There are probably close to 10 different manufacturers of floor head equipment, parts, supplies, ... and sometimes 10-15 different models for many of the suppliers. For this reason, unless you can send me an e-mail, with pictures, manufacturer name, ... it is going to be hard to give "Specific" trouble shooting information. So, gather all the information you can find, and send it to me at: aawesomeinc@hotmail.com. One more thing, if there is a "type" of cleaning system that I do not recommend for full pool cleaning, it is this one. If there is a type that I believe will cost pool owners the most money, time, ... to keep running, it is this type. If there is a "type" that I believe doesn't work (Except when the landscaping is to the point where the pool would be clean anyway, this is it. For more details for those "thinking about" putting in a floor head system, Click HERE. In the meantime, let me deal with some general issues that might point you in the right direction. The details and SOLUTIONS are in the section below this one: Air In (See Below) Areas of Pool Not Cleaned (See Below) Floor Heads Stick in the Up Position (See Below) One Floor Head Stuck (See Below) Set of Floor Heads Stuck (See Below) "Hammering" Sounds Severe (See Below) Leaks (See Below) Floor Head Actuator Gear Box (See Below) In Housing (See Below) In Pipes Above Housing (Above Ground, Below Actuator) (See Below) At Seam (See Below) At Union (See Below) Underground (See Below) Pressure ... Stuck - Never Fluctuates ... Too High ... Too Low (Or No Pressure) ... Skimmer not Functioning - Surface Debris High ... Water ... Cloudy or Green ... SOLUTIONS: Air In Any time that air gets into a floor head system, bubbles will be released from the floor heads at the bottom of the pool. In most cases, this is not something to worry about too much. That said, if you are having symptoms like loss of prime of the pump, blowing skimmer baskets, float valves, skimmer lids, ... out of place, then you definitely need to locate these suction leaks and fix them. (Click HERE) Areas of Pool Not Cleaned A Floor Head System that leaves a few areas of the pool floor uncleaned, is a "Normal" floor head system. On almost every Floor Head Installation, the variation of the height of the pool surface, and the angle of the floor head assemblies in the floor of the pool, will create areas where the water flow cannot contact the pools surface. In these areas, the dirt and debris will collect. What can you do? 1.) You can Vacuum / Net these areas every time you see dirt and debris on them. 2.) You can buy a suction side cleaner as well, that will not get stuck on floor heads. 3.) You can remove your floor head gear kit altogether, and get a better cleaning system for your pool that will actually keep it clean in 1/2 hour or less, ... Floor Heads Stick in the Up Position One Floor Head Stuck Having a Floor Head stuck in the up position is also not unusual. The easiest solution is to wait until the water pressure is shooting out of the head, and then, with your pool pole, or foot, push the floor head up and down a few times to loosen the grit / dirt that is stuck in the floor head. In severe cases, the floor head will have to be removed from the bottom of the pool and be brought in for service. Set of Floor Heads Stuck Unfortunately, this is one of the "Annual" or "Semi-Annual" events that you will be going through on a regular basis. What this means is that your gear box in the floor head actuator (In "most" cases, the housing with one pipe in, and 5-8 pipes coming out.), is shot. It may only be one or two gears that are bad (Any play in the gears on the shaft "Requires" their replacement.) In some cases, the repairs are "fairly" simple, in others, one slip and one of the tiny balls, gears, parts, ... will be gone down one of the many pipes. In which case you will get to buy a second repair kit, and depending on what you dropped, it may plug up one of your floor heads, either immediately, or years later. Other types are in a sealed unit with a dozen or so screws holding the assembly together. These I do not recommend you pull apart yourself. Have someone else replace the guts in these, or just replace the entire assembly. "Hammering" Sounds Severe In most cases, this goes along with having air in the system (See Above), and solving those issues will solve the issue of the severe hammering sounds. If you still have hammering sounds, and absolutely all "suction" leaks have been fixed, and no air is going into, or coming out of, the system, it could be that your gear kit in your actuator head is dying. In most cases, this is not a "big deal", just understand that you may soon have the problem of having a set of your floor heads stuck in the up position (See Above), with the associated repair under that category, soon. Leaks Floor Head Actuator Gear Box In Housing If you have a leak from the floor head actuator housing itself, you are going to need to have the damaged part removed and a replacement replumbed in its place. Usually this requires cutting out old unions, exactly matching pipe height, ... and is almost always out of the range of repairs that a homeowner can do safely and accurately. If the crack is in the housing with the 5-8 outgoing pipes, the repair is beyond that of many pool repair men. Even though I do a number of them every year, they are among the least favorites of all the repairs I do because of the extreme accuracy that is required, and the very small margins of error both in the cutting of the pipes, and in the amount of time you have to get all of the pipes glued, aligned, fully inserted, ... at the exact same time, and within about 30 seconds max. If you miss on anything, you may just have doubled, or tripled your repair time, and possibly cost yourself a couple of hundred more in parts, AND, you get the chance to do it all over again, and botch it again, as well. In Pipes Above Housing In most cases, this is the easier of the two housings to replace, and yes, it usually involves replacing the housing, although it is possible to "try" to "Ram-Bit" out the old plumbing fittings and do the repair at that point. Often, even though the attempt was made to drill out the old pipes, the new joints will still leak, still requiring a replacement and replumb of the top of the housing. Because I have so much experience, I have about an 85% success rate with the ram bits. That said, I warn the customer that they are taking this risk of paying for the attempt to "repair" the existing problem, even if it doesn't work. Often there is about A $150-$300 difference between trying to repair and trying to replace, depending on the price of the upper housing, so the "repair" attempt is worthwhile. Unless your repairman is quite practiced on the use of ram bits though, I advise replacement. Remember, all pipes must meet up EXACTLY, at precise heights and precise angles, with precise spacing between them. If you are in doubt, call a professional. In Pipes Below Housing(Above Ground, Below Actuator) This is going to require the replacement of the lower housing. There is no way to "patch a single pipe. You are going to need to have the lower housing removed and a replacement replumbed in its place. In many cases, this repair is beyond the abilities of many pool repair men. Even though I do a number of them every year, they are among the least favorites of all the repairs I do because of the extreme accuracy that is required, and the very small margins of error both in the cutting of the pipes, and in the amount of time you have to get all of the pipes glued, aligned, fully inserted, ... at the exact same time, and within about 30 seconds max. If you miss on anything, you may just have doubled, or tripled your repair time, and possibly cost yourself a couple of hundred more in parts, AND, you get the chance to do it all over again, and botch it again, as well. At Seam In most cases, cleaning the two halves of the housing, removing the o-ring between the sections, and cleaning it, and the grove it sits in, solves this problem. Be sure that the housing haves are aligned properly. Usually there is a marking, raised area, ... on both halves, or an alignment pin. Another possibility is that there is a crack in one, or both, of the actuator housing halves. The upper half can be held up to the sun, to see if a crack is visible. You can use a strong flashlight to check the lower half. Any cracks will require the replacement of the housing (See "In Pipes Below Housing" directly above) I do not recommend the use of any sealants(ever), or lubricants, on this o-ring, as the frequent replacement of parts, will result in them collecting enough dirt and grit that a replacement of the o-ring, and thorough cleaning will be required, and seldom will they actually solve the problem in the first place. At Union You can remove the old o-ring and bring it down to a hardware store for replacement. In most cases, every few years, the old o-ring will become so compressed as to need replacement. DO NOT USE A WRENCH TO TIGHTEN THESE FITTINGS. One of the repairs I get called out most on is to replace these fittings where the collars are snapped, cracked, ... and while these are not the hardest of plumbing replacements, they do require some advanced ability and attention to detail, as precise spacing, alignment, and the ability to assemble glued parts in a few seconds, "accurately" is required. Being 1/4" off might cost you a complete set of fittings, and require you to purchase more, and start over at the beginning. Another goof, another set, and another try. Goof more than twice, and in most cases, you'll also have to buy an entire new upper actuator housing as well. Shoot, on some, all you get is a single try. If you don't know what you are doing, hire someone. It's cheaper. Underground First, I am sorry. I have no good news. you need to find the exact pipe going to the floor head line with the leak and either excavate your pool to patch the line, or replace it altogether, or you need to cut the pipe below the actuator head, put a plug on that pipe, and put rubber plugs in every floor head on that line, to prevent water loss. I wish I could say this was uncommon, but floor head systems require between 5 and 8 more lines from the bottom of your pool to the equipment area than all other pool types, and then, there are usually 3-5 floor heads, with pipes, "T's" 90's, ... for each of those heads, and the entire assembly is encased in concrete beneath the floor of your pool. The likelihood of leaks in a system like this is VERY HIGH eventually. If you add to that the fact that not only are the pressures these lines subjected to much higher than with other systems, but they also fluctuate greatly, between 0 and 30 lbs. sometimes with some hammering or jarring effects as well, and you understand another reason why I do not like floor heads. (And why the cost is so high in the first place. (That's a lot of extra, and very precise, plumbing. Pressure Stuck - Never Fluctuates The pressure never fluctuating, at all, is a sign that the actuator gears are bad, and that the assembly needs replacing. (See "Set of Floor heads stuck" above.) OR, it could be a sign of a filter problem, i.e. dirty, or calcified Cartridge Filter Elements, a D.E. filter that has been run too long, or needs cleaning, ... (See details under your filter type. Click HERE.) Too High This is usually a sign that you are having problems with your filter. Look up your filter type in this section: Click HERE.) Too Low (Or No Pressure) This topic is covered in this section. (Click HERE.) Skimmer not Functioning - Surface Debris High Unfortunately, in most cases, proper flow cannot be established with floor head pool systems, and, in order for the pool water to not become green &/or cloudy, the problem needs to be further acerbated by putting almost all suction to the main drain. Go to the link under the section below for more details on this topic. Water Cloudy or Green You need to adjust your water flow so that ALL, or almost all, of your pools suction comes from the main drain. You will also need to operate your pool for many more hours than pools with other types of cleaning systems. For more details as to why, Click HERE. |
How Do I Figure Out What is Wrong With My Pool? My Pool is a Mess. What Can I Do? ... > I Have a Pool Equipment Problem - My Pool Equipment is Broken - My Pool Equipment Leaks - What Maintenance Do I Need to Do on My Pool Equipment? > Cleaning System Repair > Pressure Side Cleaning System Repair >