I noticed that very is very little said about these units and was curious if there was any opinions. A robot seems like overkill for just having a flat bottomed above ground pool.
Pentair lil shark does it do more than just look cute?
- Thread starter CJadamec
- Start date
I have the older version of the shark that has a simple round body. I bought mine in Sept. 2013 and still happily use it today. During my "off" season I leave it in full time and use a device at the skimmer that allows split suction for shark/skimmer. I don't close my pool because I like to keep it clean year-round. During the winter months I run my filter at least 1 hour per day. Even at less than 2 hours per day the shark will keep the bottom fairly clean even with leaves falling, which is minimal.
I've been running my filter for 3 hours per day for the past month and right now it looks nearly spotless. The problem that most people have is that these suction cleaners like to avoid certain areas. I've found the near perfect circulation effect to keep the shark moving using strong current combined with having the shark set for tight circles. I have a 15'x30' AGP. I have 1 return and use a 90 degree elbow from the wall with a reducer to bring the 1.5" down to .75". With a 1 HP pump I get excellent circulation.
When my pool is "open" and in use (still too cold) I only run the shark every other or third night for 3 hours using my Woods timer set for 9PM till midnight...depending on how badly the birds bomb my decks.
I've been running my filter for 3 hours per day for the past month and right now it looks nearly spotless. The problem that most people have is that these suction cleaners like to avoid certain areas. I've found the near perfect circulation effect to keep the shark moving using strong current combined with having the shark set for tight circles. I have a 15'x30' AGP. I have 1 return and use a 90 degree elbow from the wall with a reducer to bring the 1.5" down to .75". With a 1 HP pump I get excellent circulation.
When my pool is "open" and in use (still too cold) I only run the shark every other or third night for 3 hours using my Woods timer set for 9PM till midnight...depending on how badly the birds bomb my decks.
I too bought the lil shark due to not justifying the $ of a robot for my flat bottomed AGP. I brush the side walls weekly and let the the shark do the rest. I have a foam cove on the bottom and also run mine on the tight circle pattern to avoid it from getting hung up on anything. On a very rare occasion it will...but nothing like the old ladybug I had that I couldn't adjust and always got stuck. I would buy another one again.
Cain
0
Sorry to bring this up, but how does this compare to the aqua critter (Wanda the whale, etc)? I got in one of these (the lady bug looking one) but basically failed after about an hour of use. I did notice it get hung up on a slight curve of the wall (Splashpools Omega 20Ft Circle AGP) so will be returning it and looking for something else.
I got the Lil Shark and so far have been happy with it. It does tend to like going behind my ladder from time to time but I haven't found that to be much of a problem. With my pump set for about 1700 RPM it gets the bottom clean and has no problems picking up any sand that gets carried in on peoples feet.
Cain
0
thanks for the info. My pump is rated at 1HP, but I got a funny feeling maybe there is something going on with it but the Aqua definitely died.
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