Pentair Kreepy Krauly Kruiser

The Kruiser is Pentair's flapper-driven Kreepy Krauly suction cleaner. It's driven by a single flapper inside, moving up and down, which Pentair's brochure calls the only operational moving part: no wheels or gears to jam, and no diaphragms to replace. The cleaner sits on a round 18 inch vacuum seal with curved fingers, and plugs into a skimmer or a dedicated suction port. Pentair lists one item number, K60430.

It's one of Pentair's three current in-ground suction cleaners, with the two-wheel Rebel and the bristle-drive Dorado. The original Kreepy Krauly and the Great White are discontinued. Like any suction cleaner, it sends debris to your pump basket and filter, which the cleaner type comparison covers.

Parts changed with the 2012 model. Pentair keeps a separate parts sheet for 2011 and earlier models, with different numbers for the swivel, bumper, vacuum seal, foot pad, housing and hose. The serial number is under the rear handle.

What it will and won't do

Pentair's manual says the Kruiser is designed to clear a pool of debris in about four to six hours. It wasn't designed to clean steps or swimouts, to work under a solar cover, or to do the first cleanup of a new pool or at spring opening.

It can stay in the pool all the time, but Pentair says to disconnect it and pull it to one side when people are swimming, and to take it out before shocking the pool.

Pentair also warns that some vinyl liner patterns can be worn or marked by any cleaner, and that it isn't responsible for that.

Before installing it

1. Vacuum the pool by hand, so the cleaner starts on a clean, algae-free floor, which Pentair says gives it the most traction.
2. Balance the water.
3. Clean the filter, and empty the skimmer and pump baskets.
4. On a vinyl pool, check the liner for age or damage and have it repaired first. On gunite or tile, fix loose tiles and tighten loose light rings.

Putting it together

The vacuum seal: pull it over the foot pad so it sits in the pad's groove, curved tips facing up, and check it turns freely by hand.

The hose: with the cleaner at the farthest point of the pool from where it's connected, the hose should reach plus one section. Take extra sections out of the middle, so the hose float stays where it is, and keep the spares. Turn the pump off before adding or removing sections.

The hose weights keep the cleaner at a 45 degree angle on the floor, and deeper pools need more:

• Under 6 feet: none.
• 6 to 9 feet: one, 12 to 20 inches from the swivel head.
• 9 to 12 feet: two, one at 12 to 20 inches and one at 6 feet.
• Over 12 feet: three, at 12 to 20 inches, 6 feet and 10 feet.

The Kruiser comes with two, so a pool deeper than 12 feet needs one more from a dealer. Never put a weight on a hose cuff. Adjust the weights until the cleaner sits evenly on the floor at 45 degrees; Pentair notes water density varies with mineral and salt content.

Installing it in a skimmer

1. Turn the pump off, and close the main drain and all suction lines except the skimmer.
2. Take out the skimmer basket.
3. Screw the threaded compression adapter into the skimmer's vacuum connection, with two wraps of thread seal tape. If the opening isn't threaded, use a 2 inch hose cone, sold separately.
4. Press the adjustable regulator valve into the adapter, with no cap on it.
5. Sink the cleaner, then feed the hose down vertically until it's full of water and the air is out.
6. Slide the hose protector sleeve onto the section at the skimmer, so it doesn't rub on the skimmer wall, and connect the hose to the regulator.
7. Open the main drain and suction lines and turn the pump on.

With two skimmers, pick one, close the other with its pump valve, and follow the same steps.

Installing it on a vac port

If your pool has a dedicated suction port, it must have a safety vac-lock fitting, and one comes with the cleaner. The regulator still goes in the skimmer:

1. Turn the pump off, and close the main drain and all suction lines except the skimmer and the vacuum line.
2. Thread the vac-lock fitting into the suction line, with two wraps of thread seal tape.
3. Sink the cleaner with its hose and weights, fill the hose with water, and push the last section into the vac-lock fitting.
4. In the skimmer, fit the threaded compression adapter, then put the cap on the regulator valve and press it in. Pentair says without the cap, the regulator and cleaner won't work properly.

Setting the flow

Run the pump a couple of minutes to clear the air, then check the flow with the gauge:

1. Turn the pump off, take the cleaner off the hose and fit the flow gauge in its place, keeping the hose underwater.
2. Turn the pump on, and turn the regulator knob Faster or Slower until the disc settles between Maximum and Minimum. With a very strong pump still over Maximum, open the main drain slightly.
3. Turn the pump off, swap the gauge for the cleaner, keeping the hose underwater, let it sink and turn the pump back on.

Less is often better. Pentair says optimizing the flow doesn't mean maximizing it, and recommends less suction so the cleaner wanders randomly and reaches the whole pool.

Aiming the returns

Water moving at the surface drags the hose and limits coverage. Pentair's fix is to loosen each return's lock ring and point the eyeball slightly downward, then try different directions and give the pool time to settle into the new pattern. Two eyeball diverters come with the cleaner if your existing ones are hard to adjust. Air bubbles in the returns covers a suction leak that shows up at the returns.

Maintenance

• Check the flapper for debris and that it moves freely and is clipped in.
• Check the vacuum seal, and replace it if it's thin and floppy.
• Check the foot pad, and replace it when the traction pads have worn down.
• Flush debris out of the regulator valve.
• Keep the filter clean and the skimmer and pump baskets empty.
• Use the flow gauge to keep the flow right.
• Use only the original hoses.
• Out of the pool, keep the vacuum seal flat so it doesn't warp.

For winter, don't coil the hose: lay it flat out of direct sunlight. Take the vacuum seal off the cleaner and store it flat too.

For heavy leaves, Pentair suggests an in-line leaf canister, R211084 or R211086, which holds more debris and bypasses water when full, so the pump doesn't starve.

What the troubleshooting table says

• Sluggish or stopped: check the flapper chamber for a blockage; clean the filter and baskets; flush the regulator; check the hose for blockages, and for leaks by lifting each section above water and listening; verify the flow with the gauge.
• Stuck on the steps: aim a return's eyeball diverter at the area to steer the cleaner away; check hose length and weight positions; adjust flow within the gauge's range; or add the optional deflector wheel.
• Repetitive pattern: adjust the eyeball diverters; check hose length and weights; put one weight 2 to 4 inches from the cleaner head; check for bent or kinked hose sections by laying each one flat.
• Won't go onto the wall: verify the flow with the gauge.
• Stays on one side: adjust the eyeball diverters, check hose length and weights, and add or remove one hose section.

Buying one

Pentair's warranty page gives the Kruiser two years, or one year, parts only, if bought online, including from its authorized online resellers.

The Amazon listing on this page is the K60430 with Pentair as the brand. When checked, another listing titled "Kreepy Krauly Kruiser Inground Pool Cleaner" gave a different brand as its maker, at $451.88 against the genuine one's $380.53. Check the brand and model number before buying.

Where Pentair's documents disagree

• The hose weight. 370494Z on the 2012 parts sheet and in the 2025-2026 catalog; K12454 in the 2024 manual, which is also the number on the 2011 and earlier sheet.
• The hose protector. K12465 on both parts sheets and in the catalog; K60465 in the 2024 manual.
• The regulator. The 2024 manual lists the valve, 41200-0200, and cap, 41200-0211, separately. The 2012 parts sheet lists them together as 41200-0214.
• The deflector wheel. The troubleshooting table offers an optional 12 inch or 16 inch deflector wheel; the parts lists give one part, K12458, with no size.