Polaris 280 - Possessed?

[nicholst55]

I cleaned the trash bag on my (30-day old) Polaris 280 last week. Sometime after that, it quit. Didn't do anything; just sat on the bottom of the pool. I went out to vacuum, and found a float in the skimmer. Float? That wasn't there before. After pondering it a bit, I realized that it was the float head from the Polaris. I reinstalled it, and now it wanted to float the back wheel off the bottom of the pool - and still just sat there. Good water flow and pressure; inline filter clear, wheels turn as designed, backup valve working as designed, etc.

So, I watched a couple of troubleshooting videos on YouTube, and ended up at this forum after a web search. I read many threads here about malfunctioning Polaris pool sweepers, and decided that I needed to adjust the position of the float head. I adjusted the position of the float, dropped the Polaris back into the pool, and it took off like it was trying to make up for lost time!

The point of all this? Something as simple as the position of the head float can prevent the sweeper from functioning - at all!

Zodiac A20

^^^That one!^^^

 

[Newdude]

Hey Nick and Welcome !!! I always say that everyone brings something to the table and with each new member the collective hive gets stronger.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Saturn94]

I cleaned the trash bag on my (30-day old) Polaris 280 last week. Sometime after that, it quit. Didn't do anything; just sat on the bottom of the pool. I went out to vacuum, and found a float in the skimmer. Float? That wasn't there before. After pondering it a bit, I realized that it was the float head from the Polaris. I reinstalled it, and now it wanted to float the back wheel off the bottom of the pool - and still just sat there. Good water flow and pressure; inline filter clear, wheels turn as designed, backup valve working as designed, etc.

So, I watched a couple of troubleshooting videos on YouTube, and ended up at this forum after a web search. I read many threads here about malfunctioning Polaris pool sweepers, and decided that I needed to adjust the position of the float head. I adjusted the position of the float, dropped the Polaris back into the pool, and it took off like it was trying to make up for lost time!

The point of all this? Something as simple as the position of the head float can prevent the sweeper from functioning - at all!

Zodiac A20

^^^That one!^^^

I’ve noticed seemingly small things can have a big impact on my Polaris 280 performance; proper hose length, hose float positions, float head position, leaking/worn hose swivels, cold water, etc. So I’m not surprised by your experience.

 

[nicholst55]

The back wheel is still off the bottom of the pool when the Polaris is not in use, so I may monkey with it some more tomorrow. That water is cold, though! Not much fun having my hands in and out of the pool all morning.

 

[Saturn94]

The back wheel is still off the bottom of the pool when the Polaris is not in use, so I may monkey with it some more tomorrow. That water is cold, though! Not much fun having my hands in and out of the pool all morning.

If I’m remembering correctly, my 280 doesn’t sit flat on the bottom when not in use, but works fine when running.

 

[nicholst55]

If I’m remembering correctly, my 280 doesn’t sit flat on the bottom when not in use, but works fine when running.

If that is the case, then my worries are unfounded. I'm going to see how it runs tomorrow before I screw with it again.