Paramount PCC2000 Valve Sticking?

[kluczenk]

I finally got the booster pump on my Paramount PCC2000 in-floor cleaning system installed and running. When the system was turned on it appeared that only one of the sprayer heads in the pool would activate. I took apart the manifold to inspect the control valves and found there to be no visible obstructions and that the turbine was spinning freely and all gears seemed to be working. I tried actuating the valves by hand and they seemed a little difficult to push. I'm wondering if this might be the cause of my problem and if anyone has tried cleaning the valves with something like CLR or similar. Is there any way to disassemble the valves? There seems to be some sort of bolt on the bottom of each valve. Any guidance or expert advice in troubleshooting would be very much appreciated.

[PoolDoc]

I have no experience with the Paramount or other in-floor systems. However, these are very complex systems, with many 'twitchy' parts and settings. The consensus among pool guys seems to be that those things work for awhile, and then break. Servicing them is reportedly a pain, apparently often ending with an unhappy customer *and* unbilled time. I don't doubt that someone *really* knowledgeable about the Paramount systems could work on them efficiently and profitably. But, in many areas of the country, the systems simply are not common enough to support a well-trained specialist tech.

I'm not excited about those systems, because they are HUGE energy hogs, due to the high pressure required to operate the heads. Setting up a booster system reduces this somewhat. Ironically, most of the advantages of the in-floor cleaning systems can be achieved simply by using in-floor pool returns, like this one:

(S. R. Smith)
Also, http://www.cheappoolproducts.com/1-1...3~product.html


However, if *you* want to become an expert on the Paramount system, my guess is you can keep it running, at least till the in-pool sockets become too worn.

Here are some resources:

PCC2000 Manual:
http://www.1paramount.com/products/a...temsManual.pdf

Water Valve (I think it's the same one)
http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com...ater_Valve.pdf

PCC2000 Sales Flyer:
http://www.1paramount.com/products/a...00Brochure.pdf

PCC2000 Support Blog, by Paramount Employee
http://kurtatparamount.com/technical-forum/

Online companies selling parts: (I'm just listing these, not recommending them!)
http://www.infloorpoolparts.com/paramount.html
http://www.paramountinfloor.com
http://www.webpoolsupply.com/paramount/
http://www.pools.com/parts/Paramount-Pool-Products__282
http://azwholesalepoolequipment.com/...&cat=Paramount
http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/param...l-cleaners.htm

Diagram of valve: (from http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/valve/)