In Floor Cleaning Systems

In Floor Cleaning Systems

Some pool owners love their In-Floor Cleaning System (IFCS), and others hate it. However, there is no argument that an IFCS adds complexity to the pool system.

An in-floor cleaning system is a pop-up cleaning system on your pool floor. It consists of a series of heads that pop up on the pool's floor and steps. Their purpose is to drive dirt and debris towards an in-floor drain point, usually located in the pool's deep end. These cleaner heads are typically scattered along the pool floor to clean the pool from different zones.

An IFCS can be installed in a gunite/plaster, vinyl liner, or fiberglass pool. The system is designed for the pool plumbing before the swimming pool is constructed or manufactured.

They work great in areas with a lot of dust and not many deciduous trees. They don’t work well in regions that have a lot of trees and a lot of leaves. You may be told that they work just fine with leaves. But they don’t work as well as robotic cleaners for picking up big debris. If you live in an area that gets a lot of dust and not a lot of leaves, then it’s perfect. If you don’t live in that environment, don’t do it. Get a robotic cleaner.

An IFCS will have dead spots where debris gets trapped. You must help the system by either brushing those spots or using some other cleaner. If there is a lot of debris on the pool floor, the IFCS will take quite a while to remove it. The main drains won't appear to suck leaves in from even a few inches away. But if the leaves get closer they will eventually go into the drains. If there are a good number of leaves, use a net to remove them. The IFCS is not designed for significant cleanup jobs - it's for daily cleanup.

IFCS is difficult to winterize and is usually found in areas where pools run year-round. For them to be practical, closing and winterizing an IFCS system needs to be considered during design and construction.

It is not practical to retrofit an IFCS to an existing pool.

IFCS Manufacters

There are only a few manufacturers of In-Floor Cleaning Systems. Paramount, A&A Manufacturing (now part of Pentair), Zodiac/Jandy Caretaker and Blue Square are often used.

In Australia, Cooke Industries sells IFCS. The water valves, popups, and names of some products on their website look identical to A&A Manufacturing (now Pentair) products.

The Pentair/A&A system is the simplest of the group. Instead of the pool builder, Pentair/A&A and Zodiac/Jandy Caretaker design the pools' IFCS plumbing.

Pentair/A&A, Zodiac/Jandy Caretaker, and maybe others give the original pool owner a lifetime warranty.

Not every builder may be authorized to install one of the above-listed IFCS manufacturer's products.

IFCS Components

An IFCS has pop-up cleaner heads, usually water-powered distribution valves (except for the Zodiac Caretaker, which uses an electric water valve), and, optionally, venturi skimmers. The distribution valves have complex gears that cycle through the zones.

Most IFCS problems come from low pump water pressure, worn gear trains, or sticky pop-up heads.

IFCS Operation

When the IFCS is activated, water should be pulled from the main drains and any skimmers. If no water is pulled from the main drains, the floor debris has nowhere to go, and the in-floor heads will blow it around.

If you have a VS pump, it needs to run at a speed that provides enough water pressure in the IFCS to cycle the zone valves and pop up the cleaning heads in the active zone.

The water zone valve is powered by water pressure and has gears that cycle the water flow from zone to zone. Each zone is active for a set time.

When working correctly, the water from the pop-up heads pushes dirt toward the floor drains, where it flows into the filter.

IFCS Design

There are many ways an IFCS can be installed. The designs can include:

• The IFCS system must run full-time to clean and do standard pool filtration and chlorination. The system does not have the usual skimmers and returns, and all return flow comes out of the in-floor heads
• IFCS system with in-floor heads and skimmers but no in-wall returns. So all return flow comes out of the in-floor heads
• Both an IFCS system and traditional skimmers and wall returns, including valves to select whether the system runs with the IFCS or without.
• One filtration pump that services all pool equipment, including the IFCS
• Two pumps with a dedicated IFCS pump that independently runs for cleaning. A two-pump design allows for separate filtration/chlorination and cleaning operations. A two-pump design maximizes flexibility but adds cost and complexity to the pool.

Below is an example of an A&A Cleaner design:

You don't want an IFCS that cannot be turned off. You want regular skimmers and returns and the ability to switch between the IFCS and standard skimming/returns.

Even with an IFCS, we suggest a GFCI-protected electrical outlet about midway along the pool's length—and at least the minimum distance required by code from the water's edge—for a possible future robot. You may also want a suction-side manual vacuum/pool cleaner line installed. This will provide several options for cleaning over the pool's life.

A venturi skimmer uses return flow to help with skimming. Having a separate vac/cleaner line will alleviate the need to plug a vac/cleaner into the skimmer, allowing skimming while the vac/cleaner is being used.

Remember, an IFCS requires a high pump RPM to work well and uses more electricity. You can need 2900 rpm to get adequate cleaning with an IFCS. An IFCS can run 2 hours twice daily at 2900 rpm for IFCS and the other 20 hours at 1200 rpm for continuous skimming and SWG chlorine production. Some run 24/7 by choice, but that doesn't mean you need to.

Some like low-voltage electric robots. But there have been reports of reliability and longevity.

A pool with an IFCS has complex plumbing, and you want to get a plumbing schematic to understand how to operate the system in various situations.

Repairs

Pentair/A&A, Zodiac/Jandy Caretaker, and maybe others give the original pool owner a lifetime warranty. If you have problems with your IFCS and are the original owner, you should contact your builder or the manufacturer.

Pop-ups seem to wear out about every 4-5 years or so. Grit or dirt in the head or body can keep them from rotating.

Pentair/A&A

If you are the original pool owner, then A&A does an exchange of parts under warranty. If you call and report a problem or broken part, they will initially charge for the parts and ship them to you. Upon receipt, you take the old parts out and ship them back to A&A. Once they receive them and verify they aren't working to spec or are broken, they refund your money. In the end, mailing them back only costs you the shipping charge.

Pop-ups run $70-ish or more each. The warranty will save you $$$$.

Zodiac/Jandy Caretaker

The Zodiac Caretaker in-floor pool cleaning system has two valve options: the 5-Port valve and the electronically driven UltraFlex 8-Port valve, which provides multiple timer capabilities. Caretaker 5-port valves are sealed at the factory and ready for installation without adjustment.

Typically, the tang corners get bent and jammed. If you are the original owner, the hardware has a lifetime warranty (Gear set 800-822-7933, Pop-ups 855-280-6465).

A 5-port valve must have at least 12 - 14 psi for the pop-ups to lift high enough to rotate.

If a pop-up is not working, remove it, pull the tab up, and let it snap back in place. Rotate them through the cycle. Sometimes, that buys you time. Remove the pop-up on the farthest end in each line and let the gear set go through the cycle. That can clear trash in the pop-up water line.

Blue Square

Grit in the head/body doesn't allow pop-up heads to rise completely. A set of "teeth" turns the head each time it retracts, but it has to get up high enough to disengage and re-engage the next setting.