions.

PB4SQ (not 50), sold one and never again. Many complaints on this forum about them, especially ones that age.
Quattro Sport, like the 3900, too complicated with parts that are more expensive than need be. Don't even like repairing them.
PB4-60, standard pump and 280 or 380 are better, longer lasting, more reliable models that are easy to maintain and do the job just as well.

 

[jark87]

Specifically it was running during the freeze because of "Freeze protect mode".

Interesting. Is that normal? My side pressure cleaner booster pump doesn’t run during freeze protection - only the main pool pump. I rarely run my cleaner during the winter because I cover the pool.

 

[1poolman1]

Specifically it was running during the freeze because of "Freeze protect mode". My assumption is the freeze put enough stress on the pump to cause a small leak to become a big one.

I think I am going to go with a Hayward 3/4 booster. The company near me offers 3y warranty on them and It should work with my existing cleaner.

Freeze protection is designed so that there is not a freeze stress issue with the equipment. PB4SQ of that vintage had issues. Hayward pump will work well.