pentair Rebel cleaner

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pool45!

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Aug 4, 2016
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Fresno, CA
I have a Rebel (Pentair) that is not cleaning my pool very well. I have a rectangular pool, 32' L, and the cleaner always stays in the deep end and does not climb walls higher than 18"s. This is not what the manufacture claims in regards to performance. Needless to say, this has become a pain. My pool is just now 12 months new (same with the cleaner). I have called the manufacturer and they said they do not have field reps that come and assess the problem. I then called my pool builder and they sent someone over here. He said the unit looked fine but the connecting hoses were the problem. His claim was that when removing the Rebel from the pool one must lay the hoses complete straight otherwise if you store them any other way, the hoses will lose their suction ability. This guy works for an authorized Pentair repair center. This didn't sound right.

Has anyone else on here experienced the same thing or can validate his belief? Any ideas or feedback on the product and or problem would be great.
 
I had a Pentair Kreepy Krawly Sandshark cleaner that used the same segmented hoses. It is true that if you don't keep them straight, they will coil up and always stay curved in one orientation. But this is true of those hoses no matter what - over time they simply coil up and never go straight again. The bends in the hoses act like an additional spring force that limits the motion of the cleaner. Also, the segments fit together through a simple friction fit, this makes them prone to air leaks over time. All of this, combined with the age of my unit, led me to simply ditch my suction side cleaner and go with a Dolphin robot. The Dolphin robots simply clean pools much better than any suction or pressure side cleaner.

You could try replacing the hose segments but I doubt that will do much. Did your cleaner come with the flow rate measuring tool? It looks like a clear plastic adapter you put on the end of the hose and it has a spring gauge in it that measures the water flow rate. Typically with these units you need to have the correct flow rate of water or else they don't work.

Can you update your signature with your equipment?? What kind of pump do you have? Pool volume, size, shape, equipment, etc, is all important info for us to know if you want to get help. Otherwise we're left guessing and asking more questions that we need to...
 
Thank you for your response.

Sorry. My pool is 36'x9.5' rectangle and 3' - 7' feet in depth. That is roughly 12800 gallons. All my equipment is Pentair with an Intelliflo 2 VST Variable Speed Pump and Clean and Clear Plus cartridge filter. The pool wall attachment for the cleaner in centered.

To paint a clearer pic, my hoses are not curled at all or stiffer than they were new in the box.
 
Did anyone ever adjust or test the flow rate??

How is the vacuum port connected to the pump? Directly with a shutoff valve or is it in parallel with another suction side line like the skimmer? Can you adjust the flow rate at the equipment pad?

Normally one leaves the leader hose and float in place since that adds the requisite amount of buoyancy to the cleaner. You need something to provide an upward force so that the cleaner is always being pointed in an upward direction. Without the float and leader hose, then the "springiness" of the rest of the hoses will dominate the forces on the cleaner.

You probably just need to experiment with the cleaner on your own. Flow rates need to be adjusted regularly to ensure that the cleaner is getting enough suction power. Do you have the flow rate adjustment tool?

Honestly, your PB is a waste of time. They hardly ever know what they are doing and they are not going to do any better of a job adjusting the cleaner than you will. I suggest you play around with it on your own and see what adjustments are needed.
 
The flow rate tool is something you use only to check the flow. The best place to check flow is at the end of the leader hose that plugs into the cleaner so that all of the head loss is factored in. You check to make sure the flow rate disk is sitting in between the max and min lines.

Flow is dictated by how the 3-way valve is set at the pump and what speed the pump is set to run at.

Have you programmed your automation system with different speeds and times? How was your system setup?




- - - Updated - - -

Can you please edit your signature with all of your equipment.
 
I use the Rebel and have had to adjust the suction for best performance. It was climbing up the walls beyond the water surface and breaking suction after I first installed it. As mentioned do install the provided suction strength flow meter and dial it in using the adjustment knob on the spring diverter device that should stay in place. Remove the meter after the adjustment. I measure it at the skimmer box where the hose attaches, upstream of the adjustment device of course which does not account for the friction loss of the entire hose but makes it easier to measure and adjust then I just set it in to the high side of the recommended range.

I like the unit and the price is not too bad although I do have to periodically disconnect it to allow the skimmer to do its thing with full suction and I run it each way for 2-3 days periods.

The only issues I have had with the Rebel is it will high center on the bottom drain cover (tried a few fixes nothing 100% yet although bigger wheels may be the answer) and sometimes it will stop all together next to the steps which it cannot climb due to the slight overhang. The wheel rotation is powered by a paddle wheel at the suction inlet of the unit so somehow it is jamming up but I cannot seem to find it. A simple nudge will send it on its way making it impossible to diagnose when it happens. Has a good warranty so may have to swap it out at some point.
 
Just a comment - If you have a separate wall vacuum port, then you do not need to use the flow adjustment diverter. That's only used when one uses the skimmer to attach the cleaner to.
 

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Oly said:
Interesting. Does the special port have a flow rate adjustment? If not then how do you keep the suction flow rate in the zone with this type of system?
Click to expand...

Most dedicated suction wall ports run back to the pump pad and are either directly connected to the suction side of the pump with a shutoff valve OR they are tied together with the skimmer using a 3-way valve. Either way, you use the valve to adjust the flow rate of the suction side port. With a valve and variable speed pump, as the OP has, the flow rate can be finely tuned.
 
I see, thanks much for the information JoyfulNoise. My pool is older and does not have these features but this may be an option in the future if I do some plumbing modifications.
 
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