Robot recommendations for $500-$600

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JoyfulNoise said:
I understand your predicament. Our home too is also goofy in it's layout - 3 out of 4 of the critical utilities (gas, electric, sewer) run right through the middle of the backyard then loop around the corner of the house and hug the foundation line until they go into the main services that are near the front of the house and garage. It is literally twice the path length to run it all that way then it would have been to run the services from the street and directly through the front yard. Why the builder and his subs chose to do that is entirely beyond me and makes no sense whatsoever. As such, our pool is crammed into the side yard with PRECISELY the right distances from any utility line. The PB that built the pool originally had a beautiful, rectangular design with a negative edge which would have had breathtaking views of the Catalina and Rincon mountains (when sitting in the spa) but it all had to be scrapped when BlueStake traced all the service lines out. It was very disappointing and really frustrating to have to move the pool to the side yard, convert it to a completely different design and basically have no views of anything but the house and the casita.

Building a pool is all about getting the things you truly want and being willing to compromise on the stuff that doesn't matter too much in the long run or that can be modified/added/amended later on down the road. So hang in there and best of luck to you with your meeting next week. And remember...lots of deep breaths.....

Best wishes,
Matt
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Thanks, Matt

All of our utility issues are solvable and, so far, free due to the fact that I had an addendum item in our home build contract that specified where all the utilities were supposed to be run for a future pool which was not followed. So far that has saved us upwards of $2K. Now, if I can just get them here to do the moving.... :)

If only easements were as easily moved, I would have a very different pool design than what we are building. However, I am embracing what we ARE able to have, have modified it and made it MY design and I think it will be beautiful when it's done even if I am not able to get them to agree to all my little tweaks. Most of these are things (like the robot) that I can change when the original dies. But, I'm still gonna push for it...nicely.

I'm thankful for all the feedback here and the ability to vent to people who understand.
I don't talk about the pool much to anyone anymore outside of this site. No one else seems interested and I don't want to be annoying. Meanwhile, I'm still SO EXCITED that the dream I've had for 40+ years is coming true that some nights I can hardly sleep. Lol! I probably need a 12 step program.... J/k

Blessings to you and your family for the New Year!
Denise
 
Update- hubby is finally on the same page for getting the robot! Having what I hope will be the final pre planning meeting with the PB today and I'm going to tell him we don't want the Polaris.
I'm currently looking at the Dolphin M5 (M500?), which is outside the original price point but seems to be worth the upgrade.

Im sure by the time we need it in April/May, the prices will have seasonably increased.
 
Nursenini said:
Update- hubby is finally on the same page for getting the robot! Having what I hope will be the final pre planning meeting with the PB today and I'm going to tell him we don't want the Polaris.
I'm currently looking at the Dolphin M5 (M500?), which is outside the original price point but seems to be worth the upgrade.

Im sure by the time we need it in April/May, the prices will have seasonably increased.
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It took my husband a while to rethink the whole robot thing, too, but I believe he's finally come around. :) As others have pointed out, pool builders seem to have one way of doing things and can be reluctant to try new things.
 
Divin Dave said:
the manual vacuum connects into the skimmer. It would be unusual to have a dedicated connection or pipe for a manual vacuum, though certainly possible I guess.

The polaris however does require a dedicated vacuum line built into the pool wall.
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Maybe a silly question but what exactly IS a manual vacuum? I haven't seen one in any of my pool bids.


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twinkiesmommy2009 said:
Maybe a silly question but what exactly IS a manual vacuum? I haven't seen one in any of my pool bids.


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As Kim said, it's something you but at Walmart or a Pool Store. Your PB likely won't supply one as part of the build.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006
 

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kimkats said:
LOL cheap until you have to buy something to keep the hose in! LOL I just lay mine out beside the bottom of my pool on the back side.

Kim
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[emoji15] Well, that figures. [emoji857] My hubby is going to make a storage cabinet for outside to store a lot of our pool stuff like toys and stuff. Maybe we can build it with room for that too. How big is it? Lol


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My hose it 35ft long I think. It needs to be where it will not curl too much or it will form a "memory" of the bends and twists. You can get hoses that come in pieces so you can take them apart and store. The kids can be in charge of the hose care and use (after they sword fight with them LOL).

Make sure when your hubby builds the storage to REALLY think about where to put the muratic acid. You do NOT want it by or with the bleach/chlorine. They do not play well together (forms gas). Muratic acid can/will corrode metal so keep that in mind. Janny has a storage box she bought that can be locked just for her MA.

Kim
 
Nursenini said:
My PB actually includes a vacuum line and all the vac stuff, I believe.
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Did you find what I am talking about this is what I got. Im not up on what the best robot is. I just know my builder named a price and it was over what Amazon charges (by several hundred). Anyhow check this out.

I got the one with the arm. But look at this: Amazon.com : Dolphin 99996323 Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner with Swivel Cable, 60-Feet : Swimming Pool Robotic Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden
 
I would jump on the robot. The Polaris requires a pump to run, normally at full speed to operate it. And the Polaris only picks up big stuff.

A good robotic cleaner will pick up items as small as 2 microns and it operates on 24V for most models. The electrical cost is very small by comparison.

I had excellent experience with the Aquabot line with my previous pool.

I am in the market for a good robot too and am doing the research for it.

I am leaning toward the Maytronics/Dolphin lime of robots.
 
badcrc said:
Did you find what I am talking about this is what I got. Im not up on what the best robot is. I just know my builder named a price and it was over what Amazon charges (by several hundred). Anyhow check this out.

I got the one with the arm. But look at this: Amazon.com : Dolphin 99996323 Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Cleaner with Swivel Cable, 60-Feet : Swimming Pool Robotic Cleaners : Patio, Lawn Garden
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Yes, I have been scouring the Internet! Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

efasulo said:
I would jump on the robot. The Polaris requires a pump to run, normally at full speed to operate it. And the Polaris only picks up big stuff.

A good robotic cleaner will pick up items as small as 2 microns and it operates on 24V for most models. The electrical cost is very small by comparison.

I had excellent experience with the Aquabot line with my previous pool.

I am in the market for a good robot too and am doing the research for it.

I am leaning toward the Maytronics/Dolphin lime of robots.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's been decided we are buying a robot. I too am looking at the Dolphin/Maytronics line. We won't need it until May so I have a little bit of time.

kimkats said:
My hose it 35ft long I think. It needs to be where it will not curl too much or it will form a "memory" of the bends and twists. You can get hoses that come in pieces so you can take them apart and store. The kids can be in charge of the hose care and use (after they sword fight with them LOL).

Make sure when your hubby builds the storage to REALLY think about where to put the muratic acid. You do NOT want it by or with the bleach/chlorine. They do not play well together (forms gas). Muratic acid can/will corrode metal so keep that in mind. Janny has a storage box she bought that can be locked just for her MA.

Kim
Click to expand...

That's great advice, Kim!
 
Be sure to check warranties when buying online. I know the M5 has a 3 yr warranty if bought from Maytronics or one of their distributors. If I were to buy it from Amazon I think it only has a 30 or 60 day warranty! I'm not sure if this is true for all the Dolphins or just the M5.
 
Marlahoutex said:
Be sure to check warranties when buying online. I know the M5 has a 3 yr warranty if bought from Maytronics or one of their distributors. If I were to buy it from Amazon I think it only has a 30 or 60 day warranty! I'm not sure if this is true for all the Dolphins or just the M5.
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Yes! This is true! I've been looking at which local retailers sell what I'm looking for so I can get the 3yr warranty. I think it was on the Maytronics site where I saw in big bold print that warranties are void if bought online.
The problem with search for various models is that you can't compare apples to apples. They change the model number and a few minor things so that each retailer has it's own "unique" model, even if they are essentially the same. One of the threads (I think it's M5 vs Z-something in the title) has an article posted about this very thing.
 
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