Leave Dolphin in Pool?

[lee872]

I have a Dolphin Apollo Plus, which as near as I can tell is a branded DX4 model. It has an auto start cycle to run every 1, 2, or 3 days, which I would like to use. But, the manual says "after each cleaning cycle take it out of the water to prevent accelerated wear and tear on its plastic parts". Makes no sense to give us a feature and then tell us not to use it. Do any of you keep your robot in your pool, plugged in? Thank you.

 

[JasonLion]

Leaving pool robots in the pool tends to result in getting algae. The water inside and immediately around the robot has poor circulation and that tends to serve as a breeding ground for algae. Running the robot at least as often as daily is usually enough to prevent this, however the current crop of robots are neither designed nor warrantied for daily usage and will break down much more frequently than they will when used as recommended.

 

[lee872]

Makes sense, thanks.

 

[srbaker]

I have an Aquabot T4 Turbo remote, and previously had an Aquabat Turbo Plus. I tend to leave mime in the pool most of the time. I can get with the T4 six to eight hours between filter bag cleanings, so I just run the bot one to two hours every day or so to vacuum and I think more importantly to help mix the water especially in the deep end. Whether you take your bot out or not, I strongly recommend NOT using the auto cycle feature; because you never know when someone might pull it out of the pool and have it run out of the water. I learned this the hard way. My first Aquabot was supplied with an outdoor Xmass light type timer (believe it or not it came with this timer because it was the more advanced RC unit) that went on at the same time ever day. One day the lawn guys pulled the bot from the pool when mowing, and did not put it back. The result was the bot turned on moved up to my fence and ran out of the water for the full cycle burning out all three motors. It took a bit of arguing with the manufacture, but I got it fixed under warranty. I claimed that the unit was defective because of the type of timer. I did add a dial timer on the socket so never had the problem again.

 

[duraleigh]

I would really like to leave my robot in the pool (Dolphin Premier). I run it every day and use the large bag to catch debris so I could go several days before I have to empty the bag.

My common sense nags at me though and won't let me do it. Sun, rain and especially chlorinated water can't be good for all the sealed parts in a robot so I make myself drag the robot out after each cleaning cycle and "park" it in a little semi-cover I have made for it to keep out most of the rain and all of the UV.

Also, as JasonLion notes, the debris in your bag will start to decompose rather quickly and you will have a breeding ground for stuff you really don't want in your pool.

It's a PITA, but removing and cleaning your robot each day makes good sense on several levels.

 

[flyweed]

DO NOT leave a dolphin cleaner in the pool constantly...Take it out and let it dry out. Trust me, I have first hand experience. My last Dolphin Diagnostic, I left in all the time...the motor, circuit board unit inside the dolphin is sealed tightly with a rubber O ring gasket and screws..but given enough time underwater, the water WILL start to seep into the seals and RUIN your circuit board. Ask me how I know!

It's best to let it run, then take it out, clean the bags, and let the robot dry out. It'll give you a much longer robot life, at least on these units.

Dan

 

[mk1]

I guess I am a little anal....I even rinse it in fresh non-chlorinated water....

 

[RobbieH]

I don't like the idea of those old organics - dead leaves - staying in the pool all the time.

 

[BobbyR]

And worse, the mealy bugs and earthworms that stink to high heaven even after only a few hours. I clean the cartridges after each cycle, as soon as possible after use. No big deal. As for the multi-day timer feature, it's of little use because of the debris build up and the requirement to remove the unit from the pool between cycles.

 

[harry f.]

Thanks. I had the same question and this gave me the answer. My first visit to this site--very helpful. Harry F.