Active 20 First Impression - MEH!

[s_mark]

I recently installed an Active 20 in my 16' X 32' free-form in-ground gunite pool to replace my 12-year-old Dolphin Deluxe.

The Dolphin Deluxe did a great job of cleaning, but it was a major pia to empty and clean the filter bag.

The Active 20 is just the opposite - it does a poor job of cleaning, but it's SO much easier to empty and clean the filter basket.

The Active 20 spends too much time going back and forth within a foot of one spot, apparently to change direction. It requires two and sometimes three two-hour runs to cover the entire pool. The DD didn't have this issue. It almost always cleaned the entire pool in one run.

The cord has a swivel, but after several runs, it's twisted, even though I've straightened it to lay on my deck in the sun. The DD cord rarely became twisted. (The A20 cord is thinner than the DD's.)

Its wall cleaning is marginal. Sometimes it climbs, sometimes it doesn't. Even when it does and with the side jets on, it stays in the same place.

What happened, Maytronics?

 

[mknauss]

Mine works great. But it was bought in 2017. Not sure if they have changed.

 

[s_mark]

Mine works great. But it was bought in 2017. Not sure if they have changed.

Considering that your pool is 6,000 gallons, it's substantially smaller than mine unless it's only a few feet deep in its entirety.

 

[mknauss]

It is small. I will give you that.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

I have three Active 20 'style' robots and they do not do any of the things that yours does. If I have only one dime-sized leaf in my pool, when the robot is done cleaning the leaf will be gone.

It is only supposed to climb the walls some of the time, but when it does, the side jets move it about 3 or 4 feet along the wall.

I've also had a couple of Dolphin Diagnostics with the bag filter. My current robots cleans just as well as the old ones.

All of the robots that I've had over the past 10 years, tangle the cable, swivel or not, does not seem to make any difference.

I have no clue what the problem is, but your robot does not seem to be working correctly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Same here as Jim above.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

If I remember correctly, my older Robots with the cloth bags ran for three hours, while the new Active 20's only runs for 2 hours.

Also.. I don't generally get a ton of leaves in my pool. When I do, I tend to remove the bulk of them with a leaf net and not the robot. I do know that depending on the size of the leaves, it can clog the cloth do-hicky at the suction inlet to the robot.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jkozas]

Id agrees with everyone here. The robot will not climb every wall it touches at first. usually the first couple of cycles it will measure your pool. basically, it'll touch one wall. then backtrack to another and basically map out your pool. Also double-check check your pool walls are not slippery from any microalgae. The robot is designed to keep your pool clean any large aggressive piles of leaves should Ideally be scooped out manually. if there is A LOT in your pool it's normal for the cleaner to take a few cycles. I suggest checking the walls and giving it a few more cycles. If not if you got it within 30 days you can do a bad out of box exchange if you contact your dealer or even dolphin directly.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark,

Another thought...

I only use the pleated filters. Not sure what filters you are using, nor if it makes any real difference, it is just what I have always used.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[s_mark]

Mark,

Another thought...

I only use the pleated filters. Not sure what filters you are using, nor if it makes any real difference, it is just what I have always used.

Thanks,

Jim R.

The cleaning per se is not the issue.

The issue is the coverage.

 

[s_mark]

Id agrees with everyone here. The robot will not climb every wall it touches at first. usually the first couple of cycles it will measure your pool. basically, it'll touch one wall. then backtrack to another and basically map out your pool. Also double-check check your pool walls are not slippery from any microalgae. The robot is designed to keep your pool clean any large aggressive piles of leaves should Ideally be scooped out manually. if there is A LOT in your pool it's normal for the cleaner to take a few cycles. I suggest checking the walls and giving it a few more cycles. If not if you got it within 30 days you can do a bad out of box exchange if you contact your dealer or even dolphin directly.

I always remove all the leaves.

Regardless, that's not the issue, it's the coverage.

 

[suburbiaboy]

@s_mark I just found your post and I've just started a very similar one. Terrible coverage. What did you do in the end?

 

[s_mark]

@s_mark I just found your post and I've just started a very similar one. Terrible coverage. What did you do in the end?

I run it multiple times for each cleaning. I'm living with it even though I hate it.

 

[Oly]

Not uncommon for me to run twice after a high wind event, but most cleanings are one and done.

 

[suburbiaboy]

That's a shame sorry to hear that @s_mark

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mark, @s_mark

How are you determining what the robot covers.??

I've said this several times before... I have three pools that all have robots. In all of them, a single dime-sized leaf, will be found 90% of the time on the first run and 100% of the time when run twice.

So.. it is possible that my robots only cover 50% of my pools and I've have just been incredibly lucky that they always find the single leaf. I certainly don't sit outside and watch it run, I just look at the results.

I can't understand why your robot is having problems and mine are not.

I guess it could also be that I don't get a ton of debris unless it has been very windy.

Does the robot just drive right over stuff and leave it on the floor?

Does the robot leave tracks in the 'dust' on the pool floor?

Or what???

How do you know it is missing spots?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[keatz85]

I think they are definitely overrated on this forum. Keep the power box near the pool and always keep the basket/filters clean. You may be already doing this, I think it's slow and it misses spots regardless and it only takes a little bit of debri (leaves) for it to lose suction. I had a super old aquabot turbo that came with the pool and ran circles around the active 20. By season 3 of active the cord started deteriorating. After 4 seasons it doesn't do anything when powered on. Time for me to look at another make or at least model. I do not recommend the A20.

Update: I ended up trying and it appears to be working as normal. Fingers crossed that is has several more years.

 

[bbrock]

My A20 also failed. Compared to the Maytronics S200 I previously had, this A20 sucks. I got two less than 2 seasons out of the A20; 4 with the S200.

They say there’s not a big difference between some of these models, and the names are only difference, however, so far I will not buy an Active again.