Need new Solar Skimmer

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Z

z3540i

0
Jul 21, 2018
25
Dover, DE
Hello All

I have had a Solar Breeze NX-2 for 4-5 years and the gears have finally died (have had it replaced x2). There are no replacement parts for it since it's discontinued. What is a good replacement for it in 2023? I have read the forums here on the Ariel, Betta 2. I have also seen that Solar Breeze have come out with a 3rd solar skimmer called the Skimbot. Anyone have any experience with this? I like that the Skimbot will "spray" some water against the wall when it bumps up against it to dislodge the debris that may be on the side of the pool and suck it up. Also, it has an app that acts as a remote control for spot cleaning. The NX-2 did not have any of these features. Also looking for:
1. durability/reliability
2. getting the job done (NX-2 was great except for the debris sticking to the side walls)
3. good battery size
4. good customer support
5. not too expensive
 
I used to be a big Solar Breeze fan. I have owned every one of their units. The Ariel unfortunately has turned me off of that company. The battery life did not live up to the advertising. Now it just sits in my garage as a backup unit to the Betta2 that I have (which is about to go back for repair).

I have read that the Ariel has fixed their battery problems with their new release but dont have any actual evidence of that.

My recommendation is you buy the new Betta SE from Amazon and buy the Asurion extended warranty. That way when it breaks in a year or two you get a new one. Or if it lasts 5 years you are also happy.
 
z3540i said:
Hello All

I have had a Solar Breeze NX-2 for 4-5 years and the gears have finally died (have had it replaced x2). There are no replacement parts for it since it's discontinued. What is a good replacement for it in 2023? I have read the forums here on the Ariel, Betta 2. I have also seen that Solar Breeze have come out with a 3rd solar skimmer called the Skimbot. Anyone have any experience with this? I like that the Skimbot will "spray" some water against the wall when it bumps up against it to dislodge the debris that may be on the side of the pool and suck it up. Also, it has an app that acts as a remote control for spot cleaning. The NX-2 did not have any of these features. Also looking for:
1. durability/reliability
2. getting the job done (NX-2 was great except for the debris sticking to the side walls)
3. good battery size
4. good customer support
5. not too expensive
Click to expand...
I have both also...started with solar breeze original, then nx, then ariel, and now betta 2. there is already thread comparing them, so I wont go into all that. I was intrigued with the skimbot with all its features but I dont like the debris basket as it has large holes that wouldn't work for my pool situation. I need the fine mesh baskets that betta2 & ariel have.
 
Katodude said:
I used to be a big Solar Breeze fan. I have owned every one of their units. The Ariel unfortunately has turned me off of that company. The battery life did not live up to the advertising. Now it just sits in my garage as a backup unit to the Betta2 that I have (which is about to go back for repair).

I have read that the Ariel has fixed their battery problems with their new release but dont have any actual evidence of that.

My recommendation is you buy the new Betta SE from Amazon and buy the Asurion extended warranty. That way when it breaks in a year or two you get a new one. Or if it lasts 5 years you are also happy.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more! As a recent Ariel purchaser (May 2023) I highly recommend another product or spend the money on a pool "guy". The "new improved" Ariel is far from it. There are many complaints on the same problems I have experience (take a look at Amazon for more):
-The left paddlewheel began to creak with that annoying sound
-One of the back paddles stopped working. The company responded at first, but now completely ignores me. $500 piece of garbage
-bought this item just over two months ago and not powering up, no power at all
-I have been trying to get a replacement unit for a month now without success. The product is defective and customer support is lacking

In fairness when it did work, it worked quit well, but It only lasted 8 weeks for me. The rear wheels quit turning and now it is useless. The company has not responded to emails or calls. Since I live in AZ I will be taking a drive to their supposed office and see if it truly exists.
I am only posting this because I truly respect all the help TFP provided me in the past and am appreciative to everyone's insights. Hopefully this will save others the $500 I wasted.
 
Msmellie said:
Couldn't agree more! As a recent Ariel purchaser (May 2023) I highly recommend another product or spend the money on a pool "guy". The "new improved" Ariel is far from it. There are many complaints on the same problems I have experience (take a look at Amazon for more):
-The left paddlewheel began to creak with that annoying sound
-One of the back paddles stopped working. The company responded at first, but now completely ignores me. $500 piece of garbage
-bought this item just over two months ago and not powering up, no power at all
-I have been trying to get a replacement unit for a month now without success. The product is defective and customer support is lacking

In fairness when it did work, it worked quit well, but It only lasted 8 weeks for me. The rear wheels quit turning and now it is useless. The company has not responded to emails or calls. Since I live in AZ I will be taking a drive to their supposed office and see if it truly exists.
I am only posting this because I truly respect all the help TFP provided me in the past and am appreciative to everyone's insights. Hopefully this will save others the $500 I wasted.
Click to expand...
So, is the annoying creaking sound coming from gears being stripped? Is the left paddlewheel still working? The back paddles stopped working because of stripped gears?

Seems their products' weak point are the gears. With the NX2, the front of the unit would get stuck under the pool coping depending on the water level. I kept the level low enough so this would not happen but when it rains, the unit will get stuck. The wheels would be against the pool wall and try to spin putting stress on the gears (causing that annoying noise) and stripping them. The Ariel and Skimbot don't have the wheels so I'm puzzled as to why the gears would fail...obstruction of the paddles from debris? The wheels have been replaced by the sensors, so I'm concerned about those failing.

I have an idea on how to solve/fix the stripped gear problem but would need non-stripped gears to test them on.

I will be starting a new thread to ask for nonfunctional NX2s. Hopefully, some will have good gears.
 
I have been in contact with Solar Breeze. They say that the have "legacy pricing" for those that owned prior models of their products. They quoted me $399 for a Skimbot and $65 for an extended waranty (24 months total). I will give it a try since I need something now. gvc above noted that the debris tray doesn't have the 200 micron mesh so I'll have to see how that works out in my situation.
 
z3540i said:
I have been in contact with Solar Breeze. They say that the have "legacy pricing" for those that owned prior models of their products. They quoted me $399 for a Skimbot and $65 for an extended waranty (24 months total). I will give it a try since I need something now. gvc above noted that the debris tray doesn't have the 200 micron mesh so I'll have to see how that works out in my situation.
Click to expand...
Please see my write up about this robot, my issues, their amazing service and the new Skimbot here
I agree the fine mesh on the Skimbot may be problematic during pollen season but that part seems to be fine now.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
salinda said:
Please see my write up about this robot, my issues, their amazing service and the new Skimbot here
I agree the fine mesh on the Skimbot may be problematic during pollen season but that part seems to be fine now.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Salinda. I saw your post. Do you still have the NX2. Im interested in the gears. I still want to repair mine and if it works, I can show you how to fix stripped gears.
 
z3540i said:
Thanks, Salinda. I saw your post. Do you still have the NX2. Im interested in the gears. I still want to repair mine and if it works, I can show you how to fix stripped gears.
Click to expand...
Possibly you misunderstood me. I actually did repair it as long as I could and it worked for a long time. Eventually, it completely wore out. The plastic that you would mount things to started cracking due to age. We even glued that for a while. The battery was also aging rapidly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply