Caretaker Thak-Less Valve Replacement

Welcome back, ePoolSupply supporters! Today I will be going over how to change out your caretaker 5 port valve with a thak-less valve. A thak-less valve is the full top half of the water valve. This is a great way to update your older system to a new Caretaker complete valve. The unit comes fully assembled with a top valve gear kit assembly, center plate, cup strainer, one large o-ring, and five small o-rings for each port. This part does not include the band clamp, union assembly, plumbing plate, or pressure relief valve. If you want to learn how to install the thak less valve, keep on reading!

Before ordering your thak-less valve you need to check which 5 port Caretaker valve you have, there are 1 ½ inch (5-9-2006) and 2-inch (5-9-2026). Replacing the valve, it will take about 15 minutes. The first step is to undo the union at the top and undo the band clamp. Now you can take off the whole top of the valve. The next step is to put the large o-ring into the groove of the bottom of the valve, this is the part you didn’t take off. The large o-ring seals the water in so there is no leakage. It is also highly recommended to put lubricant on it, this will help seal it in better. The next step is to put the little o-rings into the grooves of the ports. In this next step, on the top valve, there is a little peg that will go inside the hole on the bottom plate. You should be able to feel it pop right in. If the peg is not lined up properly and you try to tighten down the band clamp, you will end up cracking the housing and will need to buy a whole new valve and replace all the parts. Next, put the band clamp on, should hand tight first to make sure everything is aligned then use a wrench to tighten it better. Then, put the screen back on facing up, it should look like a cone. The last step is to put the union back and this will only get hand tightened.

If you didn’t want to read that whole paragraph, here are the lists of steps.

1.       Undo the union at the top of the valve
2.       Undo the band clamp
3.       Put the big o-ring into the groove on the bottom of the valve
4.       Put the 5 little o-rings into the grooves of the ports
5.       Align the peg on the thak to the hole in the bottom plate
6.       Put the band clamp back on
7.       Put the screen back on, facing up
8.       Hand tight the union back on

If you are still not sure how to replace the thak-less valve or want to watch how it is done please watch the video I have attached below. In this video, we show you what is included and discuss how and when you should replace a thak-less valve. We strongly recommend replacing the Caretaker valve with these units. These items are available in two sizes a 1.5-inch valve (5-9-2006) and a 2-inch valve (5-9-2026). If you need any help with this please contact your local pool professional.