How long to run Polaris 280?

[JuYuHu]

Hello, I am a new pool owner. Our pool tech told us we can mostly leave our Polaris 280 in the pool except when we want to swim. He also recommended 2 to 3 hours a day of cleaning. Is this recommended? What run times should I be looking at for more efficiency?

Thank you!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ju,

You only need to run it when the pool floor is dirty with dust, sand, leaves, etc. This is another thing that is really dependent on your pool, your location, etc.

I have a robot, not a water powered cleaner, but I usually clean my pool about once every three days on average.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JuYuHu]

Ok, that helps a lot - thanks!!

 

[Saturn94]

I have a Polaris 280. Since we have a lot of surrounding trees, I usually run it at least 4 days a week. Each run takes 2-3 hours to completely clean the pool.

Hope this helps.

 

[JuYuHu]

Yes it does! I'm in Houston and in my area, there is a lot of pollen and debris from surrounding trees. I was just surprised the tech told me to run daily at 2 to 3 hours. The above sounds much more reasonable!

 

[Saturn94]

Part of what will determine how often you run it is your tolerance for debris in the pool. I have a low tolerance.

 

[wjr75]

I have a auto pool cover and only run it about an hour after having the pool open. I also would suggest the silt bag which picks up the finer debris.

 

[JuYuHu]

Is the silt bag a part I can purchase for the Polaris 280?

Also, is it ok for me to leave it in the pool when not in use or better to take out after use?

 

[Saturn94]

https://www.amazon.com/Zodiac-K14-Sand-Silt-Replacement/dp/B0006ZM4KS/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1489022626&sr=8-12&keywords=polaris+280+bag

I leave mine in the pool. I've had mine since May 2012 and haven't noticed any issues relating to leaving it in the pool. That said, I'm a stickler for keeping water chemistry balanced which I'm sure helps.

 

[wjr75]

I keep my 280 in the pool all summer long unless I have a party with a lot of people than I take it out. You can buy the silt bag on amazon for the Polaris 280.

 

[jmastron]

Our Polaris 280 (aka "Splash") lives in the pool year round. He comes out and sits on the deck next to pool when we are swimming, then right back in. For rare fancy guests he gets banished behind the pump house.

I run it about 2 hours daily using an ancient mechanical timer; that seems to keep my 17x35 pool pretty clean. When I get a fancy automation with phone control, I might not run it every day, at least skipping days when the solar cover is on. The booster pump draws about 1100 watts, so 2 hours at my $0.18/kWh is around 40 cents a day, or $146 a year. With better skip-day control I'd probably run it half or less between days we don't take the cover off in the summer and only running it on weekends when I can change the bag more often in the leafy winter.

One tip -- the bag is a lot easier to shake out when it has dried in the sun for a couple hours, so take advantage of swim times to empty out the bag even if not full; I got a second bag so I can alternate them.

 

[JuYuHu]

Awesome - thanks for the tips! I'll look for a second bag and try what you mentioned above.

 

[Saturn94]

Our Polaris 280 (aka "Splash") lives in the pool year round. He comes out and sits on the deck next to pool when we are swimming, then right back in. For rare fancy guests he gets banished behind the pump house.

I run it about 2 hours daily using an ancient mechanical timer; that seems to keep my 17x35 pool pretty clean. When I get a fancy automation with phone control, I might not run it every day, at least skipping days when the solar cover is on. The booster pump draws about 1100 watts, so 2 hours at my $0.18/kWh is around 40 cents a day, or $146 a year. With better skip-day control I'd probably run it half or less between days we don't take the cover off in the summer and only running it on weekends when I can change the bag more often in the leafy winter.

One tip -- the bag is a lot easier to shake out when it has dried in the sun for a couple hours, so take advantage of swim times to empty out the bag even if not full; I got a second bag so I can alternate them.

Great tip about having a second bag and drying it out. I do exactly that.

 

[grottoguy]

I run it three hours a day and leave it in all the time I get bags on amazon

 

[Patrick_B]

Great tip about having a second bag and drying it out. I do exactly that.

Me too, except its with filters for the Dolphin. Always a good thing to keep a watch on and be prepared with extras. Never know when one will go bad on you.

 

[JuYuHu]

Just ordered one on Amazon! I tried cleaning out the bag the other day and it was quite tedious to remove the wet debris. Next time I will just switch it out and wait for it to dry.

I do have a question about my Polaris - our pool is only 2+ weeks new - the pool tech had said it's ok to run so we ran it for two days. I then removed it after I read that we need to wait. How long is the recommended wait before running an automatic cleaner? We have quartz plaster.