Question on Poolvergnuegen's Pressure Side Pool Cleaner

[poolneophyte]

To TFP owners of Poolvergnuegen's Pressure Side Pool Cleaner, I have the following questions:

1. The manufacturer states that this cleaner is great for pools with lots of large debris. So, how well does it pick up sand from the pool bottom?

2. Does it pick up leaves which have broken apart into tiny pieces or only whole leaves?

I feel that a suction side cleaner would be a better fit but I already have a dedicated pressure port and would rather not re-plumb the system. I am looking for real world reports on how well the pressure side Pool Cleaner works.

 

[chem geek]

My pool normally stays pretty clean because I have an electric safety cover that is normally closed, but pressure-side The Pool Cleaner I have did pick up both whole and partial leaves, cedar needles, chemical granules (though if too fine they will go through the bag), etc. I think that sand might flow through the bag unless the grains are fairly large, but I have seen it pick up dirt so maybe it would pick up sand as well.

The flow rate needed for The Pool Cleaner is very low, so you do not use a separate booster pump. I have an IntelliFlo VF and set the GPM down to 15 when I switch all flow to the dedicated pressure line. The Pool Cleaner adds around 7 PSI to the pressure at that flow rate. In your case, you could have a valve that directs only part of the return flow to the dedicated line to the cleaner, though that might be hard to precisely control reliably.

 

[poolneophyte]

Chem geek,

Thanks for the response. I have a Jandy variable speed pump and will install a motorized valve actuator to divert the flow to the cleaner port just as you do. I just want to be sure that a pressure side cleaner is the right type before I drop $400-500 on it. I called the manufacturer of The Pool Cleaner who told me that they have a new hybrid model coming out this fall which is both a pressure side and a suction side cleaner. They said that you can choose your mode based upon the type of debris in the pool. Maybe I should hold off until the new model is released and see how it pans out.

 

[irishluck73]

The Pool Cleaner looks like one of the best options for less than $500 from reading other threads. We should be moving into our new house with our first pool and I was wondering what the differences are between the suction and pressure side cleaners? Is there a recommended way to go? Positives, negatives? Thanks!

 

[long time pool gal]

I purchased my suction side Pool Cleaner (it had been previously manufactered as a Jacuzzi Tracker, then became the Poolvergnuegen Pool Cleaner) less than a year ago. I got the 4 wheel version. I had been using the Hayward Pool Vacs, in all their different versions, for almost 30 years in my pool. When I got my new liner replaced, the addition of rice husks under the liner for "softening" made it impossible for the Pool Vac to work as it had in the past, kept getting stuck as it climbed up the sides of the deep end, to climb on the "shelf" area. We have a 16 x 32 Doughboy, in the ground, goes from 3 1/2 ft to 7 ft. At first we thought we were going to have the same problem with the Pool Cleaner, but I swapped out the front drive tires to ones with a big bump for traction, and we were good to go. The suction works great, we have an inline leaf catcher (left over from the Hayward cleaner) that we still use. We have a dedicated suction line for the cleaner, and a suction line for the skimmer, with a Jandy valve to adjust the amount between the two as it goes to the pump. Its been working very nicely for months now, our only complaint is it does tend to get stuck a little around our in pool steps, but luckily it has a built in reversing thing that enables it to get itself free. I was able to buy mine online for a reduced price, because the $500.00 price was a bit steep for my budget. I would say it does a great job on the bottom, but we still need to brush the sides.

 

[KNIGHTCAP]

I am also considering The Pool Cleaner, pressure side. I have a 40x24 L-shaped inground pool. I currently have a Kreepy Krauly, pressure side cleaner. I am unhappy with it: 1. surface skimmers don't work when Kreepy is running 2. tends to follow a set pattern, even though I store the hoses flat 3. gets caught on shallow end steps 4. rarely goes into the shallow end -- spends all its time in the dep end.

I have two questions for users of The Pool Cleaner (pressure side):

1. Is it safe for vinyl liner pools? The tires look kind of knobby, so maybe too rough? Their web site does not address this.
2. I want a cleaner which stays off the walls (only vacuums the bottom), but can climb from my 8 foot deep end up the sloped bottom to the 3 foot shallow end. I don't need the walls vacuumed, all my debris is on the bottom. I added something to my Kreepy to keep it off the walls, and it works, but it won't seem to go to the shallow end.

Can anyone with experience answer these two questions? Thank!!

 

[long time pool gal]

I can tell you from my own Poolvergnuegen Pool Cleaner, that there is a float installed on the hose directly connected to the unit that allows you to adjust to keep the unit from climbing the walls. You simply move the float. Also, if the unit does try to climb the walls a little, it reverses itself after a few tries, and goes in another direction. I have a brand new vinyl liner installed in my pool, so I was concerned about this as well, but the big rubber treads on the tires work very well, and are a soft rubber. There is a little marking indicator on the tire treads that you check to see if the rubber has worn down to the point where replacement is needed. I think this was a handy thing to incorporate to the design of the tires, which are really easy to change. I think the only thing to be concerned with a long pool, with the deep end, is having enough hoses to reach so the unit can work effectively.