Zodiac G2 not moving

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othater

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Jul 10, 2016
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Hello,

I have an old Zodiac G2 that stop moving.
I changed the diaphragm as in the past but still not working.
What I do notice is if I change my filter valve to drain to waste or even backwash the cleaner does move.

Any suggestions?
is it time for a new one?

Thank you
 
Welcome to TFP. Good to have you here :)

It sounds more like a lack of flow than a problem with the cleaner. Drain to waste and backwash allow a higher flow rate. A dirty filter reduced flow when on filter mode. Have you backwashed the filter recently? What is the clean pressure, and your pressure now?

Another possibility is how much flow you're drawing through the cleaner. That can be affected by an attachment on the cleaner hose that allows bypass flow, or a valve setting at the equipment pad (for example most flow coming from a drain or skimmer and not enough flow being drawn through the cleaner).
 
Thank you for the reply.
Filter pressure clean around 9 and its currently at 10-11.
I tried adjusting (closing) the bypass valve going to the skimmer from the cleaner to provide more suction but that didn't work.
Next I'll clean the filter (my schedule is normally in May).
I wont be able to clean until next weekend though.
 
Just finished cleaning my filter. I still have no movement from my cleaner.
For some reason the pressure is now higher instead of lower. Its reading 18 PSI on the filter.
I've never seen it that high (unless the meter is broken?).
Another thing I noticed is there is a lot of air in the basket, also where the water is just above the basket.
I un-screwed the ortega valve to just take a look and it seems ok.

A little more information on the filter system.
2 HP Magnetek, Filter is American products Titan 72 sq ft.
caretaker pop ups.

For now I'm going to leave the pump off until I can figure what to do.
I don't want to break something.

Looking for more help. Any other ideas with this information to me to try?

Thank you
 
Does the pressure gauge return to zero when the system is off?

As long as there's flow through the pump (you can feel/see water coming out of the return jets in the pool), I don't think you'll break anything. 18 PSI is not crazy high, but definitely needs to be solved if 10-11 PSI was normal in the past. What kind of filter is it? Sand, cartridge or DE?

It will be helpful if you enter a "signature" which shows on every post. There's instructions in 'read before posting' linked below in my sgnature.
 
I added a signature but I don't see it?
Yes the gauge goes back to zero when off.
The caretaker pop ups do function and the water overflow from the spa.
I read that I may be sucking air since the water is low in the pump basket. Not sure how to test that if that is true.
 
I can see the signature on the web version.

Yep, a suction leak is a possibility because the cleaner increases resistance on the suction side of the pump, and therefore increases the vacuum on the suction line. But I recall that your cleaner worked on backwash or waste. Did the pump basket fill with air when you tried that? Maybe there's a leak in the cleaner hose.
 
Yes the cleaner works in backwash or drain to waste. The pump basket still has some air but not as much.
Since it works during backwash I assume the hose should be ok?
I haven't ran the pump for the week but I just turned it on to test and it sounds louder than normal.
Not smooth like wobble wobble high low sound.
 
I'll put up the bat signal for some other people to consider your problem. It's not making sense to me.

Do you let it run for 5/10 minutes on each configuration, so the air has a chance to clear? Sometimes when a pump is catching prime it will sound like it's grinding/digging and the load surges high and low.
 
Needsajet, First thank you for your suggestions.
Anyone else with any suggestions?
This is the latest from my trouble shooting.
I completely removed the hose from the skimmer and there is no suction.
I'm thinking the gasket from the multiport valve might have a issue since when I turn to backwash or drain to waste the cleaner does move.
I will open it and see what it looks like before I buy another one.
 

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Could you post a couple of pictures of your equipment pad from two different angles, showing all valves in their current positions?

Also just wondering if the pool is filled up to halfway up the skimmer throat.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't think it's the multiport. It really sounds like another valve position to me.
 
Interesting. Normally when someone mentions air in the pump basket we focus on a suction leak. I suppose it's still possible if there is an issue between the skimmer suction and the caretaker side. The valve positions would be a player as well. Did you already check suction changes by closing the caretaker line? Also curious about your plumbing to/from the spa to see if there's any connection. Sometimes a stoppage in the filter can effect water flow through the pump, kind of a stalling scenario. By cleaning the filter, did you just backwash, or did you actually pull it apart to clean the grids/manifold? Finally, if you do disassemble the multiport, you might give some attention to the spring mechanism as well. Those can get weak on occasion and cause some issues when trying to change settings. Hopefully all of this will help narrow down our search for the culprit.
 
I put magic lube on the multiport valve, pump basket cover, ortega valves gaskets. Didn't help.
Here are a few pictures. IMG_2388.jpgIMG_2389.jpgIMG_2390.jpg
This was installed late 80's.

There is no separate valve for the caretaker, it's always on.
That was the cleaning system sold to me as the best back in the day before adding the G2.
I did a backwash, not a complete filter grid cleaning which I will do if that will be next.

I did find a clogged filter mesh in the caretaker pipe which was probably from the backwash.
 
Something I didn't see in the notes above after looking at your images .... what happens when you move the suction valve to spa only? Do you see good water flow to the pump? Any change in the amount of air intake to the pump basket? PSI changes compared to pool suction? Any other differences between pool & spa suction? Looking for more clues.
 
Hi Texas Splash,
Minimal change in pressure switching suction between pool just below 17 and spa 18.
The same air bubble in the top of the pump basket.
Thanks for jumping in.
 
Try opening up the filter and cleaning off the grids and tank. Backwash usually doesn't get rid of all the old DE. Also make sure the water in the skimmer basket covers the flow keeper valve.
 
So my latest adventure is I backwashed the filter before I removed the cover of the filter and it actually looked clean.
Not much DE. I ran a water hose to wash off as much of the left over DE then I said I'm gonna lift out the grids.
Well, I just cracked the manifold trying to lift it out, so I'm not happy but maybe it was cracked and maybe part of my issue with the suction?
It actually looks like it was glued at sometime in the past by the pool person.
I did a search here on cracked manifold and I'm gonna try to either try JB weld or marine epoxy before I buy a replacement.
I'm pulling each grid and going to clean the rest off.
Off to HD in a bit.
 
maybe it was cracked and maybe part of my issue with the suction?
Click to expand...
Humm, I don't know. I would think that if the manifold was cracked, you would've seen DE in the pool. However, the fact that a repair was attempted by someone previously means it was still a good thing you found it now. :goodjob:
 
I guess it wasnt as clean as I thought. Only the top seem clean.
The bottom was caked on with the DE and debris.
I sprayed and soap the grids and scooped out the remaining gunk.

The funny thing, my wife said I glued the manifold around 10 years ago between pool cleaning companies.

I'm going to grind down the manifold a little for the epoxy for the second temp fix while I price a replacement.
 

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