Quattro cleaner - debris escaping (FIXED! SEE PIC)

[tfpflana1502]

My Quattro cleaner (see sample photo below of what we have) works and picks up leaves, etc... just fine....almost.

However, given we have lots of pine trees behind our back fence so wind blows loose, finer debris into the pool regularly, this is what we really need the cleaner to handle because it accumulates daily, depending on the wind, etc...

Problem is I've noticed when it comes to this finer debris, the Quattro appears to be spewing some of it back out into the pool after sucking it up. If it is spewing this visible debris back into the pool, this means it probably is spewing the sand and finer stuff back in as well. When checking the basket, some stays in the basket, but that is probably because larger debris begins to accumulate and prevent the smaller stuff escaping, but if we start with a clean basket and there is nothing but the small debris stuff in the pool as described above, the job it does is subpar.

The unit is over 2 years old now and I've only noticed this in the last 3-4 months.

Any thoughts on the issue?

Much appreciated!
Pat

 

[tfpflana1502]

Asked inyopools about this and they believe it is the fact that the upper canister that holds the filter baskets getting loose, as well as the filter baskets getting loose. Figure I'll buy the upper first and see if that helps before buying the baskets too since they look to be in good shape.

 

[tfpflana1502]

Let me ask this....anyone have this problem and just run some rubber stripping or foam around the inside to tighten up the fit? I'll probably try that. Might not last very long in a saltwater pool, but worth a shot over paying $200 for a replacement part just to get a tighter fit.

 

[tfpflana1502]

Update: I am appealing to Polaris’s good graces to see if they will send me an entire upper canister unit with filters. There’s no way I’m going to spend $200 to fix a 1/16th of an inch space problem. I’ll probably glue some piping insulation to the filter and see if that helps. I have nothing to lose at this point.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Do you have both sets of filters in place? I find my fine filter captures particles as tiny as grains of sand. I never see debris coming out the Quattro while it's running.

My problem is slightly different from yours. Actually 2 problems:

1. If I lift Quattro straight out of the pool by its handle, sometimes debris falls back into the pool. This debris must have bypassed the filters somehow. If I carefully lift it out holding it level, the debris comes with it and I can clean it out.
2. When I empty Quattro, there is often a fairly large amount of debris trapped between the 2 pieces of the lid that didn't make it into the filters. The gap between the lid pieces is too thin for a toothpick but I can usually get the junk out with a hose nozzle set to "blast". Other times I have to take the lid pieces apart (unscrewing 4 screws) to get all the junk.

Maybe those are actually the same problem, I don't know. Do you think my problem is at all similar to yours?

 

[tfpflana1502]

Do you have both sets of filters in place? I find my fine filter captures particles as tiny as grains of sand. I never see debris coming out the Quattro while it's running.

My problem is slightly different from yours. Actually 2 problems:

1. If I lift Quattro straight out of the pool by its handle, sometimes debris falls back into the pool. This debris must have bypassed the filters somehow. If I carefully lift it out holding it level, the debris comes with it and I can clean it out.
2. When I empty Quattro, there is often a fairly large amount of debris trapped between the 2 pieces of the lid that didn't make it into the filters. The gap between the lid pieces is too thin for a toothpick but I can usually get the junk out with a hose nozzle set to "blast". Other times I have to take the lid pieces apart (unscrewing 4 screws) to get all the junk.

Maybe those are actually the same problem, I don't know. Do you think my problem is at all similar to yours?

Yes, always have had both filters in place and yes, they are picking up sand, etc...

Interesting....here is how I was able to rule out both of the above, (numbers below correspond to your numbered issues):

1) I never have worried out this as I use the proper handle to avoid undue pressure on the canister handle, NOW, but early on within the first year, I was grabbing the filter handle at time vs the cleaner handle and that could have prematurely led to this....no way to know.
2) I have unscrewed and cleaned that out to avoid it being the issue. I know that debris is coming out because of the space now between the filter baskets and the canister housing because after cleaning out the canister housing (as you mentioned which holds debris over time), when I bring the unit up just below the surface, I can see debris coming out the back...no question. Additionally, the debris has always built up in the roof of the canister housing as you mentioned and never was an issue, so I don't think it is the issue now.

Now....what I am doing (since at this point, I have nothing really to lose with creating a better seal) is cutting strips of foam insulation and gluing it to the back of the canister housing where the largest gaps are and they are also in the pathway of when debris enters the filter area so easily the biggest culprit of this whole issue. I'll see how they hold up and if it works, I'll attach pics.

Of all this, best case is Polaris feels sorry for me and sends me an entirely new canister housing and filter set; worst case, my "plugs" don't work and I have to buy the aforementioned parts.

If the Quattro further degrades, I'll spend additional money on a robot and try that out (Dolphin thingy or whatever) since all these cleaners run within a few hundred of one another and I'm more concerned with longevity and cleaning ability vs bells and whistles.

P.S. I searched all the quattro entries on this forum for a few years back and I'm surprised I haven't seen more posts about this. Curious if folks are just replacing the parts without saying anything, or if my saltwater pool prematurely did this, or I have a badly made unit (from this perspective).

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I'm guessing the Quattro is new enough that maybe Polaris hasn't gotten the tolerances quite right on every unit depending on when each unit was made. Just guessing.

I was thinking of sealing the two lid halves with silicone goo to prevent debris from getting stuck in the space between the lids.

Anyway, let us know how you make out with Polaris and/or your home remedy. Good luck!

 

[tfpflana1502]

I'm guessing the Quattro is new enough that maybe Polaris hasn't gotten the tolerances quite right on every unit depending on when each unit was made. Just guessing.

I was thinking of sealing the two lid halves with silicone goo to prevent debris from getting stuck in the space between the lids.

Anyway, let us know how you make out with Polaris and/or your home remedy. Good luck!

Perhaps. I really don't think the debris in the roof of the canister housing matters. Yeah, maybe some comes out of it, but compared to the flow of debris I am losing from the basket due to the space between the filter rim and the canister housing, that is the true issue. I'll definitely chime back in about my home remedy. At this point, I haven't found any video or forum to talk about anyone fixing this themselves.

 

[tfpflana1502]

Perhaps. I really don't think the debris in the roof of the canister housing matters. Yeah, maybe some comes out of it, but compared to the flow of debris I am losing from the basket due to the space between the filter rim and the canister housing, that is the true issue. I'll definitely chime back in about my home remedy. At this point, I haven't found any video or forum to talk about anyone fixing this themselves.

Last thing I'll say is that I truly believe these are built to wear out quickly after warranty and the reason these are so expensive initially is to capture that warranty cost up front because companies know they will have significant warranty claims. Then there's the wide and ample availability of parts....if these things were meant to last, there wouldn't be a huge parts availability.

No one wants to put out a 1000 dollars at a time, but I figure the lower stress of having a new unit is worth not repairing something 20 times, spending next to the same for a new unit and each repair being just followed by one more repair and trip to the store so the cost of gas, time, etc....

I'm sure I'm missing something, but those are some fun, initial thoughts.

 

[tfpflana1502]

Update: I'll post pics later, but the "fix" I made for the Quattro appears to be working! I took one of those foam noodles, and carved with a razor blade some insulation to fill the holes and used Gorilla Glue to glue the insulation to the upper canister (not to the filter baskets in case I need to replace one) clear roof that is screwed to the upper canister. The biggest culprit allowing debris out is at those rounded corners near the back where a lot of space existed between the filter basket and the upper canister.

It is of course a prototype fix at this time, but I have it running and I pulled the Quattro near the surface while running after it had picked up some of the sample debris and it appeared to be sealed!

Once I'm certain this works, I'll take pics and probably do some things to ensure it is a longer term fix. The good think with the pool noodle for the insulation is that it will hold up in the pool for a while and it is light and very very easy to cut and manipulate.

Potentially another material that might plug these holes is silicone, but you have to wait for it to set and with the insulation, since it is pressed between the canister and the filter baskets, once you get it in the right place, it won't move and you can check your proof of concept rather immediately.

 

[tfpflana1502]

UPDATE! The insulation works! Cleanest pool I have had in months! See the hack below. It isn't perfect, but until it begins to fail again, I won't fix what isn't broken...ha ha.

 

[mkormendy]

I had this exact same issue. I bought a used Quattro online from eBay. After bringing it into Leslie‘s for repair because of this exact issue, I compared the top casing on my used unit to one that they had on display in the store. I noticed that the new unit had a black plastic and rubber seal around the edges of the top casing (not part of the two filters) that my old one did not. I don’t know if they added this black plastic and rubber casing in later versions because manufacturing tolerance issues, however I ended up buying just that top casing and double filter, and that solved my problem perfectly (Leslie’s was only able to sell it with the filters as one). They gave me a deal on it and replaced the ball bearings on the wheels and axel unit too.

For anyone that is having this issue, check to see if you have the black plastic inner casing with the rubber gasket as in the photo I am attaching.