zman

Stay with the 2 horse. Hayward is a good pump and their 1.5 can pump like a 2 horse. But the kicker is that the more horepower means the best filtering. and the less headaches. The cost is nill , so go with bigger and be happy.

yea..Me too. What is so complicatede is what kind of cover it is. There are the kind that turn and lock or the kind that have screws attached. The device you can use is an oiless compressor, or a hooka. if your just a homeowner and want to save money then dive for it. If you can prepare yourself for the job without getting wet then thats good. Look at the cover. do you see shiny metal screws? If not then you might have a 1/4 turn grate. American products uses the screws usually but here is the problem. The screws get calcified and can become unmovable. You do not have to drain it but you do have to know the cover your trying to remove.

It is an unfortunate reality that most spa builders have to contract their repairs out. you may have gotten a contractor and not a company employee. Not that contractors are bad, many are aces and do a good job. But short of that the service industry is suffering with technicians that don't care. Not all but many more then years ago. I say this because I've heard the stories when I was called to correct something that was done improperly. The service makes or breaks a company and too many just don't see it. Maybe because the pricing has become so competitive that profits are just not there..I really don't know. But I do know it leaves a nitch in the market for service techs with good communication skills and knowledge. When you find a tech that is good just keep him. Cheaper isn't always better. That is after the warranty runs out.

The one jet at the footwell is a whirlpool jet. When its on it cuts the power from the main jets for more of a hot tub experience. There should be a valve that is variable to cut the power to it down or off completely therby sending more power to the wall jets..

I think your OK with that.. It has been a cold 35 degees in the desert here and I havent seen trouble. 23 degees isnt too bad (I think) But I gotta say this is darn cold. Any lower and I`ll have to break out the underwear.

It sounds like a power supply problem so check the breaker on the house circut. There often is another breaker close by the spa in a small box mounted on a wall , and lastly there may be a GFI Inside the service panel of the spa itself. Why it tripped is another problem though. Anything from a bad motor or heater element ect.

I`m an old school repairman, Ive listened to the problems associated with the control panels on newer spas and though I might not be the only one who thinks this way. Electronics and transistors have been a blessing for automotive and airlines, the computer i`m typing this on is chugging away on transistors and electronics but putting them on a control panel outside..and then adding steaming hot water to the equation seems kinda dumb. I have had many spa`s with the standard len gordon air switches and rarely a problem, The old bulb thermostats seemed to last several years and them some if you tweaked them. When I left the business the electronic controls were just getting big and i`m sure now there is someone sitting high on the hog selling them and replacement units to manufactures. I guess what i`m saying is that some things benefit from electronics more then others.

In regards to your polaris there are various hose weights and hose floats to cure the problem. I used to be an authorized polaris dealer and leared allot from the reps that visited our store. I never had a polaris issue I couldn't fix, and if you contact polaris and tell them they may even send a representative out when they have one in the area, or send a local dealer out to help. The best guys I knew in the auto pool cleaning buisness was polaris. The other thing is leaves, I allways pulled out the polaris in fall and winter because lots of debris in pools will wear out a polaris. The best thing I have ever used for a sheet of leaves at the bottom of a pool was the standard pole mounted leaf rake. The type you hook to a garden hose only stirred up the mess. If you use a gentle jabbing motion with the bottom debris it will jump right into the net. Then carefully lift it when full. The floating debris is another problem and if it doesn't sink needs to be cleared frequently. Or just cover the pool. But back to the polaris, If it sucks its tail coming down a wall then a float on the tail is in order, If it lifts off the bottom the a weight on the feed line is necessary. You really have to observe when and how it happens to figure it out. Good luck.

Well since no one bit on it I`ll say what I know. Ive never installed them but have worked on the equipment that feeds them. The types I am familiar with are the rolled out type that resemble a mat. These are the least expensive and a breeze to install but they do not last because they are exposed to the elements. It is essential that they are drained during times of freezing just like any solar panel but more so with these. The other I can comment on are the copper tube type encased in Plexiglas. The more expensive but more serviceable if they spring a leak. You will also need a diverter valve at the equipment , either automatic or manual. the auto is pretty neat because it monitors the temp. The last time I was in the service industry was 10 years ago so things might have changed and I have never been on a roof to install or service them, I just talked with guys working on them is all. One of my customers bought some good used panels and installed them himself. I did the work at the equipment and he was very happy with the results.

14 years is not terribly bad for a skimmer, I`m unfamilliar with florida`s pool construction but I know water isnt far underground. The bushing you want fit the inside diameter of the 1-1/2 inch pipe and the same bushing or "fitting" is 1-1/2 inch diameter on the other side, so that once the half of the fitting is glued into the pipe you can glue a coupler right on to it and put a piece of 5 or 6 inch pipe from there. or maybe i read it wrong.

Same opinion here. As long as its primered then glued in I have never had a failure. Primer is essential though, as well as holding it in a few seconds while the glue sets. It tends to want to back out of the PVC fitting if you dont hold it there. I say its no problem.

OK..That's good. Now next I would either drain it(If the water is old) or close the two shut off valves so you can open the pump. If you have no shutoff`s then you will have to drain it. First off I do not know how many pumps you have. Usual configuration is A single two speed with an air blower. You may have a two speed that covers half the spa and another full speed for the other half. Anyways close the valves and get a big pair of channel locks or pipe wrench and loosen the lock nut on the suction side of the pump. This is the horizontal pipe going in the center of the pump(not the side or top). now at this point you can look and feel directly into the pump inlet for any foreign objects. Better would be (if you can) to remove the pump altogether and inspect it in the open. If you cant you can take some needle nose pliers or tweezers and dig around and see if there is something obstructing the impeller. The impeller has veins as well (small channels) so if you find small objects there may be more jammed into the channel`s and then you do need to remove the pump. This is not a 100 percent deduction..I have seen small objects clog an impeller that cannot be seen or felt from the opening. But now that the suction side is disconnected you might as well run water into it with a hose and rag or if you have one an drain flush tool. a drain flush you hook to your garden hose and as soon as you turn the water on it expands in the pipe and flushes water through 10-15 bucks at the hardware store. But if not a tightly wrapped rag around a garden hose will suffice. Its best to do this with another person to watch one end of the pipe while your at the other end. Thats enough for you for now. If it helps ..Great, if not I`ll keep an eye out on the post. Good luck. Wow, that's a lot of work for a guy who's not very mechanically inclined. The interesting thing is that when it's on, and running full power without the filter, the little ring that is around the filter basin sucks down and it runs fine. When I put the filter in, it seems to bob up and down. When it is bobbing, it makes this horrible squelching type noise and the jets slow down but then speed back up when it goes down. It's kind of like if you were to put a crimp in a garden hose....then let go.... ps. i think it's just one pump b/c it's either on or off. I don't even know where I would begin to access the equipment you described. Ahhh...I think I know what it is. Look in the motor compartment in the upper right hand corner for a black air valve that has a 3/4" clear pipe coming out of the top and another 3/4" pipe out of the right side. It also has a 1/8" line coming out of the left side. Crimp off the 1/8" line with a pair of pliers and see if you get your power back. If so, you can replace this old style air-intake valve with a retro-fit 'Hartford Loop' kit from your local dealer. If it's not that then you just need a new filter...even if the other one is under a year. Suction leak no dout.

That's about right. I never was into the cleaning end of the business but when times were slow or someone was sick I took routes and as I recall I had a Liner that had leaf stains after some bad weather and I added the chlorine over the area. Chlorine does not dillute immidiately and will concentrate where you pour it for 20-30 miniuts. after wich I brushed and the stains faded. Just don't get aggressive...Let the chemicals do it for you.

OK..That's good. Now next I would either drain it(If the water is old) or close the two shut off valves so you can open the pump. If you have no shutoff`s then you will have to drain it. First off I do not know how many pumps you have. Usual configuration is A single two speed with an air blower. You may have a two speed that covers half the spa and another full speed for the other half. Anyways close the valves and get a big pair of channel locks or pipe wrench and loosen the lock nut on the suction side of the pump. This is the horizontal pipe going in the center of the pump(not the side or top). now at this point you can look and feel directly into the pump inlet for any foreign objects. Better would be (if you can) to remove the pump altogether and inspect it in the open. If you cant you can take some needle nose pliers or tweezers and dig around and see if there is something obstructing the impeller. The impeller has veins as well (small channels) so if you find small objects there may be more jammed into the channel`s and then you do need to remove the pump. This is not a 100 percent deduction..I have seen small objects clog an impeller that cannot be seen or felt from the opening. But now that the suction side is disconnected you might as well run water into it with a hose and rag or if you have one an drain flush tool. a drain flush you hook to your garden hose and as soon as you turn the water on it expands in the pipe and flushes water through 10-15 bucks at the hardware store. But if not a tightly wrapped rag around a garden hose will suffice. Its best to do this with another person to watch one end of the pipe while your at the other end. Thats enough for you for now. If it helps ..Great, if not I`ll keep an eye out on the post. Good luck.

I agree with the filter Idea but failing that check that the topside air valves are open. I have seen pump impeller get clogged because of torn filter or plastic bits from flow valves etc. There is also sometimes an impeller sleeve that can wear but I wouldn't say it substantially reduces flow , but coupled with another problem it can make it worse. check it out and maybe you could give a more detailed description such as any odd noises or surging of pump flow. good luck.