Cleaner recommendation needed for small, odd shaped inground

[nire878]

Hi,
I have a 12' x 24' IG pool. First 6' is 20" deep, then a straight vertical drop then the remaining 18' is 42" deep. Nominally 7,000 gallons. Using 3/4 Hp 10 gpm pump and cartridge filter that was meant for an above ground pool but working great. Considering the small size, pump and it's flat bottom I was going to use recommendations for above ground pool cleaners, but I am worried that will not address the 6' 'shelf'. Please let me know if you have any recommendations. I was hoping to find a pressure side cleaner. Thank you!

 

[needsajet]

Someone with a robot can tell you if they can do the shelf. I don't think there's a pressure cleaner that would work out.

I would choose suction because that pool is easy to brush. Hayward "The Pool Cleaner"
Hayward Poolvergnuegen Pool Cleaner 896584000-013 | 2-Wheel

I'm a guinea pig for Pentair Rebel (Kreepy Krauly Warrior, Stateside), working fine 4.5 months
Kreepy Krauly Warrior Suction Pool Cleaner 360302

Just my 2c

 

[nire878]

Thanks needsajet. I figured the ones with wheels would just roll into the wall and never make it onto the shelf. Many people seem very happy with "The Pool Cleaner". Maybe I need to find a youtube video showing how these guys operate. The suction pressure cleaner I thought about was the Polaris 65. since it floats on top, I figured it would drag the sweeping tail up onto the shelf.

 

[basod]

I can't offer much advice on the wheeled suction models but I'd steer away from the kreepy krauly diaphragm style cleaners it would probably not climb the ledge

 

[nire878]

Could someone with a robot weigh in? Would it crawl up on the shelf? ( I could post a pic of the pool, but as it is still looking like a construction zone, and there is still a 5 gallon pail of polyfill removing iron, I am a little embarrassed to post it)

Erin

 

[needsajet]

Agreed, definitely stay away from the diaphragm style, especially if there's any corners or you find a thumping noise annoying!

Dear robot owners: can a robot get onto a 20" deep ledge and clean it?

Dear polaris owners: will a polaris climb onto a 20" ledge and clean it?

 

[Geebot]

Could someone with a robot weigh in? Would it crawl up on the shelf? ( I could post a pic of the pool, but as it is still looking like a construction zone, and there is still a 5 gallon pail of polyfill removing iron, I am a little embarrassed to post it)

Erin

You have a fairly singular condition with your pool. From my experience with my robot I would expect it to work. It doesn't have a float handle and it should remain fully submerged in 20" so I would expect it to climb into the shallow end. However, until you try it you won;t be able to tell how effective it will be.

 

[Jimrahbe]

nire,

Most robots, that can normally climb walls, will attempt to climb up steps, but since a step is pretty narrow, they can't make it up to the next step or level. I agree with Geebot, if your shelf is six feet wide and covered by 20" of water, my guess is that a robot would be able to climb up on it with little problem. Whether, it would clean it all would be unknown.

Jim R.

 

[ping]

My robot would be able to get up on the shelf and clean it but I'm guessing that it wouldn't do a great job at it. I don't think there's a robot made that would stay up on the shelf long enough to clean it properly. You will most likely have to brush the shelf before you start a cleaner.

 

[nire878]

Thanks so much for the feedback. Overall, the shelf seems to stay cleaner then the rest of the pool, I think the return circulation takes any material off the bottom and moves it toward the deeper sections of the pool. There are two returns in the shallow shelf. It would literally take a minute to brush the 6' x 12' shelf. I will let you know how it works when I get something in there. Thanks again.

 

[nire878]

I picked up an aquabot S2-40 from craigslist. I do not have a 6" chamfer at the transition from the shelf to the deeper section of the pool, so it does not climb. As recommended by ping I just bushed the shelf quickly before putting it in motion. It did a great job and was fun to watch. I still wonder if the Polaris 65 would have cleaned the shelf, but I think the aquabot will work fine for my little pool.

 

[BoDarville]

A little late to this party, and it already seems that nire878 purchased a cleaner. For anyone else facing a similar situation, here's my $0.02...

My pool has two ledges - a small one in the deep end that is about 4' long, about 18" wide, and about 18" or so below the surface. The second (and larger) ledge is in the shallow end of the pool. It is about 12' long, 18" wide, and about 18" below the surface. I have a Polaris 360 (pressure-side cleaner that runs off the main pump - no booster pump needed). The 360 occasionally makes it onto the ledges and cleans them, but not often. I usually wind up brushing the ledges.

If you are deciding between a robot and a pressure-side cleaner that requires a separate booster pump, it makes the decision easy - I would definitely go with the robot. If you can go with a pressure-side cleaner like the 360 that runs off the main pump (no booster), then it is a toss-up between that and the robots. I will tell you that the robots cost a bit more, but some of the higher-end robots allow you to manually "drive" it to specific parts of the pool which is handy if there is debris concentrated in one area. It is simply a matter of weighing the features vs. the cost.