A suction or pressure cleaner has very little inside it that fails overnight. What changes is the water going through it. A basket fills, the filter loads up, somebody moves a valve, a timer drifts, and the cleaner that ran fine last month crawls, or parks itself against the steps.
I've read the troubleshooting tables for the 18 suction and pressure-side cleaners in the catalog. They run in much the same order. Check the flow first, then how the cleaner is set up, and only then the parts that wear. That order works whatever brand is in your pool, and it's the order this page follows.
Key takeaways
- Almost every manual gives a speed test, and the troubleshooting tables keep sending you back to it. It tells you whether the problem is the water or the machine.
- An open main drain takes a share of the pump's suction. Zodiac, Polaris, Hayward and Pentair all tell you to close it for a suction cleaner.
- More flow isn't better. Too much makes a cleaner climb out and suck air, and Zodiac and Polaris warn that an MX or ATLAS running too fast could be damaged.
- A booster pump should start after the filter pump and stop before it. Timers drift apart, so check both clocks.
- Store the hose straight. A hose that spent the winter coiled keeps the coil, and the cleaner follows it.
Suction or pressure-side: which one you have
A suction cleaner plugs into the skimmer or a vacuum port in the pool wall, and your pool pump pulls water through it. Zodiac's Baracuda G3 and MX, Polaris's ATLAS, Pentair's Kreepy Krauly, Rebel and Dorado, and Hayward's Navigator, PoolVac, TracVac and The PoolCleaner all work this way.
A pressure-side cleaner hangs off a fitting in a return and runs on water pushed into the pool. It carries its own debris bag. Most need a dedicated booster pump: Polaris's 280, 380 and 3900 Sport, Pentair's Kreepy Krauly Platinum and Hayward's TracJet all do. The Polaris 360 is the exception. Its manual connects it to a return line and runs it on the filter pump alone.
The difference decides where you look. A suction cleaner starves when something else takes the pump's suction. A pressure cleaner starves when the booster, or the return side, can't push enough water to it.
If yours has a power cord and a transformer box, it's a robot, and the robotic cleaner guide is the one you want.
Start with the speed test
All but one of these manuals has a test for flow, and their troubleshooting tables keep sending you back to it. Do it first. It turns "it seems slow" into a number, and the number tells you whether to look at the plumbing or at the cleaner.
With the pump running, lift the cleaner until it's just under the surface, and keep it there. Don't bring it out of the water: Pentair and Hayward both warn that a suction cleaner out of the water pulls air into the system. Put a piece of tape on one tire, or tuck a small leaf into the tread, which is Polaris's suggestion. Then count.
| The test | Target | Adjust with | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris 280, 360 and 380 | Turns of the single-wheel side in one minute | 28 to 32 | Relief valve at the wall fitting, the restrictor disk on the 280 and 380, and any valve on the booster or cleaner line |
| Polaris 3900 Sport | Turns of the single-wheel side in one minute | 30 to 36 | The same as the 280 |
| Pentair Kreepy Krauly Platinum | Turns of a front drive wheel in one minute, while the back-up valve is not cycling | 34 to 38 | Pressure valve at the wall fitting if it's high. Below 34, Pentair says to call a pool professional |
| Hayward TracJet | Turns of the back wheel on the hose side in one minute | 26 to 32 | The knob on the wall connection |
| Hayward TracVac | Turns of the large right wheel in 30 seconds, doubled | 33 to 40 | Flow regulator valve |
| Hayward The PoolCleaner | Turns of the right front wheel in one minute | 11 to 14 | Bypass valve first, then the suction valves |
| Pentair Rebel | Flow gauge, or turns of the wheel in one minute | Between Minimum and Maximum, or 16 to 18 | Regulator valve |
| Zodiac MX6 and MX8, Polaris ATLAS | Seconds for 10 turns of the rear right wheel | 20 to 25 seconds | Valves at the pad, or the FlowKeeper valve at the skimmer |
| Zodiac Baracuda G3 | Flow gauge on the end of the hose | Indicator at 3 | FlowKeeper valve and the suction valves |
| Pentair Kreepy Krauly Kruiser and Dorado | Flow gauge on the end of the hose | Between Minimum and Maximum | Regulator valve and the suction valves |
| Hayward Navigator Pro and PoolVac XL | Flow gauge in the leader hose | Between MIN and MAX | Suction valves or Hayward's regulator valve |
A cleaner inside its range that still misbehaves has a setup problem, not a flow problem, so skip to the symptom below. A cleaner outside its range is telling you where to look.
Two notes on reading the table. Hayward says The PoolCleaner will still clean at 8 turns a minute, but it won't climb walls below 11. And Pentair's above-ground 'Lil Shark has no speed test at all. Its manual controls speed with the vacuum regulator, and the diaphragm marked 50 slows it down.
It barely moves, or doesn't move at all
On a suction cleaner
Empty the baskets and clean the filter. Every suction manual starts here: skimmer basket, pump basket, then backwash or clean the filter. A loaded filter cuts the pump's flow, and the cleaner feels that as weaker suction. Take the cleaner off before you backwash. Polaris and Zodiac both say to let the pump run for at least five minutes afterward to flush the lines before you reconnect it.
Close the main drain, and any other suction line. A pump pulls from every open suction line at once, and the cleaner only gets its share. Zodiac's G3 and MX manuals and Polaris's ATLAS all say to confirm the main drain is closed. Hayward's TracVac and Pentair's Rebel manuals go further: close the main drain and every suction line except the one the cleaner is on.
On a pool with two skimmers, that includes the other skimmer. Zodiac's instruction for the G3 is to leave the cleaner's skimmer open and slowly close the other until the gauge reads right. Once you've found the setting, do what Pentair's Dorado manual suggests and mark the valves there. Then you can put them back after every backwash.
Check the pump speed. On a variable-speed pump, the cleaner only gets the flow the schedule gives it. Hayward's manual for The PoolCleaner lists a pump running on low speed as a reason it won't move, and Polaris names pump speed as one way to set the ATLAS's flow. If the cleaner quit after a pump upgrade or a schedule change, start here.
Look for air. Zodiac and Polaris share one test. If the water level in the pump basket drops, or you see a lot of bubbles in the basket or coming out of the returns, air is getting in. Check the hose connections, tighten the fittings at the pump and look at the O-ring on the pump lid.
A cracked hose section pulls air instead of water, and the cleaner slows to match. Pentair's Kruiser manual has a quick way to find it: lift each section out of the water in turn and listen for the leak. If the pump itself keeps losing prime, Hayward's TracVac manual says to take the cleaner off and let the pump prime before you reconnect it. The pump not priming guide works through the rest, and air bubbles in the returns covers finding the leak.
Look inside the cleaner. Every suction cleaner has a throat or chamber where a stick or a wad of leaves can jam it. Where you look depends on the design:
- Kreepy Krauly Kruiser: the flapper chamber. Pentair says the flapper should move freely up and down and be clipped in top side up.
- Zodiac MX and Polaris ATLAS: the engine. A latch on top opens the lid. The MX manual says you can turn the engine paddles slowly by hand to bring a stuck piece into reach, and the tracks will turn with them. The ATLAS engine lifts out with no tools, and goes back with its large wheel, marked A, on the right.
- Hayward The PoolCleaner and TracVac: the turbine. Hayward lists turbine vanes put back the wrong way round as a cause of a cleaner that won't move. With the cleaner out of the water and unhooked, the PoolCleaner's right wheel (looking from behind) should turn by hand. If it won't, something is jammed inside. The TracVac's left track works the same way.
- Hayward Navigator and PoolVac: the throat.
- Pentair 'Lil Shark and Dorado: the oscillator. Clear the hose too.
- Zodiac Baracuda G3: check the diaphragm. Zodiac lists a damaged or worn one as a cause.
Cold water. Zodiac notes that in water at 60°F or colder, the G3's hose and diaphragm stiffen, and it may need more flow to compensate. A cleaner that was fine in July and sluggish in October may just be cold.
A pump that's too small. Pentair's 'Lil Shark, Rebel and Dorado manuals all allow that the pump may not be big enough to drive the cleaner. The 'Lil Shark also wants hoses at least 1½ inches across between the pool and the pump, and says to replace smaller ones.
On a pressure cleaner
Is the booster running? A booster-driven cleaner does nothing without it, and the booster should only run while the filter pump runs. Polaris's PB4-60 manual recommends giving the booster its own time clock. Set it to start at least half an hour after the filter pump and stop at least half an hour before it, and check now and then that the two clocks still agree. A mechanical timer that has lost time fires at the wrong hour, and two of them can drift apart.
That matters beyond a lazy cleaner. A booster that runs while the filter pump is off is running dry, and the manual says that does severe damage to the pump and motor. Running it without the cleaner connected damages the impeller too.
Clean the screen in front of the cleaner. Every pressure cleaner has a small filter screen upstream of it to keep grit out of its jets. Polaris puts it in an in-line filter on the 280, 380 and 3900 Sport, and in the quick disconnect on the 360. Pentair's Platinum has one in the wall fitting, and Hayward's TracJet has an in-line filter. When it clogs, the cleaner slows.
Then the baskets and the pool filter. Polaris lists these next, for the same reason as on the suction side: less flow through the filter pump leaves less water for the booster to push.
Check the connections. Polaris and Pentair both say to check every hose connection and swivel for leaks, because each one bleeds off pressure. Hayward's TracJet manual adds the O-ring on the hose connector.
Put the restrictor right. On the Polaris 280, 380 and 3900 Sport, a blue restrictor disk in the wall fitting holds the flow down. If the wheel count is low, Polaris says to take it out and to open any valve on the booster or cleaner line all the way. If the count is high, swap in the red disk before you touch the pressure relief valve. Polaris says the relief valve should only be adjusted with a restrictor in place.
Check the drive and the bag. Pentair's Platinum manual says debris can jam the gear teeth on a front drive wheel; turn the front wheels gently backward to work it loose. Polaris's check is to spin each wheel with the cleaner off. They should all turn together. And empty the bag. Pentair says to empty the Platinum's when it's even half full.
Is water reaching the booster? If a booster setup has never worked properly, the PB4-60 manual has a test. Disconnect the supply line at the booster's inlet and turn on the filter pump, and water should run out of the line. If it doesn't, the manual's fixes are smaller eyeball fittings in the returns, or plugging a return, which pushes more of the filter pump's water toward the booster.
It gets stuck on steps, corners or the drain
Pressure cleaners back themselves out. A valve in the feed hose switches the water to a reverse jet every few minutes. Polaris puts it at about every 3 minutes on the 280, 380 and 3900 Sport, and about every 3½ minutes on the 360. Pentair's Platinum valve runs its jet for about 30 seconds, then rests for about 3½ minutes. If the valve stops cycling, the cleaner has no way off a step.
The test is the same for all of them: lift the valve out of the water and watch the jet. It should come on and go off.
Polaris's other fixes for a cleaner stuck for more than about 3 minutes are the wheel count, adjusting the thrust jet at the back, and removing any pool hardware it catches on, or fitting its ladder guard kit. Hayward's TracJet manual says to aim its rear jet downward.
Suction cleaners rely on their steering and the hose. Zodiac's MX8 and Polaris's ATLAS reverse each track now and then. Watch the cleaner for more than five minutes, and if a track never reverses, both makers say it needs a dealer. Check that the swivel on top turns freely. Zodiac's fixes for a G3 stuck at the steps include checking the flow and shortening the hose.
Return jets can steer a cleaner away from trouble. Zodiac suggests using them to guide the G3 away from steps. Pentair's Kruiser manual says to aim an eyeball fitting toward the problem area, and Pentair sells a deflector wheel for the Kruiser in 12- and 16-inch sizes.
Hayward's Navigator and PoolVac steer with a gearbox, and one that sticks at steps and corners may have a steering failure. Hayward says to clean the rear screen and check that the cone gear turns freely both ways. If a pod on the A-frame is loose, replace it. Hayward says not to try tightening it again.
Stuck on the main drain. Hayward's TracVac and Pentair's Rebel manuals give two causes: the main drain is open, or there's no grate on it. The second one isn't just a cleaner problem. A drain without its cover is a hazard for swimmers, and it needs fixing before anyone gets in the pool. Main drain safety explains why.
Pentair's 'Lil Shark has its own fix for sticking to the floor or the drain: fit the diaphragm marked 50 in its vacuum regulator, and check the inner brush ring for wear.
It goes in circles or misses part of the pool
Aim the returns down. Pentair's Kruiser manual explains why: water moving at the surface pulls the hose around and limits where the cleaner can go. Zodiac's G3 and MX manuals, Polaris's ATLAS and Pentair's Kruiser all say to point the return eyeballs downward. Zodiac sells a return diverter for fittings that won't adjust. Hayward's manuals for The PoolCleaner and the TracVac blame the returns when a cleaner misses areas or stays at one end.
Straighten the hose. A hose stored in a coil comes back as a coil, and the cleaner follows the curve. Hayward, Zodiac and Pentair give the same fix: lay it out straight in the sun. Pentair's Kruiser manual says one kinked section is enough to spoil the coverage, and suggests laying each section flat on the deck to find it. Its Dorado manual adds that hot water can kink the hose, and an old hose can crack or turn brittle.
Check the length. Polaris wants the hose to reach within 6 inches of the farthest point of the pool. Pentair wants the 'Lil Shark's to reach the farthest point plus one section, and the Dorado's at least 4 feet beyond it. A hose that's too short tethers the cleaner, and it hovers in one area with the hose pulled tight. One that's too long tangles. Pentair's fix for a Kruiser that stays on one side is to take off a section or add one.
Put the floats and weights where the manual says. They set the angle the hose meets the cleaner at, and the manuals are specific:
- Zodiac's MX and Polaris's ATLAS want the hose float about 9 inches from the cleaner head.
- Hayward wants The PoolCleaner's floats 20 to 25 inches from the head.
- Zodiac wants the G3's weight placed so the hose meets the cleaner at about 45 degrees. In pools 8½ feet deep or more, it may need a second weight, 5 to 8 feet from the cleaner.
- Pentair suggests one weight 2 to 4 inches from the Kruiser's head when it keeps repeating the same path.
On a pressure cleaner, check the feed hose and the thrust jet. Polaris's fixes for a cleaner that only turns one way are the thrust jet and a feed hose that floats. Waterlogged floats sink it, and Polaris says older hoses lose buoyancy and may need replacing. For a Polaris that misses part of the pool, the thrust jet should point straight back on the 280 and at 11 o'clock on the 360 and 380. Then, with it running, hold it upside down and look into the vacuum tube. You should see even, unblocked jets of water: two on the 280, three on the 360.
Some circles are wear. Hayward says a PoolCleaner that turns in circles and won't go straight has a worn wheel hub, drive gear or steering slide. And one cleaner does it on purpose: Pentair's 'Lil Shark is designed to move clockwise, and its manual changes the pattern with the brush ring setting.
It flips over, rides on its side, or floats
On a pressure cleaner, empty the bag first. A full bag weighs one side down, and Polaris, Pentair and Hayward all list it. Next, take the float off the cleaner's head and shake it. If there's water inside, Polaris and Pentair say to replace it. Polaris also says to check that the hose floats are evenly spaced.
On a suction cleaner, it's the float, the hose and the returns. Zodiac's MX and Polaris's ATLAS name float position for a cleaner riding on its side. Hayward and Pentair add a hose too short to reach the far end, and returns pushing on the hose.
A cleaner that floats has air in it. Hayward's Navigator manual points out that the head is heavier than water and shouldn't float at all. If it does, Hayward says to get the air out of the head and stop air coming into the pool through the returns. When fine bubbles cover the head and hose, a good tug on the hose shakes them loose, but they'll come back until the air stops. Polaris's 360 manual warns that solar heaters, ozone generators and other equipment that puts air in the water can send it through the cleaner and upset its balance.
One flip is normal. Pentair's 'Lil Shark and Dorado manuals say a cleaner can flip over when the pump stops, from a surge of back pressure in some filter systems. It rights itself when the pump starts again.
It climbs out and sucks air, or won't climb at all
Climbing out means too much flow. A suction cleaner that goes past the waterline pulls air, and Pentair's Dorado manual says that can cost the pump its prime. The fix is less flow, and Pentair's Kruiser manual makes the point better than anyone: optimizing the flow doesn't mean maximizing it. Less suction keeps the cleaner wandering randomly.
The manuals add some specifics:
- The PoolCleaner: worn tire treads and skirts, not using the bypass valve on a skimmer hookup, or an automatic skimmer vacuum plate that needs adjusting.
- Navigator and PoolVac: turn the rear flap adjuster to position 1, then reduce the flow if it still climbs too much.
- Dorado: check the vacuum regulator is fitted and adjusted, then open the main drain slightly.
- G3: less flow moves it off the walls.
Won't climb means too little flow, first. After that it's grip. Hayward and Pentair say excessively worn tires or tracks won't hold a wall. Zodiac says algae makes the surface slippery enough to affect an MX's traction, and Pentair's Platinum manual says to brush the walls even if you can't see algae. For a Polaris 360 whose tires slip on tile or fiberglass, Polaris sells PosiTrax tires for those surfaces.
And some pools limit climbing whatever you do. Zodiac says the G3's climbing may be limited in some vinyl pools and in pools with safety ledges. Polaris's 360 manual says it climbs best in pools without sharp angles or curves where the floor meets the wall.
A pressure cleaner with its nose in the air is going too fast. Polaris's fixes for a 3900 Sport whose front end lifts all the time are to check the wheel count and aim the thrust jet downward. Hayward says the same for the TracJet's rear jet, and to turn the speed down at the wall valve.
Sweep hose and tangle trouble on a pressure cleaner
The tail, or sweep hose, whips around behind a Polaris or a Platinum to stir up debris. If it gets sucked into the cleaner's vacuum tube, check the scrubber on its end isn't blocking the opening, then turn the adjustment screw until it makes a gentle sweep. If it sprays water out of the pool, tighten the adjustment screw, replace a worn scrubber, or add a sweep hose weight. For the 360, Polaris suggests its TailSweep PRO accessory.
For a feed hose that tangles, Polaris's list is to remeasure it for the pool, check every swivel turns while the cleaner runs, and make sure it floats. Pentair's Platinum manual adds replacing any swivel that won't spin, and laying the hose straight in full sun to take out its memory.
When it's worn out, not set wrong
If the speed test is in range and the setup is right, look at the wear parts. Every maker sells them, and each catalog page lists them by part number:
- Polaris sells tune-up or rebuild kits for the Vac-Sweep 280, 360, 380 and 3900 Sport. The PB4-60 booster has its own replacement kits.
- Zodiac's MX6 and MX8 wear their tracks from the inside. Worn teeth inside the tracks are on Zodiac's list for a cleaner that won't move, and the same goes for Polaris's ATLAS.
- On the Baracuda G3, the part Zodiac's troubleshooting names is the diaphragm: a damaged or worn one leaves a cleaner that won't move.
- Hayward's Navigator Pro and PoolVac XL wear their shoes and wings.
- Hayward's The PoolCleaner has wear marks on its tires, and Hayward warns that worn tires can damage the pool surface or trim. Wobbly wheels mean worn bearings. A right wheel that skips teeth when you turn it forward by hand has a worn hub or drive gear.
- The TracVac and TracJet wear their tracks. Hayward sells the TracJet's as kit TJX102KIT.
- Pentair's Kruiser wears its flapper and its vacuum seal, and a thin, floppy seal spoils its random movement. The Rebel wears its tires, the 'Lil Shark its inner brush ring. The Platinum and Dorado pages list their parts too.
If you're weighing a rebuild against a new machine, suction, pressure and robotic cleaners compared covers what each type costs to run.
Habits that keep it running
- Take it off before you backwash, and let the pump run for five minutes before you reconnect it.
- Take it out before you shock. Zodiac and Polaris say to leave an MX, G3 or ATLAS out for at least 4 hours after shocking or adding chemicals.
- Store the hose straight, never coiled, and out of the sun when it's not in use.
- Empty the baskets before they're full. They're the first thing every manual checks.
- Write down the speed test result when the cleaner is working well. Next time it slows, you'll know what normal looked like.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my Polaris move?
On a 280, 380 or 3900 Sport, check the booster pump is actually running, then count the wheel: 28 to 32 turns a minute on the 280 and 380, 30 to 36 on the 3900 Sport. If it's slow, Polaris's list is the in-line filter screen, the skimmer and pump baskets, the pool filter, and leaks at the hose connections and swivels. The 360 has no booster; it runs on the filter pump, and its screen sits in the quick disconnect.
Why has my suction cleaner stopped moving?
Every suction manual starts with flow. Empty the skimmer and pump baskets, clean the filter, close the main drain and any other suction line, and look for air getting in at the hose or the pump lid. Then check your flow gauge or wheel speed. If the flow is right, look inside the cleaner for a jam: the flapper chamber on a Kreepy Krauly Kruiser, the engine on a Zodiac MX, the turbine on a Hayward.
Why does my pool cleaner keep getting stuck in one spot?
On a pressure cleaner, check the back-up valve: lift it out of the water and its jet should come on and go off. Without it the cleaner can't reverse out of a step. On a suction cleaner, check the hose length, the float position and the swivel on top. If it parks on the main drain, close the drain and make sure its cover is there.
Why does my pool cleaner go in circles?
Start with the hose and the returns. A hose that was stored coiled keeps its curve, and return jets aimed along the surface drag the hose around. The makers say to lay the hose straight in the sun and point the returns down. On a pressure cleaner, check the thrust jet and that the feed hose floats. On Hayward's The PoolCleaner, circles that won't straighten out mean worn drive gears.
Should I turn up the flow if my cleaner is slow?
Only up to the range in your manual. Pentair's Kruiser manual says the best flow is not the most flow, and that less suction keeps the cleaner wandering randomly. Too much makes a suction cleaner climb out and suck air. Zodiac says an MX that turns its wheel 10 times in under 20 seconds is moving too fast and could be damaged.
