Pool Cleaning Guide Manual Vacuuming Can be used for all types of pools Manually Vacuuming Your Pool Put the pool vacuum with the hose attached into the pool. This should be close to the skimmer/vacuum position, and stretch the remaining hose around the pool surround.  Feed the hose down into the water a little at a time, which will fill the hose up with water and remove the trapped air through the open end above water level.  Fit the end of the hose through the skimmer lid onto the special skim vac plate that fits over the skimmer basket. If there is no skim vac plate available, remove the skimmer basket and place the hose in the suction hole at the base of the skimmer. Alternatively if the vacuuming is carried out from a vacuum point, attach the hose directly to this point.  The vacuum will now operate, and to get maximum suction, the skimmer (vacuum) valve must be fully open and the other valve should now be closed.  The vacuum should be slowly pushed across the floor and slopes. If pushed too fast it will stir up the dirt into suspension. The suction of the vacuum will gradually diminish as the filter becomes dirty, and it may be necessary to backwash the filter to get good suction to complete the pool cleaning. After vacuuming the filter should be backwashed. Vacuuming To Waste If the pool floor is very dirty it is best to vacuum to waste, which is the quickest way to vacuum without blocking up the filter. Commence vacuuming in the normal way, and then stop the pump and reposition the multiport at ‘Waste’. Recommence vacuuming. All the water is sucked out, by by-passing the filter, and pumped out to waste along the backwash line. This operation reduces the pool water level which must be topped up. Pressure Pool Cleaners For use in above ground pools These cleaners are those that attach to the pressure side (return) of your circulation system. The water that is being pumped or "pushed" back to the pool powers these units which have their own hydraulic power plant inside. Being on the pressure side, these units have distinct advantages. They are helpful in distributing clean filtered water around the pool and having their own debris bag means that they don't compromise the filter system. Even with the bag full, a pressure cleaner still operates, stirring debris up; it just won't suck up any more debris until the bag is emptied. These cleaners attach to one of the existing return ports and are powered by the pool pump, or to a dedicated cleaner line and an additional Booster Pump. The water that flows into the unit splits into three directions; the sweeper tail, the thrust jet and the venturi. The sweeper tail helps to get fine debris off the walls and floor and into the suspension where it can then head towards the filter. The thrust jet is a series of ports and gears which motor the unit around the pool in a random pattern. The venturi is the port where leaves are sucked up into a bag (that you empty when full) as the unit rolls over debris. An in-line back-up valve reverses the flow every few minutes to change its pattern and remove it from possible obstacles. The Polaris 180, 280, 380, and the Letro Legend require a booster pump to power the unit. These cleaners need about 30 psi to operate effectively. Most filter systems don't run that high of pressure to run these cleaners effectively. The return pipe is cut after the filter and feed water is directed to the booster pump which then pumps water through a dedicated line midway down the pool wall. This line can be run under the deck and through the pool wall, or over the deck for a cheaper installation. Without the booster pump, these units would crawl along slowly, picking up very little debris. Polaris 360 model operates at only 15-17 psi, and thus is not intended for use with a booster pump. Letro followed suit and introduced the LEGEND II. These two cleaners I call "low pressure side cleaners." This has given these manufacturers a whole new "market share" by reducing the cost of installing one of their cleaners. The 360 & Letro operate in a very similar fashion to the booster pump cleaners and connects to one of the existing return ports. A test is made at that return port to determine if the circulation system can deliver the proper amount of pressure to operate the unit. The 360 will not work well for pools with floor returns or "slit" returns of crushed copper pipe, or pools with small, slow circulation systems. The 360 and Legend II can be as effective in cleaning the pool as the booster pump driven models. The big advantage to the booster pump models is that they are usually run with a time-clock, and can thus turn themselves on and off automatically. Automatic Suction Pool Cleaners Can be used in all types of pools What are they? Automatic suction pool cleaners are cleaners that attach to the suction side of your plumbing. The suction side refers to the pipes and fittings that bring water out of the pool to be filtered; the water which is being "sucked" out of the pool by the filter pump. These cleaners include the Hayward Poolvac, Navigator, Aquabug, Kreepy Krauly, EZ Vac, Baracuda, Polaris 340. How do they work? Automatic suction pool cleaners attach to one of the suction ports on the pool. This is usually called the ‘Skimmer’ port or your pool may have a separate vacuum port where the cleaner's hose can attach. With the hose attached and the filter pump running, suction is created on the underside of the cleaner. The cleaner moves randomly, or automatically around the pool with motion created by a device that gives a stop/start pulsing of water. As the unit travels, debris is sucked up through the neck and then the hose, past the suction port, through the pipe, and stops at the filter pump strainer basket, while smaller debris passes through to the filter. Adjustments on the hose, the unit itself and flow volume will create different cleaning patterns, so as to maximize pool coverage. POTENTIAL PROBLEMS Cleaner moving slowly? Start by checking the pump basket for debris and making sure the filter is clean and water is flowing properly. Then I would check out the throat of the cleaner for any obstructions. Obstructions can also be found where the hose attaches to the suction line. Check hose for splits, obstructions or holes. If your pool has lots of leaves (trees), you'll want to have an in-line leaf trap to use with your suction cleaner. Cleaner not cleaning the entire pool? This can be caused by any number of reasons. The hoses could be too short. Another common cause is the cleaner could be following the flow pattern of the water in the pool. in other words, strong flow from wall return jets will push the cleaner into a pattern. To fix this; adjust the return port wall fittings, or add wall fittings to the return ports. It helps to point the fittings down or at a downward angle. If you pool doesn't have wall fittings at the return ports there are alternative wall fittings made by the manufactures to divert the flow. Always rotate the wearable parts on the cleaners and replace those wearable parts when needed. These parts will prevent the need to replace more expensive components. If you have only one skimmer, most skimming action is lost while your cleaner is hooked up. Secondly, unless the cleaner has an in-line strainer basket somewhere on its hose, the filter pump basket can get clogged up rather quickly. That, or if the strainer basket becomes full, reduces filtration and puts more front pressure on the system by restricting the flow into the filter. Having a suction side cleaner would be much better than having none at all, but less than what is possible. On the bright side, suction side cleaners are available for half the cost of pressure side cleaners. Robotic/Automatic Pool Cleaners Can be used in all types of pools These are self contained electric cleaners which are put into the pool when the pool needs cleaning. A transformer is plugged into a mains socket and a long floating cable from the unit plugs into the transformer receiving low voltage power to operate the cleaner. This power operates two motors; a pump motor which draws debris into the unit's filter, and a drive motor which moves the unit around the pool. The main advantage of owning a robot cleaner is their self contained filter, as it is easily cleaned and there is no need to use your pools filtration, this saves time as you don’t need to spend time connecting up hoses and booster pumps. Robotic pool cleaners also offer great coverage of the pool. The Aquabot pool cleaners are computer chip controlled and some models even have remote controls so you can steer the unit. Being that they are the only cleaners not attached in any way to the pool's circulation system, they produce no resistance or back pressure on the filtering. Their cost can be more than suction or pressure side cleaners.  Telephone:    01684 830159 Email:    sales@kal-tech.co.uk