Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club

[peacefulkancer]

Palm fronds and sticks are always a problem for my robot. If it picks up the long palm leaves, they are wrapped around the brushes. Palm seeds are like pebbles, my robot gets most of them but does occasionally miss a few.

So on the last cycle it picked up maybe 2 of the 8 palm leaves that were in there. What I am guessing is happening is that the leaves are long (maybe 6-8" long). The robot can pick them up but if it drives over the leaf then effectively the tracks hold it down so it can't be vacuumed up. So the only way it can pick up such a leaf is to drive drive straight at it.

As for the seeds, they can definitely pick them up if it drives over them. It just seems that there is an area that the robot hasn't really driven to in the last 3 runs. So it seems kind of odd to me.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Floor-only mode helps with this issue as it forces the bot to stay on the floor increasing the cleaned area. Otherwise your bot will spend roughly 20% of its cycle on the walls and tile line.

 

[ctrav]

Now that’s an advantage of the S300i that I failed to consider. Hopefully running 2 cycles at different drop points makes up for it...

 

[bacevedo]

So I just got my A20 from Marina today and wanted to post my thoughts and observations.

• Wow, this thing is bigger than I expected. Being around suction cleaners for so long, you kind of get used to that size of cleaner. Even seeing pictures online still didn't make me appreciate the size of this thing. It's substantial!
• It's built well and looks nice. I specifically wanted the A20 because it looks a little more "hi tech" to me and matches my pool finish really well. Not really important but if I'm spending $700, I figured I'd be a little picky.
• I watched it for a little bit when I first put it in and was skeptical it was going to get everywhere in my pool. But I figured I just needed to let it go for it's full cycle and make a judgement then. When I came back out 2 hours later, it looked like it had covered most of the pool (only a few leaves remained). I can't figure out its algorithm, but it seems to work. I took out the basket and cleaned out quite a bit of fine silt, leaves, dirt, etc. It was great to see how much it got and how easy it was to clean. I put it back in and ran it for another cycle and it got the rest of the leaves.
• I'll probably always run 2 cycles back to back with a filter clean in between. I think the shape of my pool will require it. With how easy it is and how well it cleans, that's not a problem at all.
• The filter is really easy to clean. I got the A30i combo filter from Marina and I love it. Best of both worlds. Keeps the pleated filters from getting clogged with larger items and makes rinsing off that much easier.
• It doesn't seem to clean my steps or seats/shelfs, which I figured it wouldn't. I will still need to manually sweep those off, but it's literally a 5 minute job while the A20 does the rest of the pool. I have a raised and attached spa and I have to manually sweep that down anyway, so it's not really a problem.
• I'm not sure how well it will clean my waterline tile. I saw it do it a few times so I'm not sure how much it did during the rest of the cycle. Honestly, the only option I wish it had from the A30i is the floor clean option. Not really a big deal, but that might be the only option I would need.
• At first I was thinking I was going to need the caddy once I took it out of the pool and was trying to figure out what to do with it. Then I kind of figured out a spot to store it in a deck box (after I make a custom base with some wood) and realized I'm glad I didn't spend the extra for it.
• My general use will be to throw it in on a Saturday morning and have it run a couple of cycles and then pull it out later that day or the next. I won't be leaving it in all of the time as we like the look of our pool without any cleaning equipment in it.
• We chose Juan for the name. How many robots does it take to clean my pool? Just Juan!

 

[ctrav]

Congrats and very good post Bryan. I run 2 cycles as well. Post up a pick of your homemade stand when done...

 

[sunpole]

Would like to see a picture of your custom stand too. Nicely done.

 

[bmoreswim]

So I just got my A20 from Marina today and wanted to post my thoughts and observations.

• Wow, this thing is bigger than I expected. Being around suction cleaners for so long, you kind of get used to that size of cleaner. Even seeing pictures online still didn't make me appreciate the size of this thing. It's substantial!
• It's built well and looks nice. I specifically wanted the A20 because it looks a little more "hi tech" to me and matches my pool finish really well. Not really important but if I'm spending $700, I figured I'd be a little picky.
• I watched it for a little bit when I first put it in and was skeptical it was going to get everywhere in my pool. But I figured I just needed to let it go for it's full cycle and make a judgement then. When I came back out 2 hours later, it looked like it had covered most of the pool (only a few leaves remained). I can't figure out its algorithm, but it seems to work. I took out the basket and cleaned out quite a bit of fine silt, leaves, dirt, etc. It was great to see how much it got and how easy it was to clean. I put it back in and ran it for another cycle and it got the rest of the leaves.
• I'll probably always run 2 cycles back to back with a filter clean in between. I think the shape of my pool will require it. With how easy it is and how well it cleans, that's not a problem at all.
• The filter is really easy to clean. I got the A30i combo filter from Marina and I love it. Best of both worlds. Keeps the pleated filters from getting clogged with larger items and makes rinsing off that much easier.
• It doesn't seem to clean my steps or seats/shelfs, which I figured it wouldn't. I will still need to manually sweep those off, but it's literally a 5 minute job while the A20 does the rest of the pool. I have a raised and attached spa and I have to manually sweep that down anyway, so it's not really a problem.
• I'm not sure how well it will clean my waterline tile. I saw it do it a few times so I'm not sure how much it did during the rest of the cycle. Honestly, the only option I wish it had from the A30i is the floor clean option. Not really a big deal, but that might be the only option I would need.
• At first I was thinking I was going to need the caddy once I took it out of the pool and was trying to figure out what to do with it. Then I kind of figured out a spot to store it in a deck box (after I make a custom base with some wood) and realized I'm glad I didn't spend the extra for it.
• My general use will be to throw it in on a Saturday morning and have it run a couple of cycles and then pull it out later that day or the next. I won't be leaving it in all of the time as we like the look of our pool without any cleaning equipment in it.
• We chose Juan for the name. How many robots does it take to clean my pool? Just Juan!

Nice write up. I also run two cycles generally but never clean between the two. I don't see any practical benefit that would be obtained unless there were excessive debris. It's not so much the time required to clean them an extra time but the effort, 3-5 minutes of work. -- Ugh.

 

[kevreh]

CHORD DETANGLING TIP! I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but for anyone not reading through all 69 pages of this massive thread here's something I've been doing lately to keep the chord from tangling. When swimming, pick up the 'bot and rotate it while under water. In my case its always counter clockwise. If I do this a couple times a week I don't haven to do it the harder way (unplugging the chord, stretching it out, and unwinding). Seems like I only need to rotate the bot 5-10 times.

Hope this helps.

 

[saltystevo]

CHORD DETANGLING TIP! I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but for anyone not reading through all 69 pages of this massive thread here's something I've been doing lately to keep the chord from tangling. When swimming, pick up the 'bot and rotate it while under water. In my case its always counter clockwise. If I do this a couple times a week I don't haven to do it the harder way (unplugging the chord, stretching it out, and unwinding). Seems like I only need to rotate the bot 5-10 times.

Hope this helps.

Is this advice for non swivel bots or both?

 

[bacevedo]

Thanks guys. Let me clarify that the "custom base" will really only be a couple of 2x4s cut to size with connecting strip of wood between them. Nothing fancy, just something to let it sit off the ground.

I also thought about seeing if I can find a used/broken caddy and just use the base, taking off the wheels and handles. Again, just something to set the robot on so it's up off the brushes and ground.

 

[Killer95Stang]

I cut a couple pieces of foam noodle and just it on that in my deck box. I think if you are using the robot every couple days, I wouldn't worry too much about deforming the rollers.

 

[Geebot]

I cut a couple pieces of foam noodle and just it on that in my deck box. I think if you are using the robot every couple days, I wouldn't worry too much about deforming the rollers.

Many of us live in areas where the weather forces us to shut down our pools for 6 months, so that's really more of the type of storage people are concerned with.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I live in the warmth of the Sonoran Desert and even I winter my bot - I stop using him once the water temps go below 60F (about Dec) and then he gets cleaned off, dried off and I take the filter basket assembly apart and clean it thoroughly. After its all dried off, I put him on the caddy, roll up all the plugs and cords and then set him in the garage on his caddy with a large garbage bag over him to keep the dust off. He gets to sleep until April 1st.

So even us thin-blooded sun lovers store our bots too....

 

[peacefulkancer]

Floor-only mode helps with this issue as it forces the bot to stay on the floor increasing the cleaned area. Otherwise your bot will spend roughly 20% of its cycle on the walls and tile line.

This would help, but no option with the S200. I'll make do.

So I just got my A20 from Marina today and wanted to post my thoughts and observations.

• Wow, this thing is bigger than I expected. Being around suction cleaners for so long, you kind of get used to that size of cleaner. Even seeing pictures online still didn't make me appreciate the size of this thing. It's substantial!
• It's built well and looks nice. I specifically wanted the A20 because it looks a little more "hi tech" to me and matches my pool finish really well. Not really important but if I'm spending $700, I figured I'd be a little picky.
• I watched it for a little bit when I first put it in and was skeptical it was going to get everywhere in my pool. But I figured I just needed to let it go for it's full cycle and make a judgement then. When I came back out 2 hours later, it looked like it had covered most of the pool (only a few leaves remained). I can't figure out its algorithm, but it seems to work. I took out the basket and cleaned out quite a bit of fine silt, leaves, dirt, etc. It was great to see how much it got and how easy it was to clean. I put it back in and ran it for another cycle and it got the rest of the leaves.
• I'll probably always run 2 cycles back to back with a filter clean in between. I think the shape of my pool will require it. With how easy it is and how well it cleans, that's not a problem at all.
• The filter is really easy to clean. I got the A30i combo filter from Marina and I love it. Best of both worlds. Keeps the pleated filters from getting clogged with larger items and makes rinsing off that much easier.
• It doesn't seem to clean my steps or seats/shelfs, which I figured it wouldn't. I will still need to manually sweep those off, but it's literally a 5 minute job while the A20 does the rest of the pool. I have a raised and attached spa and I have to manually sweep that down anyway, so it's not really a problem.
• I'm not sure how well it will clean my waterline tile. I saw it do it a few times so I'm not sure how much it did during the rest of the cycle. Honestly, the only option I wish it had from the A30i is the floor clean option. Not really a big deal, but that might be the only option I would need.
• At first I was thinking I was going to need the caddy once I took it out of the pool and was trying to figure out what to do with it. Then I kind of figured out a spot to store it in a deck box (after I make a custom base with some wood) and realized I'm glad I didn't spend the extra for it.
• My general use will be to throw it in on a Saturday morning and have it run a couple of cycles and then pull it out later that day or the next. I won't be leaving it in all of the time as we like the look of our pool without any cleaning equipment in it.
• We chose Juan for the name. How many robots does it take to clean my pool? Just Juan!

I agree with my neighbor down the street here. In all honesty, the S200 cleans better than my old Barracuda G3. The G3 would get some of those leaves but it seemed to miss 40% of my pool indefinitely - probably an issue with the hose length/coiling? So the S200 missing a few palm tree "berries" is way better than what I had before. Plus, it cleans dirt off the floor of which I never even saw with the G3.

I never expected mine to truly clean my ledges/steps, either.

 

[bacevedo]

Question for the brain trust here.

How important is the water temperature when running the robot? The owner's manual says to run up to 93 degrees for the water temp. I am running mine this afternoon and my water temp is around 95. Is that going to be a problem?

 

[ctrav]

I’m not sure what it will or will not do to the unit. My gut says there is a fudge factor built in. Also the unit primarily runs on the bottom of the water which is cooler than near the surface. Lastly you could drop it in the pool late evening and even if you forget or fall asleep as I do just retrieve it in the morning.

Bottom line just don't run it in the heat of the day as I think this is more important for the power unit due to the heat it generates. My S200 power supply gets plent warm...

 

[Arizonarob]

I’m not sure what it will or will not do to the unit. My gut says there is a fudge factor built in. Also the unit primarily runs on the bottom of the water which is cooler than near the surface. Lastly you could drop it in the pool late evening and even if you forget or fall asleep as I do just retrieve it in the morning.

Bottom line just run it in the heat of the day as I think this is more important for the power unit due to the heat it generates. My S200 power supply gets plent warm...

Cliffy, I’m pretty sure you ment, DON’T run it during the heat of the day.

 

[ctrav]

Yes Rob...thank you!
DONT

 

[peacefulkancer]

Question for the brain trust here.

How important is the water temperature when running the robot? The owner's manual says to run up to 93 degrees for the water temp. I am running mine this afternoon and my water temp is around 95. Is that going to be a problem?

Problems only us Phoenicians have...

But serious thanks for the reminder as I actually forgot about this requirement.

 

[chiefwej]

The only thing I do is make very sure that the controller is always kept in a shaded area under my patio cover. This desert sun can ruin anything and that unit seems to run very hot.