Hayward Navigator Hose Tangling Or Floating: Step-By-Step Fix

Understanding Hose Behavior In The Pool

The Navigator hose is a flexible corrugated tube filled with water during operation. Water-filled, it should be neutrally buoyant or slightly negative, lying across the pool floor in a relaxed arc from the skimmer to the cleaner. Problems occur when the hose retains a spiral shape (coil memory), when flow velocity lifts it off the floor, or when external water movement (return jets, cleaner head movement) repeatedly wraps it around pool features.

Step-By-Step Troubleshooting

Step 1: Identify whether the problem is tangling or floating

These are different problems with different root causes:

• Tangling: The hose wraps around itself or pool features and limits the cleaner's range of motion. Usually caused by coil memory or hose that is too long.
• Floating: The hose rises toward the surface, creating slack and preventing the cleaner from reaching the far end of the pool. Usually caused by excess suction, air in the system, or return jet flow lifting the hose.

Step 2: Check for coil memory

Owner-level:

1. Remove the hose from the pool and lay it straight on a flat surface (deck, lawn).
2. If sections of hose retain a curved or spiral shape when laid flat, coil memory is present.
3. On a warm, sunny day, lay hose sections straight in direct sunlight for 1–2 hours. Heat can partially relax the memory in mild cases.
4. In severe cases, hose sections with strong coil memory must be replaced. Use only original Hayward hose to ensure correct buoyancy and connection compatibility.

Tech-level:

• Verify at installation that the customer understands storage requirements. Hanging hose on a hook or peg creates the exact coil memory that causes tangling.
• The standard Hayward recommendation is to store hose sections laid straight — either on a shelf, hanging in large loops from multiple hooks spread at least 3 feet apart, or laid flat on the ground. The key is no tight bends or coils.

Step 3: Check for hose floating — verify flow rate

Owner-level:

1. With the pump running and cleaner submerged, check the flow gauge. If the black disk is above MAX, excess suction is creating turbulence and velocity that can lift the hose toward the surface.
2. Reduce suction using the skimmer suction valve, the Regulator Valve, or the Skimmer Vacuum Plate. Recheck whether the hose settles to the pool floor.

Tech-level:

• Excessive suction creates high velocity through the hose, causing a venturi-like effect that can partially lift sections of hose. This is especially visible in the leader hose near the skimmer connection.
• If flow is at MAX and hose is floating, reduce to the mid-range and retest cleaner movement to confirm performance remains acceptable.

Step 4: Check for air bubbles accumulating in the hose

Tech-level:

1. Watch the hose for fine bubbles clinging to the outer surface or visible through the connector joints.
2. Per the manual: "If cleaner head and hose are covered with fine bubbles, give the hose a good tug. This will release the air bubbles and allow the cleaner head to settle to the bottom of the pool until the hose is covered with bubbles again."
3. Persistent air bubbles indicate air entering the system through the pump lid o-ring, suction pipe fittings, or the skimmer weir. Diagnose the air source separately.
4. Air-filled sections of hose become positively buoyant and will float, pulling the cleaner off the pool floor. Fixing the air leak is required — not just repositioning the hose.

Step 5: Redirect return jets

Owner-level:

1. Check the return eyeball fittings. If they are pointing toward the pool floor or aimed in a direction that creates current across the cleaner's travel zone, they can physically push the hose and create tangles.
2. Adjust eyeball fittings to point toward the far wall, angled upward at roughly 45 degrees. This circulates water effectively without creating a floor-level current that drags the hose.

Step 6: Verify hose length is not excessive

Tech-level:

• Hose that is significantly too long for the pool creates excess slack that accumulates on the pool floor, tangles around the cleaner's wheels, and wraps around steps and ladders.
• The correct length is: farthest point of the pool plus two sections. Remove sections if the pool is smaller than what the installed hose set accommodates.
• Too-long hose is as problematic as too-short hose — both cause coverage and movement problems.

Step 7: Check hose connections for air leaks

Tech-level:

1. Inspect each hose-to-hose connection. The ribbed ends should fit firmly into the connector sockets. A loose joint allows air to enter, creating buoyant sections.
2. Wet the hose ends before connecting if joints are stiff — this is specified in the manual as an installation tip.
3. Confirm the leader hose to skimmer cone or Vac Lock connection is sealed. An improperly seated cone adapter is a frequent air entry point.