S300i replacement... considering S200 - crazy?

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Sam337

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Nov 15, 2015
37
Richardson, Texas
My S300i called it quits... going out in a similar fashion to other posters in that it fails the startup tests after moving a few seconds forward and a few seconds backward. It does start on it's back and out of the water, but the gears clackety clack loudly and are slipping. Without going much further I assume it's one of the two motors, or both plus well worn gears/hubs/rubber. I dissected the machine and opened the impeller motor, finding caked up carbon dust on the armature and almost zero wear life left in the carbon brushes. My unit is 4.5 years old. As others have noted before me, it will cost $300-$600 to rebuild the unit and try to get a couple more years life from it. So I'm looking into buying a replacement.

I have the opportunity to pick up a Dolphin S200 for about $800. Since it's similar to the S300i I would plan to use my existing caddy and my extra/various basket filters so that's all a plus. Am I crazy? I'll be averaging about $200/year for the privilege of having a robot. Does anyone know if the S200 robot itself is "exactly" the same as the S300? I wonder if I could plug the S200 into my existing S300i power supply and have the S300i cleaning cycle features?

I'm also open to recommendations. I'd love to find a lower cost unit that lasts at least 4-5 years and does as good a job cleaning as the S300 did. Our pool has a heavy leaf and "crepe myrtle trash" load each year so a large capacity basket is a huge plus. We tend to leave it in the water (not a great practice, I know) and run it 6-8 times per week during the season. I see the many new, lower cost brands on Amazon but I'm yet to find any with a solid enough history to make me comfortable rolling the dice. Thoughts from anyone who's having a great experience with the new lower cost units is appreciated - especially if you're a couple of years in with good reliability/performance.

Thanks!

20230826_153244a.jpg 20230826_145915a.jpg
 
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Sam,

The S200 and the S300i have the same mechanical parts.. Except the cable has a 3rd wire for remote control. I have no clue if the F/W in the motor box is difference or not, for those extra features. I am also not sure if the extra 'features' are due to the power supply or something in the motor box.

The S200, will clean just as well as the S300i...

I buy my robots from Marina Pool and Spa and recently wanted to buy another S200 'style' robot. But, Margaret, talked me into a new robot called the EVO... I really like it.. Here is my review... It is still new for me, so I have no idea if it will last longer than the Dolphins or not..

New EVO 614i Robot Pool Cleaner Review

About a month ago I needed a new robot pool cleaner and I contacted Margaret at Marina Pool and Spa. My initial goal was to buy another S200 "style" robot as I have been happy with them so far. Margaret suggested that I might want to look at a new line of robot cleaners that Marina is now...
www.google.com www.google.com

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I say these robots are all the same if the manufacturers continue to use brushed motors. Brushes have finite lifetimes and the wear & tear on plastic parts is going to be the same no matter how the tracks/wheels are driven. Just assume a 3-5 year lifespan and get the cheapest robot you can for what you need. The bells and whistles are not worth the hundreds of dollars added to the price tag.
 
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I was in the same boat as you... with multiple fixes of the motors, motor gear unit, control board... etc. I recently bought the Evo Polaris / Aqua Products 614iq and so far I'm very happy with my purchase. Runs very similiar to the Dolphin branded products, but I think they have built on the 8 year design from Dolphin and improved it. Also, you can get the EVO 604 under $800 and the full featured 614iq for $849 shipped to your door from Marina's..
 
Sam337 said:
My S300i called it quits... going out in a similar fashion to other posters in that it fails the startup tests after moving a few seconds forward and a few seconds backward. It does start on it's back and out of the water, but the gears clackety clack loudly and are slipping. Without going much further I assume it's one of the two motors, or both plus well worn gears/hubs/rubber. I dissected the machine and opened the impeller motor, finding caked up carbon dust on the armature and almost zero wear life left in the carbon brushes. My unit is 4.5 years old. As others have noted before me, it will cost $300-$600 to rebuild the unit and try to get a couple more years life from it. So I'm looking into buying a replacement.

I have the opportunity to pick up a Dolphin S200 for about $800. Since it's similar to the S300i I would plan to use my existing caddy and my extra/various basket filters so that's all a plus. Am I crazy? I'll be averaging about $200/year for the privilege of having a robot. Does anyone know if the S200 robot itself is "exactly" the same as the S300? I wonder if I could plug the S200 into my existing S300i power supply and have the S300i cleaning cycle features?

I'm also open to recommendations. I'd love to find a lower cost unit that lasts at least 4-5 years and does as good a job cleaning as the S300 did. Our pool has a heavy leaf and "crepe myrtle trash" load each year so a large capacity basket is a huge plus. We tend to leave it in the water (not a great practice, I know) and run it 6-8 times per week during the season. I see the many new, lower cost brands on Amazon but I'm yet to find any with a solid enough history to make me comfortable rolling the dice. Thoughts from anyone who's having a great experience with the new lower cost units is appreciated - especially if you're a couple of years in with good reliability/performance.

Thanks!

View attachment 525314 View attachment 525315
Click to expand...
That rusty bearing tells me that water is getting past the bulk head packing seal and oring. The Oring was easy to replace, but the shaft packing does not look like it is replaceable. Unfortunately, it will continue to leak, ruining the motor and eventually the control board. I got almost 7 seasons out of my Doheny Discovery (S200), and I was happy with it... But that design is getting old and I think companies can improve on the design. That is the main reason I went with the 614iq over getting another dolphin.
 
Thanks everyone for the input and feedback! It's a rare story on this forum that a robot lasts more than 5 years (without repairs) so I agree with @JoyfulNoise that it's prudent to keep cost as low as possible.

I've been studying the EVO line (and Polaris equivalent) and am now leaning towards the EVO 502 (Amazon $500) which appears almost equal to the EVO 604 except just one cleaning cycle choice and a 50' cord instead of 60'. They advertise the 604 as having two "active" brushes while it's not clear if the 502 also has two... or if the brush action is the same. I need to think about the cord length because my S300 had a 60' cord which was helpful because the closest outlet is 10' from the corner of the pool.

It's difficult to justify $300-$400 extra for the fancy features. When I first got my S300i I used every feature it had... for the first couple of months. Over the last couple of years we'd simply walk outside and tap the big round button and didn't pay attention to anything else :unsure:.
 
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Sam337 said:
it's not clear if the 502 also has two... or if the brush action is the same
Click to expand...
I just learned the 502 only has a single brush at the front of the robot while the 604 has one on both the front and the rear (same as my old S300). In theory this cuts "scrubbing action" by 50%. I'm not sure what that would equate to in practical experience. Is anyone running a robot with a single roller/brush?
 
I ended up pulling the trigger on the Seauto Shark for $425. Exciting because it has brushless motors and actually does waterline, walls, and floors separately. It's a cool unit and there's a lot to like as I try to keep my annual cost of robot ownership low but unfortunately, IMO, not quite ready for prime time. I posted a review in the Seauto thread: Seauto

My search continues...
 
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