In floor cleaning? Worth the money?

[Mayorb]

All cleaners have their pros and cons.

A LOT depends on what type of debris you are getting in the pool. Suction side cleaners are great for pools that get mostly sand, silt, dirt, and very light debris. A twig will stop it in it's tracks, though.

The robots are nice if you need less frequent cleaning. Their design has improved over the years, but most pool shops still have to ship them off for service. Some are heavy and emptying the debris can be a messy job.

I only recommend the in-floor cleaner for pools with a "beach entry", and as a secondary system for pools with large step areas, swimouts, tanning shelves, etc... where the pop ups are only installed on these areas These places are "dirt traps" that most cleaners don't get to very well.

Pressure side cleaners are more reliable than ever, and circulate the pool water every day. They basically act as roving return lines (as do robots) and aid in circulation. Recently I found an oval rock bigger than a golf ball in a Polaris 280 bag. I have also found a Polaris tire, and dive sticks in the bags. They really pick up.

These forums are great for getting information, but understand that you are getting advice from people with all kinds of different pools from all over the country. Best bet is to talk to a seasoned pool tech in your area who can say which cleaner is best for YOUR pool.

 

[Carriveaua]

I’m going in floor as well, I live in AZ so I have small debris, dust and dirt.

The last pool we had a suction vacuum, it always went in circles or got tangled. Hated it.

I know I will need to brush occasionally, I’m ok with that.

 

[Renron]

My 2 Cents worth.
We have a pebble tec in ground pool 6.5 deep at the deepest. Infloor cleaner does a FAIR job, but it needs to run most of the day to clean leaves from a nearby oak tree.
I would not build one into a new pool. I've never had a problem with any jets but a robot would scrub the walls on it's daily rounds. I have to brush.
Another thing is it scares the bejesus out of you when your standing on a jet and it pops up when your not thinking about it. LOL. Hey, that's not funny!

I was censored for using the name of the place where Satan lives. Starts with an H.

 

[Qwijib0]

After 6 months with my in-floor, I'm happy I got my in-floors. With the automatic cover, I have very little leaf debris so it's mostly pollen and other small particulates that settle on the floor. I run it for 2 hours, 3 days a week and keeps the floor clean without me thinking about it.

 

[Oldpoolguy96]

Do the 280 or even a Letro Legend. Cheaper to buy. Cheaper to maintain. Yes the heads come with a warranty but not the control valve that switches zones. Oh...and not the labor cost when you have to drain the pool and chip out the floor when a housing fails either. You live in Louisiana and I am guessing you have leaves. Better to bag them than move them around. Pop ups require high flows at high pressures raising your operational costs as well. The average pop up system has around 100 glue joints with 30 to 50 fittings UNDER the floor of the pool and are subjected to mild water hammer for a very high number of cycles. Not everyone has a problem but some most definitely do. In the leak detection side of my business we found the most common plumbing leaks to be caused by broken fittings followed by bad glue joints. As a pool builder I could have done popups in my own pool for around $1000 and I ran from that idea. I have had both 280s and Legends in my own pool and they work great. That also allows me to use much more energy efficient pump options that save me tons of cash.

 

[jblizzle]

Do the 280 or even a Letro Legend. Cheaper to buy. Cheaper to maintain. Yes the heads come with a warranty but not the control valve that switches zones. Oh...and not the labor cost when you have to drain the pool and chip out the floor when a housing fails either. You live in Louisiana and I am guessing you have leaves. Better to bag them than move them around. Pop ups require high flows at high pressures raising your operational costs as well. The average pop up system has around 100 glue joints with 30 to 50 fittings UNDER the floor of the pool and are subjected to mild water hammer for a very high number of cycles. Not everyone has a problem but some most definitely do. In the leak detection side of my business we found the most common plumbing leaks to be caused by broken fittings followed by bad glue joints. As a pool builder I could have done popups in my own pool for around $1000 and I ran from that idea. I have had both 280s and Legends in my own pool and they work great. That also allows me to use much more energy efficient pump options that save me tons of cash.

I find it amusing that you point out that having to run pop ups at a high-speed cost a lot in power. And then you go and recommend an outdated pressure side cleaner that requires you to run 2 pumps for it to work.
Cheaper to run a robot where you don't need any pumps running

 

[Arizonarob]

Sorry I arrived late to this party. I will tell you to RUN from an in floor system. It’s not a matter of if, but when, the system will fail.
I’m at the end of helping a family friend deal with one that failed after only 15 years. $4000 to repair, (failed under her stairs) and no guarantee the next zone wouldn’t fail, or $800 bucks to abandon. Abandoned and another $850 for a Dolphin, and she’s done!!
I won’t even get into the drama her pool company was trying to feed her about how she HAS to repair it otherwise her pool won’t function properly.

Every one of those heads, is a hole in your shell waiting to leak!! RUN!!!

 

[Pool_Medic]

Robot...end of story!

 

[d103]

AA in IFC paid 6K in 2009, no dead spots, works great for 10.5 months out of the year, Oct to Mid Nov just use the leaf rake once a week, and than the IFC takes care of the rest. No robots to put in and out of the pool, clean, charge or repair. Set to run any time the pump is running, side benefit is great circulation at all times.

 

[bigevilgrape]

I'm happy with robots. With a suction size cleaner all the gunk that gets sucked up goes somewhere else in the system. I have a lot of fine debris from pollen and the like over the summer. I find it easier to clean out the robot's filter then to clean out my cartridge filter. I run it once a week and it lives in the garage the rest of the time.