Pentair Pool Products GreatWhite Automatic Pool Cleaner User manual

Automatic Pool Cleaner
Installation and
User’s Guide
IMPORTANTSAFETYINSTRUCTIONS
READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

© 2007 Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Inc. All rights reserved
This document is subject to change without notice
1620 Hawkins Ave., Sanford, NC 27330 • [phone]
10951 West LosAngeles Ave., Moorpark, CA 93021 • [phone]
Trademarks and Disclaimers:
Great White®and Pentair Water Pool and Spa®are registered trademarks of Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Inc.
and/or its affiliated companies in the United States and/or other counties. Unless noted, names and brands of
others that may be used in this document are not used to indicate an affiliation or endorsement between the
proprietors of these names and brands and Pentair Water Pool and Spa, Inc. Those names and brands may be the
trademarks or registered trademarks of those parties or others.
PN789 (Rev B) - December 7, 2007
Technical Support
Sanford, North Carolina (8 A.M. to 5 P.M.)
Moorpark, California (8 A.M. to 5 P.M.)
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web sites: visit www.pentairpool.com and staritepool.com
Protected by one or more of the following U.S. Patents and all corresponding foreign counterparts:
U.S. Pat No 5,293,659, 5,303,444, 5,371,910, 5,386,607, 5,469,596, 5,664,275, 5,799,351, and
5,974,647

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Contents
Important Safety Precautions ..............................................................................ii
Section 1: Overview ............................................................................................1
Preparation of your pool ............................................................................... 2
Cleaner assembly ............................................................................ 2
Hose Assembly ................................................................................ 3
Section 2: Installation ..........................................................................................5
Standard Installation..................................................................................... 5
Optional Installation...................................................................................... 8
Section 3: Operation............................................................................................11
Cleaner Operation and Movement ............................................................... 11
Clicking sound ................................................................................ 11
Movement around the pool ............................................................... 11
Picks up “big stuff” ....................................................................................... 11
Fine-tuning valves and connections ............................................................ 12
Valves (pump, skimmer, and main drain) and vacuum adjustments 12
Too much vacuum? ......................................................................... 12
Not enough vacuum? ....................................................................... 12
In-Line leaf canisters ........................................................................ 13
Skimmer connection ........................................................................ 13
Skimmer vac plates ......................................................................... 13
Skimmer vac plate vacuum control adjusters .................................. 13
Section 4: User Maintenance ............................................................................. 15
Hose Storage ............................................................................................... 15
Disassembly................................................................................................ 16
Reassembly ................................................................................................ 17
Illustrated Parts List ..................................................................................... 18
Section 5: Troubleshooting ................................................................................19

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Important Notice:
Attention Installer: This manual contains important information about the installation, operation and safe use
of this product. This information should be given to the owner and/or operator of this equipment.
WARNING — Before installing this product, read and follow all warning notices and instructions which
are included. Failure to follow safety warnings and instructions can result in severe injury,
death, or property damage. Call [phone] for additional free copies of these
instructions.
WARNING — Hazardous suction. Can trap and tear hair or body parts. Can cause drowning.
Do not play with cleaner or hose or apply to body. Do not let children use or play
with pool cleaner. Stop pump before attempting to clean unit.
CAUTION — Oscillator may injure hands or fingers. Stop pump before attempting to clean out
pool cleaner head.
WARNING — Hose can trip or entangle swimmers.Do not allow swimmers in pool while pool cleaner
is operating.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1058 0594
General Installation Information
Pre-installation check list
Before installing the cleaner in a vinyl liner pool:
Check liner closely for signs of deterioration or damage from age, chemicals, pool wall damage, etc. If any
damage is found, have a qualified pool professional make all necessary repairs. Also, if there are stones, roots,
etc., under the liner, remove them before installing the cleaner.
Before installing the cleaner in a gunite pool or a pool that is partially or completely tiled:
Repair loose tiles and tighten any loose light rings.
Before installing the cleaner, clean your filter system:
Make sure you have cleaned the filter, including backwashing, rinsing, and emptying all baskets. A clean
system is necessary for proper cleaner operation and coverage.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
General Installation Information (continued)
Before installing the cleaner, fill the hose with water:
Always make sure the cleaner head is submerged and the hose is full of water before connecting the hose to
the filtration system (whether through a skimmer or dedicated wall fitting). Air in the system can damage the
pump through dry running and overheating.
Before installing the cleaner, understand cleaner coverage:
The cleaner is designed to rid your pool of debris in approximately 4-6 hours. Less time could be needed,
depending on the pool size.
The cleaner was not designed to automatically clean steps or swimouts or to work under a solar cover. It was
also not designed to do initial cleanup for a new pool or when opening your pool for the season.
WARNING — Suction entrapment, injury, and drowning hazard. If your pool has a dedicated
suction port (“vac port”) for vacuuming or for an automatic pool cleaner, it must be
covered when not in use.
A spring loaded safety cover is included with your cleaner. Install it on the suction port to prevent entrapment
and injury.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS (continued)

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Section 1
Overview
Great White Automatic Inground Pool Cleaner
Congratulationson your purchase of the world’sbestpoolcleaner! NothingquitecomparestotheGreat
White’sabilityto make dirtdisappear. Withits15” cleaningpathandunique bristle drive,yourGreatWhite
automatic,ingroundpoolcleaner willdeliverfast, completecoverageof yourpool.
Great White Automatic Inground Pool Cleaner
Model GW9500

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Preparation of your pool
Before youassemble and installyourGreatWhiteautomatic pool cleaner, youshouldmakesure that your
poolis clean and free of algae. If necessary, makethefollowingpreparationsbeforeproceeding.
• Chemicallybalancethepool water
• Brushthe pool and let the debris settle
• Handvacuumthepoolthoroughly
• Cleanthe filter and pumpstrainerbasket(Figure 1)
Cleaner assembly
1. Check parts
RemoveGreatWhiteandallofits parts from the box and check to make sure thatall componentswere
included(Figure2).
Cleaner
SwivelAssembly
HandleAdapter
ReducerCone
Hose: Twelve 4’lengths
VacuumRegulator
RegulatorCap
VacuumPortFitting
FlowGauge
2. Attaching swivel assembly to cleaner head
Installingthe swivelassemblyisa snap.Justinsertit into thecleanerbody and giveitaquarter turn
(Figure3). If you attachaunidapthandle to theswivelformanual vacuuming, besureitis the special,
floatingunidapt handle providedwiththecleaner(Replacement Part No.GW9019).Useofa different
unidapthandlewillhinderthecleaner’sperformance.
Vacuum
Regulator
Regulator
Cap
Swivel
Ass'y Reducer
Cone
Vacuum
Port Fitting
Flow
Gauge
Handle Adapter
Cleaner
M
A
X
I
M
U
M
F
L
O
W
M
I
N
I
M
U
M
F
L
O
W
Hose
Twelve
4’ lengths
Figure 3
Figure 1
Swivel
Assembly
Figure 2
Skimmer
Basket
Pump
Straine
r

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Hose Assembly
Assemble the hose
Theunitincludestwelvesectionsofhose,each4feet(4’)inlength(Figure4). Donotcutthe
hoselengths. You willneed to connect these 4’sections of hose tocreate a combined hose lengththat is
atleast 4’ longerthanthedistance from yoursuctionsource(whether
skimmeror dedicatedsuctionline)to the farthestpointinthe pool
(Figure5). Connect the hosesbytwistingand pushing thefemaleends
ontothe male ends after wetting the ends in the pool (Figure6). A
special “leader” hose section is designed to connect to the
cleaner’s swivel assembly and therefore has a largerhose cuff
thanthe other hoselengths (Figures7 and8). Failure to use this
leaderhose section to attach the hose to the cleaner’s swivel assembly
willhinder yourcleaner’sperformance. Ifadditional hoseisneeded,
useonly hoses from your PentairWater Pool and Spa dealer (orderreplacement part No. 41200-0131).
Useofanothermanufacturer’shose willhindercleaner coverage.
Figure 6
Figure 5
Hose must equal longest stretch — — plus at least 4 feet.
Swivel
Assembly
Leader Hose
Figure 8
Figure 4
Hose
Twelve, 4’ lengths
Figure 7
Female hose end Male hose end
Leader Hose
Connect to Swivel Assembly

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Section 2
Installation
Thissection describes how to install the GreatWhitepoolcleaner. GreatWhiteisdesignedtoworkinawide
varietyofswimmingpools. Boththestandardin-skimmerinstallationandoptional vacportinstallationare
coveredbelow. If your pool configuration is unlikeanyoftheexamples,contactyour PentairWater Pool and
Spadealerfor assistance, or call ourtoll-freeCustomer Helpline at 1-800-831-7133.
Standard Installation
For pools with one skimmer, using the vacuum regulator
 The manufacturer recommends the Standard Installation through the pool’s skimmer (Figure 8)
Theadvantage of this installation is its use of the vacuum regulator (Figure 9) to balance the water
flow between the skimmer and the Great White pool cleaner. The vacuum regulator can be adjusted
to changes in the amount of water flow to provide Great White with the power necessary to ensure
propercleaningperformance,and the manufacturer strongly recommends itsuseformaximum safety
andperformance.
1. Turn the pool pump off
2. Adjust valves for vacuuming
Adjustthe pumpvalves(ifyour system hasvalves)todirect all suctiontotheskimmer. Closethe main drain
andallsuctionlines,except thelinefrom theskimmerto whichGreatWhitewillbeconnected.
3. Remove the skimmer basket from the skimmer
4. Install vacuum regulator
WARNING! Hazardous suction. Can cause entrapment with severe personal injury or drowning.
Usethevacuumregulatorinconjunction withyourpoolcleanersystem atalltimes.Thevacuumregulator
hasan adjustment knob (Figure 9). If suction is too high, the knob is turned counterclockwise to decrease
thesuction. If the suction is too low, the knob is turnedclockwisetoincreasethesuction.
Figure 8
Skimmer
Figure 9
Adjustment
Knob
Vacuum
Regulator

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Standard Installation (Continued)
Thevacuum regulator mustbeinstalledin conjunction withthereducercone (Figure 10). Thereducercone
isrequired to make most skimmerconnections. Itwillkeepthehose and vacuum regulator inplaceonce
thefilter systemisstopped.
To installthevacuumregulator,insertthevacuumregulatorand reducerconeinthe skimmer. Attachthe
endofthehosetotheregulator(Figure 11).
Makesure the vacuumregulatorissubmerged at alltimes. Ifnot,the pump willsuckairthrough the
vacuumregulator andloseprime. Thiscould damagethepump.
Figure 10
Figure 11: Vacuum regulator installed in the skimmer with the hose attached
Skimmer
Vacuum
Regulator
To Pump
Reducer Cone

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Standard Installation (Continued)
5. Check Flow
Withthe main drainclosed,andoneend of thehoseattachedtothe regulator installedintheskimmer,insert
theflowgaugeintotheotherend of the hose. Keep the hose and flow gauge underwater.Turnonthe
pump. Withthepumprunning,adjustthevacuumregulator (inyourskimmer)untiltheindicatorontheflow
gaugeis betweenminimumandmaximum flow (Figure12). Removethe flow gaugeandproceedto step6.
6. Connect Hose to the Cleaner’s Swivel Assembly
Connectthelargehosecuff(Figure13)oftheleaderhose totheswivelassemblyonthecleanerhead
(Figure13). Pushthecleanerinto the pool and let it sink to the bottom(Figure14).
Figure 14
Disc Indicator
Figure 12
Figure 13
Large hose cuff
of leader hose
designed to connect
to swivel assembly
(See “Hose Assembly”
on Page 3)
7. Turn the pool pump on
Aftercompleting theinstallation,turn the poolpumpon and allowitto run foracouple of minutestoensure
thatall air cyclesoutofthe system.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Optional Installation
Vac Port Installation with Vacuum Regulator in Skimmer
 Ifyour pool has a vacport (Figure 15), youcan installGreat White using theOptionalInstallation.
1. Turn the pool pump off
2. Adjust valves for vacuuming
Adjustthe pumpvalves(ifyour system hasvalves)todirect all suctiontothededicated vacuumlineandthe
skimmer. Closethemain drainandall suctionlines,except thelinefrom thededicatedvacuum linetowhich
GreatWhitewillbe connected,andthe skimmerwherethe vacuumregulatorwill beinstalled.
3. Install vac port door fitting
WARNING! Suction entrapment, injury, and drowning hazard. If your pool has
a dedicated suction port (“vac port”) for vacuuming or for an automatic pool
cleaner, it must be covered when not in use.
Aspringloadedsafety cover(the“vac portfitting”)is includedwiththis poolcleaner
(Figure16). Install itonthededicated vacuum linetoprevententrapment and injury.For
detailsplease refer totheVacPortInstruction sheet includedwithyourvac port fitting.
Toinstalltheincludedvacportfitting:
1. Screwthevacportfittingintothededicatedvacuumlineopening.
2. Orient the vac port fitting sothearrowonthe door points up.
3. Secure the cover bytighteningtheallen-screwbelowthedoor,intothe dedicated
vacuumlinefitting.
4. Remove the skimmer basket from the skimmer
Figure 16
Figure 15
Vac Port

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Optional Installation (continued)
5. Install vacuum regulator
WARNING! Hazardous suction. Can cause entrapment with severe personal injury or drowning.
To installthevacuum regulator, insertthevacuum regulatorandreducer coneinthe skimmer(Figure17).
Toprevent waterfromflowingthrough the topofthe vacuum regulator,attachtheregulator cap tothevacuum
regulator(Figure 18). Attach theendofthehose to thevacportfittinginstalled in thededicatedvacuumline
(Figure17).
Vacuum
Regulator
Regulator Cap
Reducer Cone
To Pump
Skimmer
Figure 18: Vacuum regulator installed in the skimmer with the regulator cap attached
Water
Level
1900 0405
Reducer
Cone
Vacuum
Regulator
with Regulator
Cap attached
Skimmer
Gate valve for
vacuum port must
be fully open
Attach hose to
vac port
Figure 17: Vacuum regulator and reducer cone inserted in skimmer

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Optional Installation (Continued)
6. Check Flow
Withthemaindrain closed, and one end of the hoseattachedtothevacportfittinginstalled in the dedicated
vacuumline, insert the flow gauge into the otherendofthehose. Keepthehoseand flow gauge
underwater.Turnon thepump. Withthepumprunning, adjustthevacuumregulator(inyourskimmer)until
theindicatorontheflowgaugeisbetweenminimumandmaximumflow(Figure19). Removetheflow
gauge and proceed to step 7.
7. Connect Hose to the Cleaner’s Swivel Assembly
Connectthelargehosecuff(Figure20)oftheleaderhose totheswivelassemblyonthecleanerhead.
Pushthecleanerintothepoolandletitsinktothebottom(Figure 21).
Disc Indicator
Figure 19
Figure 20
Large hose cuff
of leader hose
designed to connect
to swivel assembly
(See “Hose Assembly”
on Page 3)
Figure 21
8. Turn the pool pump on
Aftercompleting theinstallation,turn the poolpumpon and allowitto run foracouple of minutestoensure
thatall air cyclesoutofthe system.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Section 3
Operation
Thissectioncontainsinformation describingthemovement andoperationof yourGreatWhiteCleaner, as
wellastips for“fine-tuning” yourpool’svalvesandconnectionstooptimizeGreatWhite’scleaningability.
Cleaner Operation and Movement
Clicking sound
Thisis the sound oftheoscillatormovingbackand forth in the oscillatorchamber.The best speed foritis
about500 oscillations perminute.Thevibrationcreatedby the oscillator movesthebristlesand the cleaner.
Ifthe oscillator isrunningtoofast, the cleanerwillhavea tendency toclimbupthe pool wallpastthe
waterline,or “walk out of the pool” and suck air. Reduce the speed by adjusting the vacuum regulatorin
theskimmer.
Movement around the pool
Randommotion– The cleanerwillvisitmostspots in the pool withinasix(6)hourperiod. It is not
specificallyprogrammed, and cannot seethedirtyouare seeing. It is arandommotionpattern.
Thecleanerwasdesignedtospend most of its time in the deep end,wheremostofthefloorand wall area
exists.During asix(6) hourperiod,thecleaner willvisitthe shallowendafew times.
Rotatingmotion– Thecleanerwillriseupon one side and pivotafewtimesperminute. This is normal
andprovidesthefollowing:
1. Allows leaves that are being pushed or dragged along to be sucked up into the vacuum chamber.
2. Allows the cleaner to:
Changedirection
Get out of corners
Get away from ladders
Submergebelow pool waterlevel
Get off of domed main drain covers
Picks up “big stuff”
Thecleaner will pick up some debris so largethatitmayjam.Simplystop the pump and remove the debris
fromtheoscillator,ortheswivel assembly.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Fine-tuning valves and connections
WARNING! Pool pump suction is hazardous and can cause entrapment with severe personal
injury or drowning. Use vacuum regulator (see instructions below) in pool cleaner system at all times.
NOTICE: Eachpool’shydraulicsystemand vacuum connectionsaredifferent.Besureyouhave installed
thevacuum regulatorbeforeyou “fine-tune”thesystem.This notonlyregulates vacuum, butalsoacts asa
safetydevice.
WARNING! Suction entrapment, injury, and drowning hazard. If your pool has a dedicated suction
port (“vac port”) for vacuuming or for an automatic pool cleaner, it must be covered when not in use.
A spring loaded safety cover (the “Vac Port Fitting”) is included with this pool cleaner. Install it on the vac port to
prevent entrapment and injury. For details please refer to the Vac Port Fitting instruction sheet included with
your cleaner.
Forthe novice poolownerforwhom pool vacuumingisanew experience, pleasereadallof the following
points,installationinstructions,andtroubleshootingguidecarefully.
Pleasenotethefollowing:
• “Vacuum”and“suction”are twowordsmeaningthesame thing.
• “Dedicatedsuctionline”,“vac port”,and“vac fitting”aredifferent termsfora holeinthe sidewallof
pool;this hole isconnectedtothepump suction and isdedicatedtovacuuming.
• Somepoolsdo not have a vacport.If your pool does haveone,please read the “Suction Entrapment”
warningabove.
Forthe seasoned pool owner: The automatic poolcleanerconnectionandvacuumadjustments can be
similartousingyour manualpoolvacuum.Pleaseread on.
Valves (pump, skimmer, and main drain) and vacuum adjustments
You mayneedtospendsome time adjusting the skimmerandmaindrainvalvesin order to obtain thebest
vacuumsetting for good cleaneroperation.Onceyouhave found the correct valvesettingsforbest
operation,wesuggestyoumarkthevalvesto ensure repeated success.
Atfirst,setvalvesto givemaximumvacuum totheskimmer orvacfitting youhaveelected touse.
Too much vacuum?
You havetoomuchvacuumif the cleaner climbsupthepoolwall past the waterlinetothepoint that the
cleanersucks air and the pump loses prime. Frequent loss ofprimewilldamagethepump.Tocorrect this,
adjustthe regulatorbyturning theadjustmentknobcounterclockwise. Thiswilldecrease thesuction.Ifthe
cleanerstillclimbsoutandsucksair,open themain drainvalveslightly.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
Fine-tuning valves and connections (continued)
Not enough vacuum?
Youdon’thaveenough vacuumifthe cleanermovessluggishly ornotat all.Besure thefiltersystemisclean
andtheregulatorand allvalvesareadjustedto giveyoumaximumvacuum.If thecleanerisstillnot moving,
yourpumpmaynotbestrongenoughtooperatethecleaner. Please refer to “Troubleshooting”onPage17.
In-Line leaf canisters
Ifyourpoolis exposedtolargequantitiesofleaves,wesuggest purchasingandinstallinganin-lineleaf
canister(part no. R211084K).Aleafcanister will provide moredebris-loadingcapacityandalsoprovidesa
waterby-pass when the canister is full. It isveryimportantthatthepumpnotstarve for water!
Skimmer connection
Forpools thathavelargequantities of “bigstuff”topick up, wesuggestusingthe bottom oftheskimmer
connectioninconjunctionwithanin-lineleafcanister(partno.R211084K).Aleaf canisterwillprovide
moredebris-loading capacity and also provides a water by-pass when thecanisterisfull.Itisvery
importantthat the pump not starveforwater!
Skimmer vac plates
Somepool owners connect the hose to a skimmer vac plate,whichallowstheskimmerbaskettoremainin
theskimmer.If this methodisused,empty thebasketfrequently.Also make surethatthevacuum regulator
providedis completely submergedsothatitwill not suckairanddamagethe pump.
Skimmer vac plate vacuum control adjusters
Somepool owners use one of avarietyofmanufacturer’s skimmervacplates.Somehaveavacuum control
adjuster,and some do not.The adjuster couldbe a screw-type, aspring loaded apparatus, ora dial design.
Forthose vacplateswithadjusters, it isimportanttoadjust themwhenfinetuning the vacuumforthe
cleaner.

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Great White Installation and User’s Guide
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