Sorry I’m a little late to comment on this thread, but I don’t get a chance to come here to the forum too often.
I hate manual vacuuming as much as anyone else and the bots aren’t worth the money (in my experience). I use a leaf rake or skimmer net to gather up the larger pieces of debris (if necessary), then sweep the pool and the smaller debris toward the shallow end of the pool, and finally use a pressure vac to vacuum it up. The vac I use looks something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Blue-Water- ... B001BQGN1C.
Since my pool is pretty much standard size, this system works well for me. I figured that since I had to sweep my pool anyway, I might just as well sweep the debris into a small dedicated area for easy vacuuming. There are a couple of caveats for those who may want to try this system of pool cleaning. First, you will need a pole that is both long enough and strong enough to handle the job. Since I choose to push the debris UPHILL from the deep to shallow end, the flimsy aluminum pool store poles are not really up to this particular task. I prefer to use a much sturdier “Slim Jim†all purpose utility pole that can be purchased at a local hardware store. These poles are heavier than the typical pool pole, so it will take a bit more arm strength to maneuver them. Second, you must attach a garden hose to the unit to obtain the pressure to create the suction required for the vac. This is really not a logistics problem but more of a “I’m a cheapskate†problem for not wanting to use water unnecessarily (although this is a good way of adding water to the pool if one requires it). Therefore, I use an adapter for my return so that I can attach my garden hose to it thereby using the return to create the necessary pressure for the vac. Obviously, you will need to have good pressure from the return to make this method effective. Finally, I found that the mesh debris bag that came with the unit was not fine enough to catch the very small bits of dirt. To solve this problem I merely substituted the stock bag with a standard filter sock which worked much better at catching the small stuff. Also the area covered by the Jet Vac from wheel to wheel, is much smaller than the standard vacuum head. However, the method of sweeping into a small area will compensate for this. When finished vacuuming, merely remove the debris bag and pressure hose it clean.
So, what are the advantages of using this method over conventional manual or bot vacuuming?
1. Time saver. In about thirty minutes I am finished with the entire process, whereas with the standard vacuuming and then sweeping it would take me almost twice as long. It may seem counterintuitive to sweep first and then vacuum, but this system of pool cleaning has served me well.
2. “Look ma, no stinkin’ bot in the pool.†Yes, I hate these things. I use my pool almost daily during the season, and the only thing I want to see in it, other than people, is crystal clear water. (not really an advantage, but a reason to save all the $$$).
3. Reduced backwashing. I only backwash my sand filter on opening and closing the pool with virtually no loss of filter pressure throughout the season.
This system will obviously not work for everyone. Different sized/shape pools and type of equipment, personal temperament, and physical ability will dictate what is best for you. But if you can manage it, you will find that it is quite efficient in the long run.
