Polaris 480PRO Broke again, Looking for advice

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sjsherratt

sjsherratt

Bronze Supporter
May 15, 2009
25
Morgan Hill, CA
The blue upper housing (48-003) broke off my 13 year old Polaris 480PRO, again. The white lower housing also has a spot worn through (hole) in front of the front wheel, and the tires need replacing. It hasn't wagged its tail in a much for a while, but has managed to keep the debris cleaned up (but sprays the windows, which is annoying).
Reading here convinced me that it may be time to replace vs. repair. My pool is salt, pebble, ~23K gal, (about 40 ft long, 7 ft deep), central CA. The builder installed the 480PRO, and booster pump back in 2010 (replaced pump once since). It has worked well and only needed some minor repairs, but it is on its 3rd upper housing - they just seem to get very brittle after a few years and break easily.
Should I nurse this along by rebuilding, or replace with another 480, 3900 (still a 'stay-away-from' as in 2010?), P39, or new one of the other models I see advertised for a bit less (Leslie's prices):
Polaris 3900 $800 ($950 - $150 rebate)
Polaris 360 $580
Polaris 380 $850
Polaris 480Pro $1000
And do these ever go on a decent 'sale' - i.e. Black Friday? I'm open to any other recommendations. -Scott
 
Since you have a booster pump, you can't use a 360 without a lot of replumbing. Go with a 280 (about $600 everywhere) and you will be very happy. Stay away from the 3900 unless you want to replace very expensive parts. The 380 is OK, but the 280 has a larger throat and bag.
 
sjsherratt said:
Thanks @1poolman1 Will the 280 perform well when compared with the 480 Pro? I am having trouble finding details on the 480, but can see it has 4 jets and a stainless steel drive chain (vs. gear drive on the 280). My 480 Pro with the now broken upper housing handle is still picking up debris ... Plenty of comparisons of 280 vs. 380 - i.e. Review | Polaris 280 vs 380 | What's the Difference?Chainsaw Journalhttps://www.chainsawjournal.com › polaris-280-vs-380
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Somewhat biased opinion, but my 280 has been in my pool for 20+ years with only minor wear items (bearings, tires, wheels, bag, tail, back-up valve) replaced in all those years. Most of the items I use are aftermarket (CMP) and while less expensive seem to last longer.

All those items wear out on all cleaners of this type. The 480 appears to use the same bag as the 280 with 2 more jets in the throat that can block the debris if it is a larger leaf, and uses a 380 drive train with larger wheels and tires.

I've worked on all the other Polaris models, including my neighbor's 3900 which broke after only 18 months (bad transmission gears), and would never recommend those, in my opinion, over-priced cleaners. My yard, while pretty, is not pool-friendly. Large Italian Cyprus along with some other evergreens means that there is a constant supply of debris. Yet, unless we have a larger wind event, my pool is clean everyday.
 
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I'd just get a rebuild kit for the 480. Not cheap (~$500) but you get a superior cleaner. The kit contains EVERYTHING except the inner frame, so you essentially get a new cleaner. I've done this with my 380 for 30 years. Sadly, the price of these kits doubled, post-Covid.
 
sktn77a said:
I'd just get a rebuild kit for the 480. Not cheap (~$500) but you get a superior cleaner. The kit contains EVERYTHING except the inner frame, so you essentially get a new cleaner. I've done this with my 380 for 30 years. Sadly, the price of these kits doubled, post-Covid.
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Thanks. I haven't taken any action yet as the old 480 has been getting the job done, even with the broken upper housing. Where do you buy your rebuild kits?
 
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