Caretaker 5 Port Valves

Welcome back, ePoolSupply supporters! Today I want to go over the differences and similarities between Caretakers’ 5 port water valves. There are 2 different ones, there is a 1 ½ inch version and a 2-inch version. These water valves can be confusing to most people because they look the same. If you want to learn what makes them different and what their similarities are, keep on reading!

 1 1/2- inch 5 Port Valve (5-9-2000)

The first valve I will go over is the 1 ½ inch, this part number is 5-9-2000. The most common and easiest way to tell if you have a 1 ½ inch 5 port valve is to measure the holes on the bottom plate. One difference between these two valves is by looking at the threads. The threads will be 3 ½ inches from thread to thread. The unions can be another way to identify which valve you have and is another difference between the two. Caretaker has created white unions with big knuckles on the side for the 1 ½ inch water valves. There is one confusing part about these unions, they call it 1 ½ inch but a 2-inch pipe goes in the top. This can be confusing to most people, and this is why it is essential to measure the bottom plate to identify the size of your valve.

 2-Inch 5 Port Valve (5-9-2200)

Now I will go over the 2-inch 5 port water valve, this part number is 5-9-2200. To tell which one you have is essentially the same as the 1 ½ inch valve. Measure the holes on the bottom plate and this will tell if you have a 2-inch valve. The threads will be 3 ¼ inches from thread to thread. The unions for this one will be in the color black and will have more of a smooth side. Just like the 1 ½ inch valve, it will have a 2-inch pipe to go in the top. The 2-inch valve is designed for better flow to all your pop-up heads.

 Similarities 

Now that we have gone through the differences between them let's talk about the similarities. Essentially, they have the same internals. Both will come with a pressure relief valve (1-1-220), this valve is designed to open and relieve pressure when the Caretaker system is operating over 30 psi. This usually happens when the cup strainer gets clogged or the gear assembly needs replacing. Another part they both come with is the strainer cup (1-1-216). This helps prevent debris from damaging your system and will be installed on top of the valve facing up in a cone shape. They both also come with an extra set of unions. This is so you can have one at the top of the valve and put an elbow-shaped pipe in and the other union will be put at the other end of the pipe. This is so you can clean the strainer cup which will need to be cleaned regularly. Both 5 port water valves, they come with a 5 pack of piston o-ring (PISTON-ORING). These will go into the grooves of each of the ports to create a perfect seal. If these are not installed properly, the water will be diverted to all of the other ports and will not be getting the pressure that is required. The last thing they both come with is the large o-ring (3-13-1) and this will go between the base and the valve.

Thak-Less Valves

There are 2 more valves you can buy and these will be the thak-less valves. You would buy these when everything in the valve goes bad. This will be easier and cheaper to replace than having to replace all of the parts. Replacing every single part will time-consuming than just buying the whole valve. For the 1 ½ inch valve, the part number will be 5-9-2006. The 2-inch valve part number is 5-9-2026.

In conclusion, there are 2 different ones, there is a 1 ½ inch version and a 2-inch version. they have a lot of similarities. Almost everything is the same, the plumbing base is the only difference. If you are still confused or want to see the difference between them, please watch the video I have attached below. In this video, we describe the differences between all the 5 port Caretaker valves offered. We provide professional insight along with any useful tips or tricks that may help you during the installation/removal process of these products.