Pentair Rebel Suction Cleaner

The Rebel is Pentair's two-wheel suction-side cleaner for in-ground pools, item number 360473. A turbine inside, driven by the water your pump pulls through it, turns the wheels. Pentair's programmed steering changes its direction, and a roller skirt carries it over obstacles. Pentair rates it for gunite, vinyl, fiberglass and tile, and says it suits variable-speed and two-speed pumps at low speed.

Pentair sells two other suction cleaners now, the bristle-drive Dorado and the Kreepy Krauly Kruiser. The original Kreepy Krauly, the Great White and the Warrior are all marked discontinued.

Check which manual fits your Rebel before adjusting it. Pentair links two, and their flow targets, hose setup and many part numbers differ. The current manual is P/N 371235 (2023). The earlier one, which Pentair calls the Rebel v1, is P/N 371690 (2014).

What comes in the box

• The cleaner, in one piece
• A hose set of 13 sections: 12 standard hoses and a leader hose
• A hose float and a hose protector
• A regulator valve, a valve cap and a threaded compression adapter
• A flow gauge
• A vacuum line wall fitting
• Two eyeball diverters

Record the serial number before it goes in the pool. It's under the rear handle, and Pentair's technical support asks for it.

Before you install it

• Clean the pool first. The manual wants the water balanced, the pool brushed and hand vacuumed, and the filter and pump basket cleaned. Algae hurts the cleaner's traction.
• Clean the filter system. Backwash, rinse and empty all the baskets.
• Vinyl pools: check the liner for damage and remove any stones or roots under it. Pentair disclaims responsibility for pattern wear on vinyl liners.
• Gunite or tiled pools: fix loose tiles and tighten loose light rings.
• Know what it won't do. It isn't designed to clean steps or swimouts, to run under a solar cover, or to do the first cleanup of a new pool or a pool opened for the season.

Assembling the hose

1. Wet the ends, then twist and push each female end onto a male end.
2. Connect the leader hose to the cleaner's swivel. On the current Rebel it's 21 in. long with a red sticker, shorter than the others. The manual says leaving it out hinders the cleaner.
3. Fit the hose float onto the second length of hose, 25 in. above the cleaner.
4. The hose should reach from the connection point to the farthest point of the pool, plus one section and the leader hose.

Installing it in the skimmer

1. Turn the pump off.
2. Close the main drain and every suction line except the skimmer the cleaner will use.
3. Take out the skimmer basket and thread the compression adapter into the bottom of the skimmer, with two wraps of thread seal tape.
4. Press the regulator valve into the adapter, knob pointing up.
5. Put the cleaner in the pool and turn it side to side and end to end until it sinks. Feed the hose straight down into the water until it's full and free of air. Air pulled into the plumbing can make the pump lose prime.
6. Slide the hose protector where the hose meets the skimmer wall, and connect the hose to the regulator valve through the skimmer opening.

Installing it on a vacuum line

Pentair recommends still using the regulator valve in the skimmer, to balance flow between the cleaner and the skimmer.

1. Turn the pump off. Close the main drain and every suction line except the skimmer and the vacuum line.
2. Thread the vacuum line wall fitting into the vacuum line, with two wraps of thread seal tape.
3. Sink the cleaner and purge the hose of air as above, then push the last hose section's male end into the wall fitting.
4. Thread the compression adapter into the skimmer and fit the valve cap on top of the regulator valve before pressing it in. The manual says the cap sets 28 GPM through the vacuum line and the cleaner, and that without it neither works properly.
5. Turn the pump on and let it run a couple of minutes to clear the air.

A dedicated suction port must be covered when it isn't in use. A spring-loaded vac port fitting comes with the cleaner. If it doesn't fit, the manual says to buy one that does, conforming to IAPMO SPS4-99A. Uncovered, it's an entrapment hazard.

Setting the speed

With the flow gauge: pump off, swap the cleaner for the gauge on the end of the leader hose, keeping the hose underwater. Pump on, and turn the regulator valve's knob until the disc settles between Maximum and Minimum. Clockwise gives more flow, counterclockwise less.

Without it: hold the running cleaner just under the surface and count the wheel's full turns for one minute. The hump on the wheel passing the swivel marks each turn. The current manual's target is 16 to 18 RPM. Below that, turn the knob clockwise. Above it, counterclockwise.

Running properly, the cleaner should cover 27 to 32 ft a minute, and the manual says it clears a pool of debris in about 4 to 6 hours.

Check the hose length with the pump running, because the hose contracts under suction. Take the cleaner to the farthest point of the pool. The hose should reach it plus one section and the leader. Remove any spare sections from the middle of the hose, so the float stays where it is.

Return jets can push the hose and keep the cleaner out of one end of the pool. Fit the included eyeball diverter in the return, and aim it along the tile line, downward, or against the hose to steer the cleaner away from steps and ladders. Where it won't fit, Pentair dealers sell a wire diverter, K121620.

The older Rebel's numbers

Pentair's earlier manual gives different targets. Use the one that matches your cleaner:

• Wheel speed: 11 to 13 RPM, against 16 to 18
• Travel speed: 8 to 12 ft a minute, against 27 to 32
• Leader hose: 12 in. (GW7911), against 21 in. (360488)
• Hose float: 20 in. above the cleaner, against 25 in.
• Vacuum line flow with the valve cap: 25 GPM, against 28

The part numbers change too: the top cover, swivel, wheel, tire, wheel hub, roller bar, regulator valve, compression adapter, flow gauge, hose protector and leader hose all differ. Where the current Rebel has a chassis (360485), the earlier manual lists a bottom cover kit (360291). The earlier list has no bearing, where the current one has 360492. Neither manual says how to tell a v1 from a v2 by looking at it, so check the parts on your cleaner against both lists.

Upkeep

The manual says the Rebel needs almost no maintenance, and to leave it in the pool except during shock treatments. For swimming, unplug it and pull it to one side. Store the hose flat, out of direct sunlight, and not coiled.

Clearing the turbine: pump off, cleaner out, leader hose off. With the buckle facing you, roll the right wheel forward. If it won't turn, something's jammed. Open the buckle, lift the front of the top cover and pull it forward and off, then pull the turbine cover straight up. Clear the turbine and look over the gears, drive shafts and swivel. Refit the turbine cover with the swivel toward the front, seat the top cover's back tabs in their slots, and lock the buckle.

Tires are due when the outer surface has worn nearly to the bottom of the grooves. Change them by hand, since tools can damage the wheels.

The tune-up kit, 360517, replaces the wheels, tires, hubs, both drive kits and the bearings. Its guide covers the Rebel, Warrior and Tucson.

Troubleshooting

From the current manual:

• Not moving, or moving slowly: check the flow and adjust the regulator valve. Look for debris in the cleaner. Make sure the pump has primed, and look for leaks that stop it priming. The filter may need backwashing. The main drain and other suction lines should be closed, and the pump basket and impeller clear. The manual adds that the pump and filter may simply be too small.
• Right wheel won't turn by hand: something inside the cleaner is jammed.
• Stays in one end: check the flow, the return jets, the hose length and the float position, and that the swivel turns smoothly.
• Climbs too much, or out of the pool: too much flow. Turn the regulator valve down.
• Won't climb walls: worn tires, low flow, a missing leader hose, or the float in the wrong place.
• Stays on the main drain: make sure the main drain is closed and has a grate.
• Falls on its side and is slow to recover: the float position, the leader hose, the hose length, or return jets pushing the hose.

Where Pentair's documents disagree, or are unclear

• Which manual. The two manuals give different speeds, hose lengths, float heights and part numbers, and neither says how to tell the cleaners apart.
• The warranty. The warranty page gives the Rebel two years. The manual gives 60 days, or two years if you register it with a receipt within 60 days, and 60 days on tires and rollers either way.
• Buying online. The manual gives an online purchase 60 days. The warranty page gives online purchases one year, parts only.
• The regulator valve's number. The manual gives 41200-0213. The parts sheet prints "412-0213".
• The long run cam. The manual gives 360327. The parts sheet gives 360491.
• "26 percent faster." Pentair's product page credits redesigned bearings with up to 26 percent faster operation compared to previous models. The sell sheet's footnote says "compared to previous Rebel V2 models", though the current manual is the one Pentair calls v2.

Buying it

Pentair lists the Rebel as TradeGrade, so for the full two-year term buy it from a pool store, builder or service company and register it within 60 days with the receipt. Keep the leader hose, float and flow gauge that come with it. The manual's setup depends on all three, and the earlier Rebel's versions aren't the same parts.

For how a suction cleaner compares with pressure-side and robotic ones, see pool cleaner types compared.