"The Pool Cleaner" loves the deep end - Any advice?

[Seadweller]

Well, after making it through my typical episode of over-researching things, I decided to buy, sight unseen, the 2-wheel Poolvergnuegen suction-side cleaner. My final decision was made based on the overwhelming number of good reviews online. The cleaner arrived a week ago, and I unpacked it, put it together, and in the pool it went. I must say, it couldn't have taken more than 5 minutes from factory sealed box to running in the pool. Impressive! It also didn't take long to adjust my variable speed pool pump to get the right wheel RPM.

The manufacturer states that the cleaner will work with a wheel speed as low as 8 RPM's, which I can achieve running my pump as low as 1,350 RPM's, which means energy savings. 11-14 RPM's is evidently the ideal wheel speed, which I can easily accomplish at 2,350 RPM's on the pump.

So, watching it operate in silence (rather than the hammering sound of my old Baracuda G3), it was actually fun seeing it make its way around the pool. It cleaned up the deep end in no time, but after about 20 minutes however, I ran into a snag. My pool has a fairly sharp rise to the shallow end, and the cleaner is just not making it up to the shallow end of the pool. I've tried different hose lengths, different float positions, different speeds, etc., to no avail. What happens is, as it's trying to "drive" up the slope, it curves off to one side, which breaks the "pattern" it follows by rotating. As such, when it does it's swivel motion, it heads straight back to the deep end. I was actually watching it from my home office, and only once in a 2 hour period did it make it to the shallow end. It made one pass, and then proceeded to head right back to the deep end.

Anyone run into such an issue? If so, how did you address it?

I'm wondering if I would have been better off with the 4-wheel version, which makes a longer run before swiveling, and it might track straighter up the slope with 4 wheels...Problem is, my pool isn't that big (30x15 free-form).

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[JohnT]

Check that a return isn't pushing the hose to the side. That will cause the cleaner to turn. Be sure the returns are angled sharply down.

 

[Seadweller]

Check that a return isn't pushing the hose to the side. That will cause the cleaner to turn. Be sure the returns are angled sharply down.

Thanks for the input...With the returns angled down however, how do you provide proper circulation to the skimmer?

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Try turning them down to see if it cures the problem first. If it does you might need to adjust the returns before and after running the vacuum

 

[JohnT]

Thanks for the input...With the returns angled down however, how do you provide proper circulation to the skimmer?

You really can't. Turn them down when the cleaner is running and aim them back to the surface when not running the cleaner.

 

[Seadweller]

Thanks for the input everyone...Ironically, I confirmed that the jets are not affecting the cleaners movement...If anything, the jet in the deep end would aid in pushing the cleaner up the slope into the shallow end...

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Have you tried to contact the manufacturer's customer service with a description of the problem and photos of the pool to see if they have any ideas?

 

[ping]

Are you trying to run it on the low RPM setting? If so, then you need to increase the pump speed until you get 11-13 RPMs on the wheel. The cleaner will not climb unless the RPM is at least 11. The tires might need a little time on them also, as it will climb a little more with worn tires.

 

[Seadweller]

Well, here's an update....

I experimented this morning with different settings, adjusting the wheel RPM's from between 8 and 14, and watching the behavior of the cleaner at each setting. The Reader's Digest version is that the cleaner works best in my pool with the wheel RPM's between 8 and 9. It's now making its way to the shallow end regularly, and also making multiple passes there. It definitely tracks much better/straighter at the lower wheel RPM's, and also doesn't tip backwards nearly as much.

At the higher speeds, it tries to run away from itself, curving on slopes, and tipping backwards, which reduces the suction and impacts the way it tries to pattern for maximum coverage. This may be unique to my pool due to the steep slope to the deep end, but it goes to show that the cleaner offers a lot of flexibility, unlike my prior Baracuda G3 that would circle in the deep end, and when it did make it to the shallow end, it would head straight for the steps and get stuck there indefinitely. The only disadvantage is that at this speed, the manufacturer states it won't climb walls. In my case, it'll climb about 1/4 way up the wall, and then fall back, which is a perfectly acceptable compromise.

I must say, it's a pretty nifty device, and certainly significantly better than any cleaner I've ever used, and I have had a bunch of them...I just checked on the pool after running it for just over an hour, and the pool is spotless! I can hardly expect more than that!

Thanks to everyone for the input!