I just finished our pool 3 weeks ago and I'm not all that satisfied with our suction side cleaner. I've got a dedicated vac line and I was thinking of switching it to a dedicated return line and getting a polaris 280 or something. The pool doesn't get that dirty, at least it hasn't the first three weeks we've had it, but I do anticipate a fair amount of leaves in there this fall. My question is.... would I need a booster pump. I've got a 3HP intelliflo variable speed pump. If I have a dedicated return line, couldn't I just turn off the other returns and power the polaris with that?

The Polaris 280 requires a booster pump regardless of the main pump. There is another Polaris that doesn't but I can't remember the model #......most pressure cleaners will require the booster.

The 360 is the one that does not require booster. It does run slower per one reviewer so the time to clean is longer. Of the normal Polaris Booster enabled models the 280 has a reputation for being the most reliable and best for leaves due to the larger throat opening.



The 360 can run without booster and you do potentially need to shut off other returns to make that work.

I have a 380 that I have been using for a few weeks and love it - but I have nothing to compare it to so I can't say if it's better or not compared with a suction side device.

This link seems to give some creedence to the idea that pressure side is better for leaves:
http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/blog/Gen ... arison.htm

I have also read that some people put a leaf canister like you can use with a vacuum on their suction side cleaner to increase handling of large debris.

The Polaris 360 is the one that doesn't need a booster. It works great with the IntelliFlo by the way.