Main Drain Clip-on

[txtinman]

I needed something to keep my Pool Cleaner from getting stuck on my main drain. After looking around I decided to try the Main Drain Clip-on from http://www.maindrainclipon.com I watched the installation videos and it looked easy. I should have seen the red flag because the video showed the installation on the pool deck from a couple of feet away, not at the bottom of the pool. The Clip-on must be installed into the holes of the main drain in order for them to stay in place. From the side of the pool I can see the holes, but it's impossible to get the Clip-on to stay in place. I decided to dive in and install it. That worked. The Clip-on lined up with the holes and stayed put. About 2 minutes later my Pool Cleaner came over and promptly parked itself on the drain and stayed there. Well, I was ready for that as the web site said that some cleaners might need 2 of the Clip-on's to work. I had ordered 2 just in case. So I dive down to install the other one. The second one is not so easy. I try to install it across the other on and finally get it to stay. The Pool Cleaner actually bounced off and I thought it was all good. Not so. A little while later I saw the Pool Cleaner stopped and I thought it was on the drain again, but it was off to the side, not on the drain. I pulled the cleaner up and found one of the Clip-on's stuck in it's craw. I quit trying for the day. There was still the one Clip-on attached and the Pool Cleaner still got stuck on it. A couple of days later I tried again and got the other Clip-on installed. The Pool Cleaner still got stuck, but it didn't pull the Clip-on's off. I tried several different arraignments of the Clip-on's, but none will keep my Pool Cleaner from getting stuck. I'm out $37, but as with all things YMMV.

 

[tripletrouble]

Here is what I finally broke down and used and they work great.http://www.amazon.com/Zodiac-5820-White-Unibridge-Replacement/dp/B002SG7NQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441131483&sr=8-1&keywords=polaris+main+drain+cover

I too tried those clips and the only thing that worked was to cut a short piece of pvc pipe about 2" and slip it on the clip so it is in the center of the clip before you attach it to the drain. It didn't look great but it worked. Another problem with the clips are the tabs where they attach break off very easy. One i broke the first time I tried to put it on. So, they sent me 2 more for free. I have been through 6 total they all have broken. I finally gave up on them.

One thing with the unibridge is with a liner pool they don't sit flush on the bottom. They look like they are floating but they still work good. Also, they are super easy to put on and off.

 

[Mike_k]

I had pretty much the exact same experience with the clip-on thingies. Seemed like a good idea, but they are near impossible to install from the end of a 15 foot pool through 9 feet of water. Once I got two of them on, breaking a third in the process, my Dolphin had no problems pulling them right off.

I also tried the Zodiac drain covers - they wouldn't stay on for me. I don't know if it was the Dolphin or just the movement of the water, but after a day or two they would end up coming loose and shifting positions on the pool floor.

The only solution I could find that worked was retiring my Dolphin Z5 and replacing it with an M5, which has the center brush. Problem solved.

 

[pzampino]

I've been using http://www.maindrainclipon.com clips for about a year now, without any issue. I did purchase the installation tool though, which attaches to the end of my brush/net pole. The best part is that my Hayward Navigator NEVER gets stuck on my main drains any more.