Zodiac Baracuda OEM Long-Life Cassette Diaphragm, W69698

Zodiac W69698 is the genuine OEM long life cassette diaphragm for the Baracuda range, and it replaces the earlier W81710. It fits the G2, G3, G4, Ranger and Zoom automatic pool cleaners.

What the diaphragm does

A Baracuda has no motor. The whole machine is driven by the diaphragm flexing under suction, and that pulse is what walks the cleaner across the floor and up the walls. Everything else on the cleaner is there to steer it or to keep it sealed.

When to change it

If the cleaner has stopped moving, or is crawling when it used to cover the pool, the diaphragm is the first thing to pull. Look for cracks and splits across the body of it, and check both ends: if either end has gone loose the diaphragm can no longer hold the pulse and the cleaner loses its drive. A diaphragm can look intact and still be finished, so flex it and check it in good light.

This is the original part rather than a copy, which matters here more than on most components, since diaphragm life is exactly what separates an OEM part from a cheap one.