Dolphin

[titleistseemore]

Thinking of getting a Robot, had 3 (2 pool rover jr and 1 Dolphin) of them in my old above ground intex. Concerned about the motor leaking issue that seems to come up on other posts on the Dolphins. Is it possible to seal the motor better? Just asking because I would like to get more than 5 years out of the robot ...

 

[wireform]

I speak specifically about the polaris robots which I have a few in the field over five years. As far as the motor internals getting wet I've never seen but rest assured any robot being used several times per week will need parts regardless of brand. I've rebuilt several with complete gear and bushing kits available to the consumer for far less then a new robot.

 

[titleistseemore]

I ordered a new Active 20 Robot from Margaret at Marina today, it is nice that they don't charge CA sales tax yet, Saw the post about still having units at 2021 prices so that nudged me a bit to get one now. Wanted the caddy so that my family could use when I am not here but didn't want the WIFI so went with the active 20 with a caddy. Very nice people at Marina. I also had to replace my pool blaster, It simply will not charge anymore, I used it allot on my Intex pool, wanted another one to quickly clean the Spa, it worked great before. My old one was a Centurion and the new one will be the Millenium LI, I found an open box unit for 175.00. Now I am looking for a solar cover reel, The Rocky 3A looks nice. Any thoughts on reel covers????

Need to make it as easy as I can when I am not here ...

 

[titleistseemore]

I am also going to ask for some advice on my chemicals, been testing allot but will start another thread on that to get some good TFP advice

 

[Newdude]

The Rocky 3A looks nice. Any thoughts on reel covers????

I had a rockys reel and it was beefy. I abused it with a 800 st ft 16 mil cover and it still didn't complain much. I was going to suggest the 5A for the extra thickness, but with an 11ft span you'll do just fine with the 3A.

 

[titleistseemore]

How heavy is the 3A? Need to easily move it out of the way and possible store it in the winter in my shed? Was hoping to possible hang the cover during the winter inside my shed from the steel frame roof support (I have a lifetime shed that I will be re-installing soon)

 

[Newdude]

How heavy is the 3A? Need to easily move it out of the way and possible store it in the winter in my shed?

It should be no problem with a skinny pool. The span part of the reel comes in 4 ft sections that interlock. You'll only need 3 of them.

Get the thin cover, there is no efficiency difference between the sizes. They all have the same chintzy bubbles which is the fail point more often than not.

Also go cheap with the cover. The brand is irrelevant, it's a plastic sheet thats 8 mil thick.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I speak specifically about the polaris robots which I have a few in the field over five years. As far as the motor internals getting wet I've never seen but rest assured any robot being used several times per week will need parts regardless of brand. I've rebuilt several with complete gear and bushing kits available to the consumer for far less then a new robot.

I’m going to go on the negative here and say, No, there’s really nothing you can do. You could pull the motor assembly out of the Dolphin and attempt to “service” the gaskets by lubricating them but you have to wonder if you are doing more harm than good by opening it up and possibly damaging something. The biggest issue with Dolphin is the drive motors - they have a sealed planetary gear box that you simply can’t take apart (not advisable) and the sealing o-rings only have so much rotational life before they fail. Once that happens, it leaks and your motor is toast.

It’s a gamble - you’re likely to get 3-5 years of use out of it. If you get more than 5, then you’ve won the lottery. But I doubt there’s much you can do to extend that number.

 

[titleistseemore]

Was hoping to use the silicone electrical tape to help seal it but sounds like that is a no go. My 2 aqua bot pool rover jr broke due to motor issues, purchased a dolphin for my above ground and it was still operational, I gave it to another employee at work when they got an Intex pool, I told them any life they get out of it will be a bonus, Matt, I read your post about your bot journey and that is why I was wondering about this.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Was hoping to use the silicone electrical tape to help seal it but sounds like that is a no go. My 2 aqua bot pool rover jr broke due to motor issues, purchased a dolphin for my above ground and it was still operational, I gave it to another employee at work when they got an Intex pool, I told them any life they get out of it will be a bonus, Matt, I read your post about your bot journey and that is why I was wondering about this.

The issue is the rotational seals. They use standard rubber o-rings to make a shaft seal. That type of design has a very finite lifetime. No way to know when they will fail. Once the shaft seal fails, the motor is toast. This is why pool pumps use ceramic rotational seals on their motors - they are highly reliable. But for a plastic robot, not gonna happen.

In the world of pool cleaners, 5 years is considered a full life. Most manufacturers don’t want to bother with repairs and spare parts. Their expectation is that you pony up the dough for a new cleaner every 5 years … you own a pool, it’s a luxury, so you can afford it … at least that’s their philosophy.

 

[titleistseemore]

Now I get it, thanks for the explanation