Pentair Kreepy Krawley doens't seem to have as much pressure as it used to

[carpenterss]

I know the description is kind of vague, but my pool and cleaner and all equipment is about 6 years old. I keep all skimmers traps clean, clean/replace DE filter 2-3 times a year and just generally try and keep everything clean and working. At the beginning, the pool cleaner worked great climbing walls and never getting stuck in corners etc. About 2 years ago, I rotated the wheels and that seem to make a difference for a while. But now it constantly get stuck in the shallow end or even just against a wall. I do run it every day for about an hour regardless of the time of year (Dallas TX). I have ordered a new set of wheels, but I feel like it just isn't getting enough pressure in the unit like it used to. For instance, the tail used to just whip around, and even replacing that only seems to have mildly improved it. I have checked and rechecked the filter in the pool wall where the hose connects and it is always clean. I have tried to adjust the cleaner's rear nozzles. It's just not really cleaning well at all - I don't know if there is some adjustment I can make on the cleaner or not.
The cleaner pump is a single speed unit and I don't see an easy way of checking the impellar there as all of the pvc seems to be glued in - but then again, I know very little about the pumps.
I have attached basic picks of my equipment, the cleaner pump is the black pump in the back. The cleaner is a Kreepy Krawley LL505PMG.
Do I need to call someone to come take a look or is there something I can check further? Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[ajw22]

You are on the right track in that things in the cleaner wear out and have to be rebuilt as they age.

However it is not that your pump has less pressure. It is that friction is building up in the bearings and moving parts.

I have been using pressure side cleaners for over 30 years. And have been rebuilding them. They all eventually slow down the way you describe yours. The water pressure that powers them has little torque to overcome any friction in the moving parts. When new they are a finely balanced machine that moves well with little power. As they age they slow down.

Polaris sells full rebuild kits that replace all the moving parts. I don;t think Pentair does for the Kreepy Krawley.

So you can try new wheels. If that does not revive the cleaner then it is probably at the end of its useful life.

I think if you plugged a new cleaner into your existing pump it will move like you remember it did.

 

[carpenterss]

ajw22, I appreciate the feedback.
Do you recommend Polaris over Pentair if I have to look at replacing it?
Also, we tend to leave it in the pool all of the time since our cleaner is on a timer. So it probably gets exposed to chemical adjustments in the pool (don't know if that would shorten its life or not).
If I am supposed to disconnect and remove it during chemical adjustments and it wasn't attached when the booster pump went off via the timer, would that cause an issue?

 

[ajw22]

Do you recommend Polaris over Pentair if I have to look at replacing it?

I am a Polaris fan becasue they sell various rebuild kits for the 280/380 cleaners.

Also, we tend to leave it in the pool all of the time since our cleaner is on a timer. So it probably gets exposed to chemical adjustments in the pool (don't know if that would shorten its life or not).

My Polaris 380 is always in my pool. It runs daily early in the morning. I just push the 380 to the side when we swim in the pool.

If I am supposed to disconnect and remove it during chemical adjustments and it wasn't attached when the booster pump went off via the timer, would that cause an issue?

No it would not cause an issue.

 

[carpenterss]

Thanks for the info Allen. I ordered new wheels and bearings after a closer inspection this weekend - they were worn down quite a bit where the drive shaft contacts them, about the same as when I rotated them the last time. So that will likely make an improvement. The only other thing I noticed were the swivels in the hose. They all had some amount of leakage. I honestly don't remember if it was always that way or they have worn down and need replacing as well. But there is definitely some amount of pressure being lost there.