Pentair cva-24 valve actuator moves/stuck

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Locster

Locster

Member
May 28, 2020
24
Missouri City, Tx
Pool Size
16900
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi guys,

Pool is 1.5 yrs and am having an issue with the valve actuator not switching smoothly from pool to spa mode. When flipping the on1/on2 switch, It would move a bit and get stuck making a clicking noise as if the gears are not engaging. I would turn the handle to help it pass the sticking point and it moves a bit without assistance but would get stuck again with the clicking noise. Removed the lid and saw rust build up on the motor. Is there a leak or just rain getting into the housing? Also, the shaft feels loose which could be the reason why it's not fully engaged while turning. Does this look like I'll have to replace a bunch of internal parts (which ones)?

Thanks,
Loc
 

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You can rebuild those actuators. I have rebuilt two. The rust on the motor case is not the issue. There are several o-rings in the gear box that can go bad, shred and seize up the gears.

Take it apart and rebuild it. It’s not that hard.

Also, those actuators are technically “outdated” (even though they work fine) and replacing them will cost nearly $200. You can buy all the parts to rebuild it for around $50 or so.
 
 
Found all this gunk under the cover.
actuator.jpg
Clean everything, grease the gears, and reassemble but unfortunately still getting the clicking sound when actuator turns and get stuck. The gears and o-rings look good so what would cause the actuator to seize up? Do I unscrew the 4 long screws and see if anything is lodged against the valve? If so, is there water/pressure in the pipes below to be concerned with? Or replace it?
 
Did you pull out the shaft? Take apart all the gears? The shaft has two o-rings that can get damaged and cause seizing. When I rebuilt mine, I literally took everything apart, cleaned off all the metal gears in mineral spirits, replaced every o-ring and lubed everything up. O-rings get silicone grease and the gears got moly disulfide grease.

You should also pull the motor and run it to see if the motor turns smoothly.
 
Yes, took apart shaft and gears to wipe off the gunk (did not use mineral spirits) and inspected gears and o-rings all in good shape. Re-lube gears with lithium grease, o-rings with silicone grease, and motor runs/turns smoothly. Should I reclean the gears in mineral spirits and can replace the o-rings anyways? Thanks.
 
Can you turn the shaft and watch the gears to see where it may be binding up? The teeth on the gears are very small and the pitch is fine so any little bit of gunk can make them bind up.

Also, check the diverter valve too. Turn it manually with a handle and slowly feel ot moving from one position to the next. It should move smoothly. If not, you’ll have to pull apart the valve and see if there’s any damage.
 

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Locster said:
Do I unscrew the 4 long screws and see if anything is lodged against the valve? If so, is there water/pressure in the pipes below to be concerned with? Or replace it?
Click to expand...
Remove the four screws and take the actuator off the valve. There is no water below. There is an oring that the valve shaft comes through that can get sticky. Does on mine. I lube it with Pool Lube every few months.
 
Checked the diverter valve and no damage but did lube the 2 o-rings on diverter shaft so manual turning with handle is smooth. Re-lube o-rings on actuator and put everything back. Turn on switch, valve move a bit and gets stuck with clicking sound until I help manually turn the handle where it turns a bit and gets stuck again with clicking sound. Any else I can troubleshoot before replacing it?
 
Locster said:
CVA not connected to valve. Turns a bit but gets stuck.
Click to expand...

It sounds like the small gear on the motor is not engaging the larger gear in the gear box. It also sounds very rough. Hard to say what the issue is exactly. They do sell those motors as replacement items if you can find them but it would suck to buy one and have the same problem. It’s definitely an issue with the motor not engaging the gear train.

Your call. You can try to buy a replacement motor and see if that works or buy a new CVA if you’re just done messing around with it.

The water getting into the actuator definitely screwed it up. You might find a way to avoid that in the future.
 
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