I always swore by Kreepys but when we had our pool rebuilt after that big CA fires a few years ago, the builder included a Hayward Navigator. The pool shop also seems to like them so we gave it a try.
The darn thing chokes on the smallest pebbles and also on every second leaf.
I did some research and the Barracuda G4 seemed highly recommended so we bought one...
Darn thing also chokes way too easily, gets trapped in several places, won't come anywhere near the surface and is very pressure-sensitive. Too little and it stops dead, too much and it just sits in one spot quivering.
Can't afford a robotic unit nor the re-piping required to use a pressure-side unit.
Should I go back to a Kreepy?
We don't get that much large debris but there are usually a few bigger leaves around (our old house had a couple of Eucalyptus trees overhanging the pool - those have to be the absolute worst. I understand that the right size stone will stop almost any cleaner but even small pebbles stop both the Navigator and the G4 - I must say that of the two, the Hayward does clean way better WHEN it works.
Any ideas, suggestions will be welcome.
FYI the pool is 22k gallons, finished in "ColorQuartz and runs from 3'-0" to 9'-6" deep. Three acute corners wher the concrete steps are. There is a separate suction line with a 3-way valve to the skimmer.
The darn thing chokes on the smallest pebbles and also on every second leaf.
I did some research and the Barracuda G4 seemed highly recommended so we bought one...
Darn thing also chokes way too easily, gets trapped in several places, won't come anywhere near the surface and is very pressure-sensitive. Too little and it stops dead, too much and it just sits in one spot quivering.
Can't afford a robotic unit nor the re-piping required to use a pressure-side unit.
Should I go back to a Kreepy?
We don't get that much large debris but there are usually a few bigger leaves around (our old house had a couple of Eucalyptus trees overhanging the pool - those have to be the absolute worst. I understand that the right size stone will stop almost any cleaner but even small pebbles stop both the Navigator and the G4 - I must say that of the two, the Hayward does clean way better WHEN it works.
Any ideas, suggestions will be welcome.
FYI the pool is 22k gallons, finished in "ColorQuartz and runs from 3'-0" to 9'-6" deep. Three acute corners wher the concrete steps are. There is a separate suction line with a 3-way valve to the skimmer.