Dolphin Active 30 only runs backward. Anybody experience this?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
N

NeedCoffee

Active member
Dec 12, 2020
35
SoCal
Hi all,

I think my Active 30's behavior is somewhat akin to the below thread. The video by the OP looks just like mine. It starts up normally, but then will only move backward in increments of around a foot, then pauses for a moment. It repeats this cycle until it pushes itself against a wall. It stays there trying to move backward until the cycle ends. If I take manual control of it I can drive it in any direction with no issues. So I don't think it's an issue with the propulsion system and motor. It's a few months out of warranty and so Dolphin doesn't give a Crud. Very reluctant to buy another from them.

Anyone else had this issue and solved it?

Dolphin backing into walls and getting stuck.

It seems Captain Carl (my Active 30) has taken to backing up to walls and, well, staying there. I took a short video to demonstrate... Drunk Captain Carl Video He basically just tries to back through the wall for 15 minutes or so before finally getting himself out, at which point he just...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
NC,

I have several Dolphins of that style, and have never seen the problem in any of them.

I'd like to help, but can't think of anything that would cause it.

When it gets to the wall, does it climb up to the tile line??

If this were my robot, I would take it apart all the way down to taking the motor out and resetting it, and then make sure nothing is wrapped around the suction motor shaft.. You have to take the impeller off..

While I doubt this is going to fix anything, there is not much else you can do.

You might want to check out this review...

New EVO 614i Robot Pool Cleaner Review

About a month ago I needed a new robot pool cleaner and I contacted Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa. My initial goal was to buy another S200 "style" robot as I have been happy with them so far. Margaret suggested that I might want to look at a new line of robot cleaners that Marina is now...
www.google.com www.google.com

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hi Jim,

Thanks, I'll check that review out. Hoping I don't have to drop a grand on a new robot at this juncture.

It will not climb the wall backward, but they aren't supposed to. I can drive it manually forward and get it to climb, no problem. But put it in automatic cleaning cycle and it will just do it's dumb backup sequence until it hits a wall. It feels like it's misreading a motion sensor or something. Or maybe there is some software bug. Would be great if there were a way to reflash the software.

All Dolphin would offer is the name of a local service shop. They will charge me $65 just to look at it, and probably tell me they can't fix it.
 
Over the weekend I took the robot apart to see if I could find anything obvious. I removed the motor unit but could not open it. In doing so I found a small stick stuck underneath the metal plate on the motor's top cover. Plugged it in and ran it that way. It went through its cycle and shortly after it timed out with a red circle around the controller's button. So evidently it was working as it was supposed to.

I reassembled it and placed the robot back into the water. It will now climb the wall backward just slightly, and it now reverses when it backs to a wall, though not all the time and it takes quite a while for it to recognize the wall.

What I think is happening: the robot senses the motion of climbing backward to trigger forward motion instead. And it's moving too slowly up the wall to recognize this. It won't climb high enough in other words. I'm beginning to think that a low flow rate of water, combined with poor traction from relatively worn tracks, could be the reason it can't climb high enough backward to trigger it to move forward instead.

To test that, I'll try to find the more coarse filter plates. I've never used them, but I'd expect water to pass through them easier. if that causes the robot to back up the wall with more gusto, then I guess I either need to just use those filters or maybe replace the motor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply