How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleaner

[crookm11]

This question is for the plumbing and pump gurus out there.

How can you tell if your pump will provide enough suction to run a suction side pool cleaner?

I know I have an Intex pump but after the PVC pipe was added I think I should have increased the efficiency of my system. Any help would be great.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

That's actually a very good question. When I first read it I thought, that's easy, but after thinking about it, it's not a simple as taking a vacuum reading at the suction port. You have to take flow and vacuum into account, and that at a reasonable orifice size. I guess the best way to tell would be to borrow a neighbors and hook it up and see how it works.

 

[crookm11]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

Thanks Bama. I think Alabama is close to Texas so can I borrow yours... just kidding. I would love to be able to try one but I'm the only one that has a pool on my street..

All of the pipe in my system is 1.5" and the opening at the suction port is 1.25". The pool cleaners are way to expensive to hit and miss.

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

You'll hate me for suggesting this, but how about a robot? No suction needed. I run a pool rover jr on our 24ft round and love the darn thing.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

Dangit Dman, you're gonna make me buy one of those things if you keep on telling everyone how good it works. Mr Jerky works ok but I like th idea of keeping the skimmer operating while cleaning and that's one thing I can't do with a suction cleaner.

 

[crookm11]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

You'll hate me for suggesting this, but how about a robot? No suction needed. I run a pool rover jr on our 24ft round and love the darn thing.

dmanb2b,
Is a robot capable of picking up real fine dirt and sediment? I don't have any trees are such so not really needing a cleaner for that, just fine dirt.

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

:-D

Seriously...what I really enjoy is being able to clean the pool regardless of what the pump schedule, etc. Afternoon storm with leaves...toss it in. Dirt/pollen/silt sitting on the floor in the morning/need to get to work...pump not scheduled to run until 10am...you guessed it...toss it in :lol:

I feel like a showtime rotisserie guy or something...but it was the best $200 (mine was a refurb) I ever spent on the pool...two seasons+ of no manual vacuming or dranging out the hose/vac plate...priceless.

FWIW...I recently ordered CYA from DTY, as discussed in this Thread

They carry a bunch of other pool stuff, incl robots. The thread has a 15% off coupon code in it (not sure if it still works), but if I recall after the 15% savings, it put the pool rover jr at just around $230 shipped (brand new) vs. $299 or so on ebay and pool stores.

My experience with DTY and my CYA order was OK as it took a while to actually ship my order (about 5 business days) but I was in no rush and was properly notified when shipped and my CC was not charged until shipment occured.

 

[susa]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

having run over the years dozen or more models, each behaved differently with different pumps and pools. in my current setup, the most important component is the IntelliFlow VF which automatically adapts RPM's once I tell it via Features setup (not Filter program..) to run override settings for specific start-stop time(s).

even at below 900 rpm @ 90 watts, poolvergnuegen 2x cleans well, just a tad slow in moving about but once the normal Feature 3 program runs (20 gpm @ 1200 rpm) it moves around at ramming speed

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

You'll hate me for suggesting this, but how about a robot? No suction needed. I run a pool rover jr on our 24ft round and love the darn thing.

dmanb2b,
Is a robot capable of picking up real fine dirt and sediment? I don't have any trees are such so not really needing a cleaner for that, just fine dirt.

We got a refurb, which only came with a fine filter bag (claims to filter down to 5-10 micron). I'm almost sure brand new units ship with both a fine filter bag as well as a large debris (mesh) type bag (but please do double check ). I've been using the same fine filter bag for 2 yrs or so and have no doubt it will go through this season as well (note my season is only about 4-5 months long :grrrr: ). I get pollen/silt/dust/sand/mud, you name it...2hrs later, the floor is clean. I do not manually vacum...OK only when I need to get away from everyone ). I have a bunch of trees around the pool and 4 kids dragging their dirty feet in the pool 3-4hrs a day. I usually drop the robot in every other day. I would think the fine stuff would work just fine. Others will chime in soon. I know woodyp has one and nwmnmom as well.

 

[woodyp]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

I love my Pool Rover Jr. Does great on grass clippings, leaf pieces/parts, small twigs, bugs (lost ear rings). But after leaving my pool uncovered this past winter and into this mighty terrible windy spring we've had with all the pollen--------at least MINE isn't quite up to snuff for the fine dirt/silt/pollen that has managed to accumulate on the bottom. Last year was the first one for the pool and I'm QUITE sure we used it enough to keep the itty bitty stuff stirred up for the filter to catch. Six months of nobody in it has made a difference. Ran the Jr. twice yesterday-------and I'll be manually vacuuming later today if that tells you anything. It ain't real good on dirt in those inevitable creases/wrinkles in the pool bottom for sure on it's BEST day. Just seems to "blow around" and poof the fine stuff into a cloud. I'm actually eyeballing a Hayward Wanda the Whale suction side cleaner to "backup" the Jr. I'll still have plenty of work for him to get all the stuff I DON'T want to go into the filter.

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

Woody, just curious is that using the fine filter bag? Very tight weave and fuzzy on the inside? We get a lot of silt/dirt, so I'm surprised it's not picking up the fine stuff

 

[woodyp]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

Yep.................fuzzywuzzy. Feels like a sheep on the inside! Maybe if I get the pool manual vac'd a time or two, it'll stay on top of it. You just absolutely wouldn't believe what the wind has been like down here for the past 3 months. I'm talking 25-30 solid and gusting above more often than not. NO rain to knock it down either. We get pollen you can walk across the pool on down here too! Cleaning leaves outta the pool over winter was a walk in the park compared to this stuff.

 

[dmanb2b]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

Hah, go figure. So safe to say the concoction maker is your number one pool gadget, and not the rover? :lol:

 

[woodyp]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

That thing has a pretty good motor on it.................double duty maybe?

 

[rastoma]

Re: How to tell if you have enough suction for a pool cleane

It ain't real good on dirt in those inevitable creases/wrinkles in the pool bottom for sure on it's BEST day. Just seems to "blow around" and poof the fine stuff into a cloud.

I don't get that on my PR Jr. I have quite a few wrinkles in the bottom of my pool and that was what I was most excited about, is that it got all that fine dirt that brushing and everything else missed.

I just have the regular bag, not the fine mesh that you described. Maybe there's less suction using the fine one?