Polaris 280

[denisbaldwin]

I don't have an answer on the Polaris, but I'd like to comment that the worm population is crazy! I found one worm so far in my pool. I don't think I've ever seen so many in one place before.

 

[stev32k]

There are only three ways that I know of to get rid of calcium carbonate scale; acid clean, hydro blasting (power washing), or manually with a paint scrapper. The deposits are hard and they are tightly bound to the surface they grow on. So if you can brush it off the walls I really doubt it's scale. On the other hand if your pH has been running high for long periods and the calcium levels are in the 300 - 400 range that sounds like good conditions for scale to form. Maybe your pool guy can find out for sure.

 

[mamasproject]

I don't have an answer on the Polaris, but I'd like to comment that the worm population is crazy! I found one worm so far in my pool. I don't think I've ever seen so many in one place before.

You think that was bad...what was in the Polaris bag....you should see it here after a good rain!!! Worms all over the driveway...and we have a fairly long driveway!!! When we first moved in our home I had worms all over the front door!! It was really, really disgusting. I had to get the hose out and squirt them all off! I heard somewhere that if you have worms you have fertile soil...I guess maybe that's true since it's old farm land.

 

[Pool Clown]

The thrust jet on the back of the 280 should point straight back, and angled down just a little (most other Polaris models want it at 10 o'clock position).

If the Ph was "off the scale" high all winter, then that is most certainly scale, and that is what you are picking up in the bag. If the bag (Polaris) fills with this material, it will adversely affect the units ability to climb walls or slopes. So it needs to be emptied often.

You can do a acid wash without draining, but it can be destructive (to all metals in the system) if not done right. If the Pool builder is the one who closed this pool last fall without adjusting the Ph first, this should be his mess to clean up. Since the acid washing with a full pool is tricky, I would suggest that the builder drain and sand the pool (big job) He may not want to do this. But if he does the non drain acid wash and runs the equipment, There will be damage (to the equipment) that may not present itself right away, leaving you with the repair.

Does all this make sense?

 

[geekgranny]

There are only three ways that I know of to get rid of calcium carbonate scale; acid clean, hydro blasting (power washing), or manually with a paint scrapper. The deposits are hard and they are tightly bound to the surface they grow on. So if you can brush it off the walls I really doubt it's scale. On the other hand if your pH has been running high for long periods and the calcium levels are in the 300 - 400 range that sounds like good conditions for scale to form. Maybe your pool guy can find out for sure.

I can attest to how tenacious scale is. In 2008 when I drained pool to do an acid wash I didn't want to do some of the horizontal places because if the scale is unevenly distributed with plaster showing through the acid will eat the plaster too much. So I whipped out the angle grinder. It took two hours with a disc for concrete grinding to get the scale off of one step. My plaster is blue so it is really easy to tell the difference between scale and blue plaster.

gg=alice

 

[geekgranny]

The thrust jet on the back of the 280 should point straight back, and angled down just a little (most other Polaris models want it at 10 o'clock position).

My Polaris 280 has redeemed itself. Will talk about in another post. I've found, after using P-280 since they were first introduced that many factors affect where the jet should be pointed. Some of those are the type of bag you are using, the amount, type, weight of debris, shape of pool, water temperature, etc. Also, if one of the jets that shoot up into the bag is stronger or less so than others that can affect how to position the jet. I know this from last spring when my Polaris had been stored outside, in shade, for a year. One of the jets to bag was totally clogged. It took about a week to get the clog totally cleared by frequently cleaning it with a paper clip. I had to adjust the back jet several times during the process. I just started using my P-280 (again, reasons in another post), as my main cleaner. I had to readjust the jet from last use a, I think, a couple of months ago. Water temp warmer, different type of debris; much fewer leaves.

BTW.. I tried something that another poster, sorry forgot who, uses in his bag, although for another cleaner. I put a small piece of Styrofoam in the top corner of bag to keep it pointed straight up. I started out with too much buoyancy so worked my way down with smaller and smaller chunks. Also had to adjust the back "floater" somewhat. The bag is an E Z disposable bag that catches much, much finer stuff than the other bags; stuff that goes right through the Polaris sand/silt bag and even the liner sock for the P bag. The stuff it collects gets really heavy. The tiny bit of buoyancy from the Styrofoam chunk really helps the bag to stay upright and hold more stuff before having to change it out.

If the Ph was "off the scale" high all winter, then that is most certainly scale, and that is what you are picking up in the bag. If the bag (Polaris) fills with this material, it will adversely affect the units ability to climb walls or slopes. So it needs to be emptied often.

You can do a acid wash without draining, but it can be destructive (to all metals in the system) if not done right. If the Pool builder is the one who closed this pool last fall without adjusting the Ph first, this should be his mess to clean up. Since the acid washing with a full pool is tricky, I would suggest that the builder drain and sand the pool (big job) He may not want to do this. But if he does the non drain acid wash and runs the equipment, There will be damage (to the equipment) that may not present itself right away, leaving you with the repair.

Does all this make sense?