Pool pump needs to run when cleaner is running ???

Hi everyone,

First of all, THANKS. This is a great forum, I already learned a lot and I am sure to learn even more since I intend to return here frequently!

I had my pool built about 3 months ago and have a question about the pool cleaner. Does the pool pump have to run when the cleaner (has dedicated cleaner pump) is run? That seems to make no sense to me, because what would I have the cleaner pump for if the pool pump needs to run anyway??

My PB told me "yes, because otherwise the cleaner doesn't clean effectively". Does that make sense? Since there is so much pressure on the cleaner now, lots of bubbles are coming out where it is connected and it looks to me that cleaning is not very efficient at all.

Thanks a lot for yuour help.

Olaf

Hello, and welcome to the forum!!

I'm not sure what kind of cleaner you have, but I have a Polaris 380 with a booster pump and yes, the main pool pump has to be running while the cleaner is on. Some of the more knowledgeable motor people can chime in here and give you a better answer, but my experience has been that the cleaner pump is simply a booster for the main pump. Without the main pump, cleaning is very inefficient but is much better when both pumps are running.

My Polaris has a pressure relief valve in the part that connects to the pool side, and it has a small diaphragm in it that releases lots of bubbles and slows the cleaner down when it gets stuck open, which it sometimes does when there are pieces of gravel or small rocks that get in it. Might want to check your cleaner for a similar valve...

Janet

Janet is correct, the main pump should be on when the booster is on. Boosters are designed to have positive pressure on the suction port and with the main pump off, the booster has to suck water through the main pump's stationary impeller creating a lot of head loss and could force the booster pump into cavitation.

Thanks a lot, makes sense what you are saying. I have a Pentair pressure side pool cleaner and the reason why I brought this up was that I saw lots of bubbles coming out of the cleaner connector. It seems that the pressure relieve valve was set incorrectly and after i tightened that a bit, cleaning seems to have improved quite a bit. Again, thanks for your help!