Disabled, need pool cleaning advice

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Eva

Eva

0
Jun 28, 2015
24
Tucson AZ
Hi there --

New pool, all the details should be in the footer. It's only 4-5 feet deep, Pebblefina. I didn't really think about cleaning (well, ok, I imagined by friends doing it) but here we are in month two and I need a plan. I walk with crutches so I can't do the brushing thing or manual vacuuming. It's a small pool so I could really just swim around with a brush, but I'd still need to vacuum at some point. There are no leaves and few debris because it's under a roof and has a cover, but the pavers are set in sand and it's dusty in Tucson, so dirt builds up in an unfortunate low spot by the steps.

I like taking care of the pool myself so don't want to be paying $25 a week for someone who knows less than me to show up and brush and throw in unknown amounts of god knows what.

So -- what kind of pool cleaner would work for me? Are the robots all the same? If I'm going to pay for one, I'd rather pay more for a decent one. But I have to be able to lift it and move it around, so it can't be enormous. And I want it to do the walls and the steps and the bench and make my coffee. Is an electric robot always superior to one that hooks up to that port in the side of the pool, which I suppose runs off suction from the pump (the pool guys neglected to explain anything)? If I were willing to pay $900 or $1000, could I get something super reliable and trouble-free? Because if it doesn't work and I end up having to hire someone to clean anyway, I'm going to be unhappy.

Suggestions?

Eva
 
Buy a robot either a Maytronics Dolphin or an Aquabot, my vote is Aquabot (I have owned 3 older Maytronics robots over the last few years and switched to an Aquabot Turbo T this year), I would tend to suggest tracked model, not one of the rover style units. In general robots beat suction cleaners every time, the only exception if if you have acorns, berries, etc that may get caught in the tracks on a robot. (I used suction cleaners for 20+ years before switching to robots). I don't know what your weight lifting limits are, or your range of motion limits, but I can tell you I fell and broke my back 5 years ago, and it has been a slow road to recovery particularly when it comes to lifting and carrying heavy items. Now I can lift 50 pounds are so if I am careful, and don't try to lift it too high, maybe 75 pounds, but I would regret it for a few days, a year after my fall I could barely lift 20 pounds, then 25, 30, etc. but removing the robot from the pool during swim season was never a problem for me, as I could get in the water with it (they way very little in the water, almost float), I could then lift it onto the top step which is only about in inch below the surface, let the water drain out of the robot for a few seconds, then I just had to lift the 16-18 pound robot about a foot up onto the pool deck. Bending down to pick it up and get it more out of the way was another issue, but I always could get it into and out of the pool as I was recovering.

p.s. on the budget number, I would say you can buy a decent robot for around $600-$800, and expect to spend $150-$250 every couple of years on new rubber brushs and tracks (Aquabot parts seem to be cheaper than Dolphin parts, at least real world street prices), as to how long the robot lasts before major maintenance, or need of replacement, that is a dice roll, think asking the same question about a car.
 
Hello Isaac,

I must've had notifications set wrong because I was thinking no one had replied to my post. I came back to move it or change the header or say please or something and here are two answers. I do not have acorns, etc. as the pool has a roof and a cover and 6 foot walls all around (but the walls don't meet the roof). I'm not sure about tracked vs. rover -- by tracked I take it you mean like a tank. How does the rover style move? Anyway I will look at the Aquabot and Dolphin. Thank you so much for the details about lifting it out of the pool. That's more or less how I was imagining doing it. Will it climb the walls and the steps?

All best -- Eva

- - - Updated - - -

Hello -- sorry for the late reply -- I had notifications set wrong I guess. There is a sort of port in the side of the pool that the pool guy said was for vacuuming but I don't have a separate pump for it -- I assume it somehow runs off the main pool pump.

Eva

- - - Updated - - -

Hello Woody,

Hello -- sorry for the late reply -- I had notifications set wrong I guess. There is a sort of port in the side of the pool that the pool guy said was for vacuuming but I don't have a separate pump for it -- I assume it somehow runs off the main pool pump.

Eva
 
We bought the Dolphin s300i a couple of months ago and love it. You can also control it with an app on your smartphone, as it has Bluetooth technology. It was 1200.00 and worth every penny!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
There are a lot of variations on robots, and improved designs come out all the time, but generally wheeled models only clean the bottom of the pool, and maybe the lower part of the walls if they have a curved transition, most tracked models will clean all the way up to the water line. Steps and tanning ledges are however a problem spot for most robots, thankfully they don't tend to take up much of most pools. The port on the side of the pool may be a suction port for suction side cleaners like the classic Kreepy Krawly, these do work to a degree, but not as well as a robot, and they have a large suction hose they must drag around. One advantage to a suction side cleaner is they are lighter, but are also more cumbersome to handle in a way thanks to the big vacuum hose. Having said all this you may want to get a cheap suction side Kreepy Krawly clone to try them out. Here is an example from ebay Inground Automatic Swimming Pool Vacuum Cleaner Hover Wall Climbs w 33ft Hoses | eBay for under $75 to I degree you what you pay for, and in my experience these cheaper clones don't last long due to inferior materials, maybe 1 or 2 seasons at best, and expect to start patching them back together in the first season as they shake themselves apart, where a genuine kreepy krawly may last 10 years with proper care, plus replacement parts are easy to find, of course they cost 5-10 times as much.
 
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