Polaris ATLAS and ATLAS XT

The ATLAS is Polaris's tracked suction-side cleaner. It runs on your pool's own pump, from the skimmer or a dedicated suction line, and sends what it picks up to the pump basket and filter. Polaris rates it for in-ground pools, cleaning the floor, walls and tile line with two scrubbing turbines and replaceable brushes, and says it works with low-flow pumps.

There are two versions and one manual. The ATLAS, FSATLAS, comes with a friction-fit hose, and Fluidra's trade catalog labels it a Trade Series Exclusive. The ATLAS XT, FSATLASXT, comes with a twist-lock hose and is sold only at Pinch A Penny. Polaris's other current suction cleaners, the MAXX and the LYNX, have a different manual. Fluidra's 2026 catalog also lists a new one, the RALLY.

Before you install it

• Check the suction fittings. The fittings the cleaner connects to must meet a safety standard such as IAPMO SPS 4, and Polaris recommends a safety vac lock on a wall vacuum fitting. Keep hair, loose clothing and jewelry away from suction outlets and hose ends.
• Check a vinyl liner. If it's brittle, wrinkled, or has stones, roots or corrosion under it, have a professional repair or replace it first. The manual says Zodiac, which makes Polaris, isn't responsible for damage to an aged or deteriorated liner.
• Vacuum the pool by hand, and clean the skimmer basket, pump basket and filter.

Installing it

1. Turn off the filter pump, close the main drain line, and aim the return fittings down. 2. Join the hose sections until each clicks. Twist-lock cuffs have three positions, and any of them seals. 3. Fill the hose with water. Turn the pump on, hold the hose end in front of a return until it floods, and turn the pump off. 4. Connect the hose. - Dedicated suction line: push the friction-fit hose straight into the Safety Vac wall fitting, sold separately. A twist-lock hose goes into the extended 45° elbow first, and the elbow goes into the fitting, angled toward the surface. - Skimmer: take out the skimmer basket. Join the valve cuff, the FlowKeeper valve and the 45° elbow, with the valve's arrow pointing down, push the hose onto the elbow, and set the assembly in the skimmer's suction port. The FlowKeeper valve is required with a single skimmer. With more than one skimmer, use the one nearest the pump. 5. Size the hose. Use enough sections to reach the farthest point of the pool, remove the rest, then add the leader hose at the cleaner end. The extra length lets it reach the far side if the hose loops. 6. Connect the cleaner. Check the flow regulator valve is on the leader hose (a friction-fit hose needs its adapter). Submerge the hose and the cleaner until no bubbles come out, push the valve onto the cleaner, and set the float about 9 inches from the cleaner head. Let it sink.

Setting the flow

Flow decides how well it climbs and how long it lasts. Polaris times it by the wheels.

1. Turn on the filter pump. With water running through it, bring the cleaner up and hold it just under the surface.
2. Find the wheel speed indicator on the rear right wheel, and time 10 turns. If the wheels change direction mid-count, start again.
3. 20 to 25 seconds is right.
4. 26 to 50 seconds: too slow, so increase the flow. 10 to 19 seconds: too fast, and it could be damaged, so reduce it.

Adjust with the valves at the equipment pad on a dedicated line, the FlowKeeper valve on a skimmer, or the pump speed on a variable-speed pump.

Small debris and large debris

The ATLAS leaves the factory set for small, heavy debris: sand, silt and small stones. For leaves, switch it to large debris mode, and switch it back afterward, as Polaris recommends.

With the hose disconnected and the pump off, find the slot on the underside, lever the inlet adapter up with a flat tool and pull it out. To go back, push the adapter into the inlet until it clicks.

Running it

The cleaner runs whenever the filter pump does, wandering the pool, reversing and pivoting. Its turbines hold it down on the walls and pull debris toward its mouth.

• Take it out before anyone swims, and never run it outside the pool.
• Disconnect it before backwashing or cleaning the filter. Afterward, run the filter pump for at least five minutes before reconnecting it, to flush the suction lines.
• Take it out for chemicals. Remove it before chemical or shock treatments, and keep it out at least four hours after adding chemicals.
• Empty the pump basket often, more often the more debris there is. Polaris sells an in-line leaf canister that catches debris before it reaches the basket.

Looking after it

The engine. If debris stops the cleaner, disconnect the hose and turn off the pump. Press the latch button on top, open the lid and clear the engine. It lifts out by its blades without tools, and goes back with the large wheel on the right, side A. Close the lid until the latch clicks.

Brushes. Replace them every season, or sooner if they look worn. Squeeze the clip and pull.

Storage. Never in direct sun. Don't coil the hose, because it takes a set that affects how the cleaner moves. Store the cleaner on its side or back to protect the turbines and brushes. The quick start guide adds: out of the water, with the hose sections unlocked and stored straight or standing up.

Winter. Drain all the water out, because freeze damage isn't covered. Take the connectors and adapters out of the suction line or skimmer, and lay the hose sections flat.

When it isn't cleaning properly

Polaris's troubleshooting, condensed:

• Doesn't move, or moves slowly: check the main drain is closed and the wheel speed is right. Check the inside teeth of the tracks for wear, clean the filter and empty the pump basket, and clear the engine. Try large debris mode. Look for air: a dropping water level or bubbles in the pump basket, or bubbles from the returns, mean checking the hose connections, tightening the pump fittings and checking the o-ring at the pump basket for wear. On a skimmer, make sure the FlowKeeper valve moves freely.
• Doesn't cover the whole pool: check the hose length and the wheel speed, point the returns down (add a diverter if needed), and straighten a kinked or coiled hose in the sun. Check the float is 9 inches from the head. Watch for five minutes to see both tracks reverse; if one doesn't, call a dealer.
• Stuck at steps: check both tracks reverse, the swivel turns freely, the wheel speed, and the hose length.
• Won't climb walls: check the wheel speed and the float position. Algae makes walls slippery too.
• Riding on its side: check the float position.

For more help, Polaris technical support is 1-800-822-7933.

The factory tune-up kit

R0997900 replaces the parts that wear in the drive: both drive shafts, the engine, both direction control devices, both tracks and the gear housing covers. The kit's instructions take the lid, engine and eight gear cover screws off, then the drive shafts, tracks, side panels and direction controllers. On reassembly, controller A goes on panel A and B on B, and the drive shaft teeth must mesh with the turbine and direction controller gears. Polaris says the job should be done by a professional with enough pool equipment experience, and that improper installation may void the warranty.

Warranty and where to buy

One year from retail purchase, under Polaris's limited warranty. Brushes aren't covered, and neither are tires, which the statement says include track tires. Replacement parts you buy get 90 days. Register the cleaner and keep the receipt.

Fluidra's trade catalog labels the ATLAS a Trade Series Exclusive, so ask a pool store or service company. The ATLAS XT is sold only at Pinch A Penny. Neither was listed on Amazon when this page was checked.

Where Polaris's documents disagree, or are unclear

• The ATLAS XT's hose. Its product page lists a twist-lock hose in the specifications and describes a "push lock hose connection" in the features.
• The friction-fit adapter. The manual says a friction-fit hose needs an adapter to connect the flow regulator valve, and gives it no part number. Fluidra's parts list for the ATLAS, a friction-fit cleaner, includes a male twist-lock cuff adapter, R0842600, and doesn't say what it's for.
• The ATLAS XT's parts. Fluidra's 2026 catalog lists the ATLAS but not the ATLAS XT, so the twist-lock hose, elbow and leader hose that come with it have no catalog numbers.
• Chemicals. The manual says to remove the cleaner before chemical or shock treatment and wait four hours after super chlorination, and elsewhere to keep it out at least four hours when adding chemicals. Polaris's warranty separately excludes chemicals added through the skimmer, which is where a skimmer-connected cleaner draws its water.
• Who installs it. The warranty statement limits coverage to professionally installed and serviced products unless the manual or quick start guide says otherwise. The ATLAS manual and quick start guide don't say either way.
• Hose sections. Fluidra's list gives 12 hose sections on the ATLAS and marks the 12-pack discontinued; the single section, R0950000, is still listed.