Rainbow

Rainbow spare parts for pool filters and feeder housings

Rainbow is a familiar name on poolside equipment, and its housings tend to stay in service for many seasons. What gives out first is almost never the tank itself — it is the small sealing and closing parts that are opened, tightened and exposed to sunlight and pool chemicals week after week. Here you will find replacement components for Rainbow units, starting with the threaded lock ring used on Top-Load, RCF and RDC models.

Because these housings are built around a body and a removable lid, the closing hardware is the part that decides whether the unit holds pressure or weeps at the top. Replacing a tired ring is a quick job and usually far cheaper than dealing with the consequences of a lid that no longer seats squarely.

What a threaded lock ring does

The lock ring is the large collar that screws down over the lid and clamps it against the seal on the top of the body. It carries the load created inside the housing, so it needs intact threads and a flat, undamaged bearing face. On a unit of this type the ring is normally hand-tightened only — the seal is made by the o-ring beneath the lid, not by brute force on the collar.

Typical reasons a ring is replaced include:

• Cracking — hairline splits radiating from the thread or from a handle lug, often after the collar has been levered with a tool.
• Stripped or cross-threaded threads — the ring turns but never pulls the lid down evenly.
• Chemical and UV ageing — a chalky, faded surface that has become brittle and no longer flexes when tightened.
• Persistent seepage — a steady drip at the lid that returns even after fitting a fresh o-ring and lubricating it.
• Distortion — the collar no longer sits level on the body, so the lid is clamped harder on one side than the other.

Finding the right ring for your unit

Rainbow housings look similar to one another from a distance, so identification is worth a moment. The surest route is the reference number: 172214 is the threaded lock ring listed for the Top-Load, RCF and RDC housings. Work from the following checks before ordering:

• Model marking — look for the series name moulded or printed on the body or lid of the unit.
• Printed part number — many moulded components carry a number on the underside or inside the skirt of the ring.
• Exploded view — match the position number for the lock ring on the parts diagram for your model rather than guessing from a photograph.
• Measurements — take the outside diameter across the collar and the diameter of the threaded section, with the old ring off the unit and laid flat.
• Lid style — note whether your lid has an air relief valve or a pressure gauge fitted, as that tells you which assembly the parts list belongs to.

Fitting and keeping it in good order

Shut down the pump and isolate the unit before opening anything, then release all pressure through the air relief or bleed point and check that the gauge, if there is one, reads zero. Lift the old collar away, clean the thread on the body with water and a soft brush, and look at the sealing face for grit, scale or scoring while you have access.

Inspect the lid o-ring at the same time and replace it if it has flattened, twisted or gone hard — a new collar will not cure a seal that has lost its shape. Use a silicone-based lubricant on the o-ring; petroleum greases can swell rubber over time. Seat the lid squarely, start the collar by hand and make sure it turns freely for the first full turn before tightening; if it binds, back it off and start again rather than forcing it. Bring the system back up slowly and bleed off trapped air at the top.

Rainbow at PoolParthub.com

Here we list Rainbow service parts that are genuinely needed on working installations, beginning with the threaded lock ring for Top-Load, RCF and RDC housings under reference 172214. The emphasis is on the components that are handled and stressed on every clean, because those are the ones owners come looking for.

Delivery across Europe means owners of older housings can keep them in service rather than replacing a complete unit for the sake of one moulded collar. If you are unsure which ring your model takes, check the series name on the body and the position number on its parts diagram, and compare them with the listing before ordering.