And by the time you buy the caddy separately, you might be pretty close to the cost of the S300 which already includes it.
Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club
- Thread starter Killer95Stang
- Start date
And by the time you buy the caddy separately, you might be pretty close to the cost of the S300 which already includes it.
S200 works great in my 45x20 pool. The S300 includes the caddy so if you have to go a long way from the storage shed to the pool it might be a good idea. Other than the caddy the S200 & s300 are identical.
Frustrated and done with the Discovery!
We bought the Discovery in March of 2017 after reading reviews and recommendations here. This is the third Dolphin cleaner we have owned and all 3 have had problems. Specifically on the Discovery after 1 year of ownership the motor burned out and had to be warranty replaced. This was done quickly by Dolphin's service center in Arizona, but still a pain to be without a cleaner for a couple of weeks and we had to pay shipping. Two months later the unit is broken again and going in for its second RMA repair. There are other problems- the cord tangles very easily, despite following instructions to untangle it, and the plastic filters and basket are expensive to replace and the plastic is getting brittle with time. Dolphin refused to send out a replacement re-manufactured unit, so we'll have this unit repaired and then try to sell it off used.
We are moving on to a Polaris 9550, anything but the Doheny Discovery/Dolphin S200. We ended up purchasing this from Amazon as Doheny's was $200 more expensive and doesn't have Prime shipping.
We bought the Discovery in March of 2017 after reading reviews and recommendations here. This is the third Dolphin cleaner we have owned and all 3 have had problems. Specifically on the Discovery after 1 year of ownership the motor burned out and had to be warranty replaced. This was done quickly by Dolphin's service center in Arizona, but still a pain to be without a cleaner for a couple of weeks and we had to pay shipping. Two months later the unit is broken again and going in for its second RMA repair. There are other problems- the cord tangles very easily, despite following instructions to untangle it, and the plastic filters and basket are expensive to replace and the plastic is getting brittle with time. Dolphin refused to send out a replacement re-manufactured unit, so we'll have this unit repaired and then try to sell it off used.
We are moving on to a Polaris 9550, anything but the Doheny Discovery/Dolphin S200. We ended up purchasing this from Amazon as Doheny's was $200 more expensive and doesn't have Prime shipping.
- Aug 5, 2013
- 219
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I'm guessing that the board here would be interested in some of your specifics such as where you originally bought (online or brick), new or refurbished, how/where you stored it, how often you ran it, how often you cleaned it, whether or not you left it in pool or removed it after uses, did you lay cord out in sun as instructed, etc?
Sure. Bought new from Doheny's 1 year ago for $800. Had it on weekly cycle, running every 2-3 days in the winter and every day during heavy leaf drop periods. We live in California, so the pool is open year round, the unit was in the pool most of the time. Cleaned it 1-3x a week, depending on how much debris we had. At every cleaning, I'd lay the cord out on the lawn per instructions. At 1 year of age it would boot up, run 2' and stop. Sent it to the service center in Arizona and they popped a refurb. motor in it. It ran fine for 1-2 months and now will not properly 'clever clean' the pool. Just hangs out in the deep end and leaves debris whereas it was always perfect before. Did the troubleshooting again, took the whole thing apart (impeller, basket, ports, rubber tracks), no luck. It is going back again to Arizona and costing another $30 for Fedex. When I get it back, it is going on Craigslist for $400.
I contacted Dolphin/Maytronics and all they will do is RMA this thing until the 2 years is up. Doheny's was no better
, they told me that I could go talk to Dolphin, and hey do you want a coupon for $15 off your next order? They effectively said even though our name is on it, we didn't make, so here is a bag of sand you can pound on. 
- May 23, 2015
- 24,649
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I'm not faulting you but therein lies the problem. We know from experts on the forum that actually work on these robots that they really are not intended to be left in the pool 24/7. Some people have had good luck operating them that way, but that's definitely not what Dolphin says you should do. I take mine out almost every time I use it (maybe I'll leave it in for 2 days in a row OR on vacation). The motor seals, no matter how good they are and no matter the manufacturer, are just not designed to take that. Unlike a suction or pressure cleaner that can be left in almost continuously, robots should not be. It's just that simple.
Also, buying online or through the phone may save some cash but I'm a huge believer in buying local, if possible, in these circumstances. I bought local (shop is 3 miles from my house) and I definitely paid full price and well above what Doheny's or Marina's could offer me BUT, driving the robot 3 miles down the road is a lot cheaper and easier than shipping it out of state. Also, some shops will offer loaners (mine does) if they have to wait on parts to come in. Since you live in CA, I would imagine you have 3-5 pool stores all within spitting distance. Buying local might be the better way to go next time even if you have to forgo a "good deal".
As for the cord, well, the newer 2018 models all now have the swivel (mine does not) so that problem is pretty much solved except in the entry-level line of robots.
Sorry you had such a bad Dolphin experience. I know they are not the most customer-friendly vendor but, for the most part, they make a very good product. You definitely did not get a good run with them so I totally understand you trying out a different vendor. Let us know how the Polaris robot works out and maybe even start a new thread for Polaris bot owners.
- Aug 5, 2013
- 219
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Sure. Bought new from Doheny's 1 year ago for $800. Had it on weekly cycle, running every 2-3 days in the winter and every day during heavy leaf drop periods. We live in California, so the pool is open year round, the unit was in the pool most of the time. Cleaned it 1-3x a week, depending on how much debris we had. At every cleaning, I'd lay the cord out on the lawn per instructions. At 1 year of age it would boot up, run 2' and stop. Sent it to the service center in Arizona and they popped a refurb. motor in it. It ran fine for 1-2 months and now will not properly 'clever clean' the pool. Just hangs out in the deep end and leaves debris whereas it was always perfect before. Did the troubleshooting again, took the whole thing apart (impeller, basket, ports, rubber tracks), no luck. It is going back again to Arizona and costing another $30 for Fedex. When I get it back, it is going on Craigslist for $400.
I contacted Dolphin/Maytronics and all they will do is RMA this thing until the 2 years is up. Doheny's was no better
While I have no experience with robots (considering it) it seems like you got a dud... and then got dud parts put back in (refurb motor).
Wonder what they would do if you said you were part of TFP and were telling us your story of bad experience and bad customer service?
I was thinking this but since I don't have personal experience I wasnt sure I could justify the diagnosis of leaving it in the pool.
I know my suction side that lives in the pool is certainly affected by leaving it in.
Funny thing is, Maytronics really has no issue with you leaving the robot in the pool. No matter how many armchair engineers may disagree with me on it though, I really advise against it. The motor seals, cable seals, and swivel seals do fail prematurely if you leave them in the water all the time.
In short, it would seem that things wear out when you use them. Who would have thought.
- Aug 5, 2013
- 219
- Pool Size
- 12000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Could it be one of those things that they know it fails if left in but there is no way to determine when/how since every pool is different? So they just take the easy route and say nothing?
I mean, we aren't talking about leaving some magical material in the pool - we are taking about rubber gaskets and plastic. Every industry has consumable parts. Eventually parts will wear down mechanically or chemically. Here in Phoenix, AZ, we also have to deal with the sun/UV too. I'd guess that Maytronics might not say don't leave it in the sun, but I'd definitely advise against it. So maybe the pool chemicals just simply break the parts down faster. That seems totally logical to me.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,649
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Water is the greatest solvent in the universe....hydrolysis of polymers (rubbers, plastics, etc) occurs at almost any pH but can be accelerated by low or high pH depending on the materials involved. Chlorine is chlorine is chlorine....it's an oxidizer and it really doesn't matter how it gets into the water or that CYA is present to moderate it. The only thing CYA will do is slow down or favor certain chlorine reactions, it will not stop them from occurring. UV absorption is minimal at pool water depths and so UV, another powerful source of energy able to break chemical bonds, is always there to degrade materials. In short, everything in your pool water wants to attack and destroy the "stuff" you leave in it. The best you can hope for is to slow it down long enough to get some useful life out of it.
Please start a new thread on your 9550! I'm up in the air on polaris vs Maytronics. I have to buy in about a month so I'm not sure if I'll get to benefit from your experience.
I tried digging in this long thread to find Marina's price on the s300i but couldn't find it. Does anyone know it and what the rebate is?
I have no doubt it living in the pool more and running more timer cycles shortened it's life span. I am willing to buy a cleaner more frequently as a result. This is a vacation home so the 7 day timer setting on the new robots is great for us. I just wanted more than a year out of this unit. I also had two older $1000+ Dolphins bought from Leslie's that did not live in the pool. They all died similar deaths... fool me thrice...
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,769
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
As to rebates, you can check at Maytronics website. But don’t count on any rebate on an out-of-state purchase. Per Maytronics, rebates apply only to LOCAL purchases at brick and mortar retailers. Some did get rebates last year, but don’t count on it.
Attachments
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,214
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Here is a typically confusing/contradictory gem from the Dolphin website...
Exhibit A - It's OK to keep it in the pool.
Exhibit B: Don't leave it in the pool too long, just when you go on vacation.
So as mentioned earlier, at least someone at Maytronics believes they shouldn't be left in the pool for the long term.
Exhibit A - It's OK to keep it in the pool.
Exhibit B: Don't leave it in the pool too long, just when you go on vacation.
So as mentioned earlier, at least someone at Maytronics believes they shouldn't be left in the pool for the long term.
Looking at the S300 vs S300i, one of the differences is the Multi Layer filtration; meaning that an inner (rough) filter is placed in the extra fine basket filter. This allows the large debris such as leaves and cottonwood seeds to get caught in the inner filter and not the extra fine accordion style filter. My question is, can one order the 9983106 (Rough Filter) and place it in the basket with the extra fine filters in the S300 and thereby turn it into the Multi Layer Filtration system boasted by the S300i?
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,214
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Yes, I did this. But if you buy it from Marina Pool & Spa, you can ask them to swap that in before purchasing for free. They've done it for a others.
Yay! I just ordered my Active 20 from Marina. They said that I would need to purchase the more expensive 30i for the extra basket so I just let that go.
FYI They are out of the S series for a couple weeks.
FYI They are out of the S series for a couple weeks.
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,769
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
- Apr 27, 2017
- 18
- Pool Size
- 22000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Just received my S300i from Marina today. Its taking its first pass of the pool and looking very nice.
I was about the pull the trigger on an S300i . . . and then saw the Doheny's Mercury (Dohenys Pool Supplies Fast). I haven't seen a review or comments anywhere from Mercury owners, but it appears to be a Doheny's rebadged 300i for $850. Anyone on here have any experience with the Mercury?