Intex robot C hoses leak, wont move? Other Return based choices besides Intex?

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theskyisthelimit99

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Jun 28, 2016
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Pittsburgh, pa
Intex robot issues, stuck, tubing gets coiled up etc?

I'm on the verge of going with a robot for the intex ultra 18x52 pool. (See my sig for the parts i currently have plus my build link)..

Basically as of now i've pvc'd it, such that i have a Tee on the return side that i could use to power an intex robot (since it uses the return side).

I also have a spare outlet, i could attach a robot like Wanda the whale that uses the suction/outlet port.

I'd like this to be as autonomous as possible, only removing the robot when kids are in the pool/in use etc.. only having to empty a filter once a week or so (i assume both the intex one and wanda one would utilize a seperate basket, rather than tying up my hayward basket in the side skimmer ideally?) (I think wanda might need another $37 basket purchase making it closer to $199 for everything vs $50 for the intex?)

Ive come to realize my 2100gph sand pump system wont cut it to have both the hayward skimmer and a robot going at the same time, let alone both these plus another suction port.
I will upgrade to the best choice 4500gph $239 system very soon.

I'm trying to keep the budget at $130 or less for this option.

I've heard of many people using the intex robot with great success as well as the wanda..

Any pro's / cons to each?

Thanks in advance
 
Re: Robot choice for intex 18 foot pool? Wanda the whale vs Intex, return v outlet

I find myself leaning towards the Intex since I can leave it attached 24-7 short of throwing my ball switch and hanging it up when the kids are in the pool. It also has the built in debris collector.

With wanda if have to disconnect it to use both suction and the hayward assuming my new 4500gph helps allow both at once and stronger over my current 2100gph
 
Re: Robot choice for intex 18 foot pool? Return based choices besides Intex?

So tonight i hooked up the intex robot.. first thing i ran into was the "C" hoses, where they connect, that part that wiggles in the middle, it leaked water.. not sure if thats normal or not, thinking not..

I decided to go for it.. hooked up a long enough series.. tried to submerge the tube, but it still wanted to sit on top of the water.. i ran the split i have between return and robot line (turned the ball valve on for the robot to fill the hose), connected to the robot, did the upside down thing and let the air out etc.. put it on the bottom.. it wouldnt move.. barely a puff..

Then i closed off the return valve, so only the robot had flow.. it moved.. however after about 10 minutes it kept getting stuck near the side towards the skimmer and outlet.. i gave up at this point.. have to look at it further tomorrow and after i replace (tomorrow hopefully) the 2100 gph with the 4500 best choice pump 1hp.. i'm guessing then i can have both the return going and the robot at same time.. i hope
 
jeffchap said:
The connections in the hose are supposed to leak, so they can rotate freely.
Click to expand...

Ah ok, then i wonder what is preventing it from moving after some time. I read on amazon reviews that someone opened it and had to line the motor up by losening and tightening a nut.. did you have to do that?

Do you have any issues having both full power to the return and the robot at the same time like i seem to (with my current weaker pump)? edit: yeah probably just my weak pump per your PM
 
Mickelin said:
Pick it up and make sure the jet alternates between the two sides. If not, the mechanism is faulty. Mine sometimes gets stuck in a corner, but since you have a round pool, that should not be an issue.
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By alternate, you mean it should be puffing out one end, then stop, then puff out the other? (I think it was only coming out one side, but maybe i wasnt holding it right underwater)
 
I have been fighting mine...but what I found was that at first it was alternating which end it was shooting water from, then it started shooting from both at the same time...leaving it stuck. I just had them send me a new one and will let you all know how it goes :)
 
ta2dwonderwoman said:
I have been fighting mine...but what I found was that at first it was alternating which end it was shooting water from, then it started shooting from both at the same time...leaving it stuck. I just had them send me a new one and will let you all know how it goes :)
Click to expand...
Ah ok sounds good. Just to confirm what Jeff said.. these C hoses are supposed to leak by design.. i take it yours do too.. looks like many panic and send it back thinking the hose is defective. Its a shame this seems to be the only "return" based robot out there.. would be nice to have option B. Also.. on it getting stuck.. i think i read that there is a nut you can loosen and re-tighten to straighten out the motor inside.. it can get out of alignment with the two holes and not move.
 
There's some kind of flapper inside that forces water out one end for 30 secs or so, then flips over to the other side, and so on. So it reverses directions each time to keep it from getting wedged into a corner.



Mine has always worked fine, so if it's not flipping over, there may be something out of adjustment. But I suspect insufficient flow may also be the problem
 

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I have a 2800 gph pump, seems to have strong enough flow and hauls booty across the pool when it is working...then it gets stuck because the water is shooting out both ends and offsetting itself, so it is just sits. the leaks in the hoses are supposed to be that way, I found that my inner workings were out of alignment at first and lined them back up and tightened it all down, which did not resolve the issue. that is why I went ahead and asked for a new one. if the water goes out each end alternately, I think it will be fine.
 
I just unboxed my new vacuum that they sent to replace the other one. Right off the bat I could tell that it was not put together poorly like the other one was... the little motor inside was not loosen wobbly and did not have to be reset. More importantly there wasn't a fountain sprouting from one of the joints where the hoses go together. I know there's supposed to be some air and water leakage from each joint so that they will swivel and not get tangled but I actually had two joints on the old one that were downright spraspraying in and that's not happening on this one.... it has been in the water for about a half-hour now and hasn't stopped moving even once for more than a few seconds at a time... going to call this a win as long as it actually pick stuff up which I won't find out for a day or so...
 
ta2dwonderwoman said:
I just unboxed my new vacuum that they sent to replace the other one. Right off the bat I could tell that it was not put together poorly like the other one was... the little motor inside was not loosen wobbly and did not have to be reset. More importantly there wasn't a fountain sprouting from one of the joints where the hoses go together. I know there's supposed to be some air and water leakage from each joint so that they will swivel and not get tangled but I actually had two joints on the old one that were downright spraspraying in and that's not happening on this one.... it has been in the water for about a half-hour now and hasn't stopped moving even once for more than a few seconds at a time... going to call this a win as long as it actually pick stuff up which I won't find out for a day or so...
Click to expand...

Glad to hear yours is doing better after the swap. Still hoping once i put this new 21"/1.5hp Hayward (3750gph at 40 feet head) in place of my 12"/0.5hp intex (2100gph ?feet head).. that it will move without getting stuck in my case. I took it apart, looked at the motor.. seemed solid and lined up with the holes too.. i can feel the thrust alternating, seems fine (as long as i shut my return valve off and only send it to the robot).. still, it will get stuck and just not move, not sure why, i think due to lack of power from the pump..

Really hoping i can do dual returns (robot + return) and the full dual suction with this new setup (working on it this weekend).. it also sucks as i'm going to have to move the motor closer to my receptacle under the deck behind my door area to keep it safer and close enough for a 6 foot cable and likely move the tank behind the door too and extend my pvc but thats a whole other issue :)

I did shoot a quick overview video.. at one point you can see how its stuck and not moving, but when it does move it cleans well (also visible) Intex UltraFrame 18x52 pool with pvc mods and intex robot - YouTube
 
i found mine kind of started getting stuck a bit after a while last night, so I cleaned both of my skimmer baskets (over the wall skimmer and the one in my pump) and did a quick backwash...fixed it right up and on it's way it went! so far, so good!
 
ta2dwonderwoman said:
i found mine kind of started getting stuck a bit after a while last night, so I cleaned both of my skimmer baskets (over the wall skimmer and the one in my pump) and did a quick backwash...fixed it right up and on it's way it went! so far, so good!
Click to expand...
Ah, maybe thats all i needed to do...

i also think i grasp this GPM/H terminiology now.. the tank at 21" is rated for 44 GPM at 40feet overhead.. while the motor (1.5hp) is rated at 62GPM, so when you combine the 1.5 motor with the 21" tank, the best it can do is 44GPM or roughly 2650 GPH.

hayward responded and said the 24" tank is what matches the 62GPM rating of the motor, but i'm guessing even with the 44 max and 21", it will still be good enough for dual suction and dual return, hopefully. .. this should still be better than the the intex 12" tank combined with the motor it had (assume their 2100gph was based on the motor only).. unsure where the best choice products 4500 gph comes from, maybe from just the motor there too or a shorter head in feet.
 

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