The Pentair Kreepy Krauly Legend is a pressure-side automatic pool cleaner for inground swimming pools. It has four wheels for better stability and a large intake throat with a big debris bag. I try to determine whether it is an iconic pool cleaner.
How does the Kreepy Krauly Legend work?
The Pentair Kreepy Krauly Legend (model LL505G) has the ability to vacuum the bottom of an inground swimming pool. It might even climb the lower part of the wall if the floor to wall transition is gentle enough (no sharp angles or curves). The sweep hose attachment moves behind the pool cleaner like a tail to sweep debris out of tight corners.
The Kreepy Krauly Legend receives water pressure from a separate booster pump, which is not included with the pool cleaner. This is an essential piece of equipment and will cost you a few hundred dollars extra to buy and install.
The pool cleaner head has a large throat so that it can swallow large pieces of debris such as leaves. The debris ends up in the large collection bag on top of the cleaner. However, you should buy and use the optional leaf mesh bag if you want to remove leaves from the pool bottom.
The Kreepy Krauly Legend pressure-side pool cleaner moves in a random pattern. The back-up valve forces the pool cleaner to reverse or back up. This reduces the chance of the pool cleaner getting stuck in one spot for a long time.
What components are included in the box?
The Pentair Kreepy Krauly Legend is shipped with quite a few components:
- Pool cleaner head
- sand & silt bag
- sweep hose
- feed hose (about 30 feet total length)
The feed hose has a lot of individual parts that need to be assembled in the correct order. You also need to cut the hoses to the correct length to fit the size and depth of your swimming pool. The feed hose consists of the following parts:
- Wall fitting
- 8.5-inch hose
- 3 x swivels
- 10 x floats
- 2 x 10-foot hard hoses
- back-up valve
- 10 x mender nuts
- 30-inch soft hose
- 7.5-foot soft hose
The twist lock pressure relief valve, that is installed in the wall fitting, can release extra water pressure if necessary to do so.
Does it need a booster pump installation?
The Pentair Kreepy Krauly Legend requires water pressure from a booster pump in order to work. You have to buy and install a 3/4 horsepower booster pump to provide pressure for the pool cleaner head. Nonetheless, the Legend will probably work with any other brand booster pump if you already have such a pump installed. Therefore, install a Pentair booster pump if you do not already have a 3/4 horsepower booster pump installation.
There seems to be two options when it comes to Pentair booster pumps. The first option is to buy the LA01N 3/4 horsepower booster pump (check price on Amazon). It has a single speed motor, 3/4″ port size and provides 50 PSI @ 12 GPM. It can be used for the Legend series pressure-side pool cleaners.
Pentair also recommends another option for the Legend pressure-side pool cleaner: the Boost-Rite one horsepower booster pump. It seems to be more efficient than the other booster pumps because of its 5-stage impeller design. It provides 50 PSI @ 13.2 GPM, and it has a 1-inch port size (buy on Amazon).
How do you connect the Kreepy Krauly Legend?
The wall adapter is installed into the female threaded 1.5-inch dedicated pressure line coming from the booster pump. The twist lock pressure relief valve wall fitting is then twisted and locked clockwise into the wall adapter. The pool cleaner is even easier to disconnect: turn off the booster pump and unlock the wall fitting in a counter-clockwise direction.
The feed hose needs to be cut to the correct length in order to reach both the deepest part and the farthest edge of the swimming pool from the wall fitting. The product manual should have detailed diagrams and instructions for assembling and cutting the feed hose.
Which adjustments are necessary?
There are a few things you can do to fine-tune the operation of the Legend pressure-side pool cleaner.
The path of the automatic pool cleaner is influenced by adjusting the thrust jet on the back of the pool cleaner head. The jet can be set straight, left, right, up or down. The front of the pool cleaner can be lifted by setting the jet in the upwards position. Setting the jet down will push the front of the pool cleaner down.
The sweeping motion of the sweep hose can be either increased or decreased by adjusting a small screw on the feed mast below the ballast float. Decrease the motion by turning the screw clockwise. Increase the sweeping motion by turning the screw counter-clockwise.
You should probably check the revolutions per minute of the front wheel after installation and at intervals to see if the pool cleaner is getting the right amount of water pressure from the booster pump. The correct RPM is between 28 and 32. You can unscrew the pressure relief valve in the wall fitting if the RPM is too fast.
Which parts need regular maintenance?
The debris bag probably needs the most attention. The product manual actually recommends that you empty the bag when it is only half full. The Kreepy Krauly Legend operates poorly with a full debris bag.
There are two types of bags available for use with the Legend automatic pool cleaner. The Kreepy Krauly Legend is shipped with a fine filter bag, which is suitable for trapping sand and silt. An optional leaf bag can also be purchased for trapping debris such as leaves, twigs and acorns. However, twigs might tear the bag.
There is a debris valve underneath the debris bag which stops the collected debris from falling out of the bag. The valve will eventually need replacement when it becomes stiff and inefficient.
The wall fitting filter screen is another part that needs regular inspection. This small screen catches debris that have slipped through the pool filter and prevents it from causing problems with the pool cleaner head. Remove the filter screen, rinse it clean and replace it inside the wall fitting.
You should also take care to remove the filter screen when back-washing or cleaning the pool filter. Flush out the dedicated pressure line before replacing the filter screen and reconnecting the Legend pool cleaner. The only problem with the filter screen is that the pool cleaner will stop working if the filter screen is blocked.
The sweep hose is another item that is subjected to wear and tear. It has sponges and roller rings which wear out from frequent use. The sponges wear out after a few months, so keep replacements at hand.
The tires and wheel bearings will also wear out. Replace the tires when there is no groove left. Replace the wheel bearing when a wheel does not spin freely.
Kreepy Krauly Legend vs. Racer
The Pentair Racer has a pool cleaner head with a rotating brush in front and LED lights on its side. Its back wheels are also smaller than its front wheels. The rest of the Racer’s design and operation is basically similar to the Legend, but it has a higher list price.
Kreepy Krauly Legend vs. Legend II
The most important difference between the these two Pentair models is that the Kreepy Krauly Legend II does not require a booster pump. Instead, it relies on the dedicated pressure line coming from the pool pump. This reduces plumbing costs because you do not have to install an extra booster pump for this model. However, it probably does not have the power to remove leaves and debris as effectively as the booster-pumped Legend.
Kreepy Krauly Legend vs. Platinum
The Platinum pressure pool cleaner and the Legend have the same basic design. However, the Platinum has different wheels with treads, and it also seems to have two thrust jets instead of just one.
Pentair Legend vs. Polaris Vac-Sweep 280
The biggest design difference is that the Vac-Sweep 280 has only three wheels. The Kreepy Krauly Legend has four wheels and seems to stay upright much better. Once again, the basic pressure-side pool cleaner head design is similar. Nonetheless, the Legend is usually cheaper than the Polaris Vac-Sweep pressure pool cleaners (click here to read my Vac-Sweep review).
Verdict
There are two key things that make the Pentair Legend a possible choice. It has a competitive list price, and it has four wheels for better stability. However, I think it is way too similar to other pressure-side pool cleaners to deserve its iconic name. Therefore, do not expect it to be a pool cleaning phenomenon (view this product on Amazon).