In today’s episode of Poolside Chat, Rob and Matt tackle another common swimming pool question:
Why Is My Baracuda Pool Cleaner Not Moving
Baracuda Diaphragm
“My Baracuda vacuum is not vibrating. The pool pressure is fine and the suction at the vacuum is great, it’s just not moving. Looked at the diaphragm and it looks good. Replaced the foot at the beginning of the summer, what do I do now?”
The diaphragm (see, picture) should be the first thing we check in these situations. The smallest of holes or tears will prevent the cleaner from moving. The question mentions the foot, essentially the base mount for the cleaner, these grooves on the foot become worn, this prevents venting of excess pressure. When those grooves get worn down, the cleaner can get stuck to the bottom so it’s good that you replaced the foot.
Next, you’d want to check all the hoses for any holes. While Baracuda pool cleaner is running, just lift the hoses out of the water and listen for any air. If you have any holes in those hoses, replace those hoses and that will correct the problem. If you still have the gauge that came with the cleaner, it’s a good idea to put that on the last hose before the cleaner to see if you have enough suction.
Baracuda Foot
Some pool owners will use the palms per square inch, this solution never really works out. Not an accurate measurement. If you don’t have the gauge, then look for air leaks in your equipment like anything on the suction side of the system. Maybe the pump lid o-ring, maybe the valves in front of the pump.
Any plumbing tees, elbows or any other non-straight pipe plumbing elements should be checked for air leaks, as well.
If you notice air in your pump strainer, you want to get that fixed, and that should correct the problem with the cleaner moving. Also, a dirty filter will prevent the cleaner from moving. Even if you clean the filter, a test you can do is if you have a sand or DE filter, you can put the valve on recirculate and run the system. If the cleaner moves, you know it’s the filter.
Same scenario with the cartridge filter, you can take the cartridge out, put the top back on, run the system. If it starts, cleaner starts moving around, you know it’s the cartridge. Those are some of the things you can check to get the cleaner up and running.
If you have any further questions about Baracuda pool cleaner repair feel free to leave a comment down below. And don’t forget to visit InyoPools.com for all your pool and spa needs.
34 thoughts on “PSC Ep. 61: Why Is My Baracuda Pool Cleaner Not Moving?”
my g-3 doesn’t work well in the winter sometimes it even stops why?
We mention a few things in the article, like a faulty diaphragm, a worn foot pad, or hoses. Can you be more specific about it not working? Is the cleaning diaphragm not flexing, is the water pressure good?
My baracuda runs for a couple of minutes then stops working, once this happens I have to stop the pool pump, then rerun it again, what could be the problem
What exactly do you mean by “stops working?” Does it stop moving, does the diaphragm feel like it is still trying to work? Is there air in the system, which may be the sign of a pinhole air leak in the hose?
After checking the hose for leaks, replacing the diaphragm, backwashing the pool filter, replacing the O-rings in my leaf catcher and the filter basket at the pump, I checked the threaded connections on the barracuda and applied plumber’s tape to the threads…that solved it for me.
Barracud stops when it climbs up side. Seems like air increases in pump filter. Replaced foot pad replaced valve at pump too. Diaphragm looks ok. Replaced all hoses except 3 so far. I have a sand filter. What do you mean set to recirculate? How do I check if impeller is plugged. Once I got it to work when I shot water hose into pump but it stopped working again
If your sand filter has a multiport valve, there is a recirculate (sometimes called whirlpool) setting that bypasses the filter. On recirculate, the water will go in, then go directly out the return side of the valve. How to unclog pool pump impeller
The plastic piece that the bladder attaches to doesn’t move freely once all screwed back together, to allow bladder to open and close properly is there a way to fix that?
I had this exact same problem, was driving me insane, googled it, tried a few suggestions. for me, the fix it was buy backwashing, & i was shocked at the difference, kreepy went berserk & pool was spotless in 30 moons! Hope this helps, good luck 😃
Y barracuda works for about 20 to 30sexonds then stops, everything appears to be ok, where do I start, pressure is ok, Hosea are ok, foot is not worn and diaphragm appears to be ok, not that old.
Hi. I have a baracuda cleaner. I cleaned the filter added earth,conditioner. Baracuda wasn’t moving well. Had to replace diapghram. Was working well. Then pressure went up and now its not moving well. Still goes but gets stuck coming up from deep end. What should i do? And can i removed the filter cover without cleaning filter? Also what does it mean if while removing filter dirty water goes in the pool? Help!!
Hi…. I recently bought a new Zodiac G3 and it won’t move at all. I set it up, put a brand NEW filter in the pump and it moved half way across the pool and has never moved since. I have adjusted the flow regulator in all 3 options to no avail and I tried it with a new [vertical] Zodiac leaf bag, with my old larger Haywood [horizontal] leaf bag as well as direct without any leaf bag. The pump seems to be working but what else could it be?
My Baracuda cleaner has been used very little. Replaced the diaphragm . Have tried short connection 4 new hoses. Does not pulse The old Kreepy Krauly worked fine but parts wore out Currently cleaning manually with hoses all way to end of 30 ft. long pool . If the manual cleaner works shouldn’t the Baracuda also?
The diaphragm in my T5 is operating too fast. Rather than the normal flap-flap-flap, it’s going so fast it just sits there vibrating. There is nothing lodged in the diaphragm.
The diaphragm was replaced a few months ago. I removed it and checked that it was in perfect condition, which it was. Could I have too much pressure, rather than too little? I increased the RPM because the cleaner wasn’t doing a good job when the solar kicked in, but could I have gone too far?
my g-3 doesn’t work well in the winter sometimes it even stops why?
You’ll need to be more specific when stating “not working.” To find the disease, you have to know the symptoms.
My Baracuda lifts at the back whilst running – can you please help
Which Baracuda model do you own? You can identify it using the pictures on this page – Zodiac Baracuda Cleaner Parts
And by “lifting up”, do you mean it lifts the entire cleaner off the floor, it pops up intermittently, or it lifts up making the cleaner stall out?
My barracuda doesn’t move and I don’t know what is the problem bcs the pump is working 100%Can u help me with the idea what to do
We mention a few things in the article, like a faulty diaphragm, a worn foot pad, or hoses. Can you be more specific about it not working? Is the cleaning diaphragm not flexing, is the water pressure good?
My baracuda runs for a couple of minutes then stops working, once this happens I have to stop the pool pump, then rerun it again, what could be the problem
What exactly do you mean by “stops working?” Does it stop moving, does the diaphragm feel like it is still trying to work? Is there air in the system, which may be the sign of a pinhole air leak in the hose?
After checking the hose for leaks, replacing the diaphragm, backwashing the pool filter, replacing the O-rings in my leaf catcher and the filter basket at the pump, I checked the threaded connections on the barracuda and applied plumber’s tape to the threads…that solved it for me.
You’re pipes may be all busted up underground. Time to demo and install a new pool. This is a serious issue. We are needing to replace ours.
Barracud stops when it climbs up side. Seems like air increases in pump filter. Replaced foot pad replaced valve at pump too. Diaphragm looks ok. Replaced all hoses except 3 so far. I have a sand filter. What do you mean set to recirculate? How do I check if impeller is plugged. Once I got it to work when I shot water hose into pump but it stopped working again
If your sand filter has a multiport valve, there is a recirculate (sometimes called whirlpool) setting that bypasses the filter. On recirculate, the water will go in, then go directly out the return side of the valve. How to unclog pool pump impeller
The plastic piece that the bladder attaches to doesn’t move freely once all screwed back together, to allow bladder to open and close properly is there a way to fix that?
Which model Baracuda cleaner are you repairing?
I had this exact same problem, was driving me insane, googled it, tried a few suggestions. for me, the fix it was buy backwashing, & i was shocked at the difference, kreepy went berserk & pool was spotless in 30 moons! Hope this helps, good luck 😃
My three year old G3 has recently begun “unscrewing” itself after a couple hours of functioning properly. Any suggestions?
Is it unscrewing from a hose adapter, wall suction port, from the cleaner head?
cleaner head
Any tips for a barracuda that works for about 30 minutes then stops? Or won’t be working then will kick in and work again?
Have you checked all the things we mentioned in the video/article?
Y barracuda works for about 20 to 30sexonds then stops, everything appears to be ok, where do I start, pressure is ok, Hosea are ok, foot is not worn and diaphragm appears to be ok, not that old.
clogged impeller
Hi. I have a baracuda cleaner. I cleaned the filter added earth,conditioner. Baracuda wasn’t moving well. Had to replace diapghram. Was working well. Then pressure went up and now its not moving well. Still goes but gets stuck coming up from deep end. What should i do? And can i removed the filter cover without cleaning filter? Also what does it mean if while removing filter dirty water goes in the pool? Help!!
Like we mention in the video, did you check the footpad for wear? How old is the cleaner’s disc?
Footpad and disc were changed last year and look good.
Did your cleaner come with a flow regulator? The addition of that to the hose could alleviate the problem. Which Baracuda cleaner do you have?
Hi…. I recently bought a new Zodiac G3 and it won’t move at all. I set it up, put a brand NEW filter in the pump and it moved half way across the pool and has never moved since. I have adjusted the flow regulator in all 3 options to no avail and I tried it with a new [vertical] Zodiac leaf bag, with my old larger Haywood [horizontal] leaf bag as well as direct without any leaf bag. The pump seems to be working but what else could it be?
My Baracuda cleaner has been used very little. Replaced the diaphragm . Have tried short connection 4 new hoses. Does not pulse The old Kreepy Krauly worked fine but parts wore out Currently cleaning manually with hoses all way to end of 30 ft. long pool . If the manual cleaner works shouldn’t the Baracuda also?
Did your pool cleaner come with a flow regulator? If so, did you install calibrate it as the manual advises?
The diaphragm in my T5 is operating too fast. Rather than the normal flap-flap-flap, it’s going so fast it just sits there vibrating. There is nothing lodged in the diaphragm.
How old is the diaphragm/cleaner? And, have you upgraded the pump recently?
The diaphragm was replaced a few months ago. I removed it and checked that it was in perfect condition, which it was. Could I have too much pressure, rather than too little? I increased the RPM because the cleaner wasn’t doing a good job when the solar kicked in, but could I have gone too far?
It seems like you need to rein in the RPM. The diaphragm based cleaners run a fine line between, not enough, just right, and not enough flow.
torn diaphram