New Pool - What type of cleaner? Robotic or Pressure Side?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Thanks again for the replies. It sounds like a robotic cleaner is definitely the route I should go. I think the consensus is that I should see if the builder will remove the cleaner altogether if he can’t include a Dolphin and confirm that there is a suction side port for the vacuum.

I guess another option is to see what he will include and then sell it to fund buying a Dolphin on my own.
 
Captchaos said:
I guess another option is to see what he will include and then sell it to fund buying a Dolphin on my own.
Click to expand...

You won’t get anywhere near what he’s charging you for it and he’s making a little bit of profit on it so it’s best just to strike it from the contract and get the credit.

Do get the dedicated vacuum line though, it makes manual vacuuming a cinch.
 
Good point. The upgrade charge from a single speed to a variable speed pump was quoted as $1200 so I am guessing the credit will be small if I decide to have him remove it. I found the single speed pump online for about $550 and the variable speed pump for $955.

I am purely speculating though, maybe the credit will be enough to fund a Dolphin.
 
Dolphins run $800-$1600 depending on the model and features you get. Your credit for the cleaner will likely be $200-300. Yes, PB’s markup pumps, filters, etc, with very big margins. You can buy equipment online yourself for cheaper BUT you’d lose all warranty and installation from the PB. So it’s a bit of a bitter pill - you suck up the extra costs because the PB will do the install and get you the full warranty.
 
Thanks. I’ll see what he offers if we remove it. For $200-300, I would probably just keep it in and buy a robotic cleaner myself.

He did mention that there may be a credit for swapping to a robotic cleaner as well so maybe it will wind up working out well for me.
 
Definitely install a suction port. You may find you are like me and don't care for a robot.

I had a Doheny Dolphin and both the my wife and were not impressed. We returned to using our old suction-side Hayward Navigator and the pool is cleaned in less time with no power cords laying across the deck, no baskets to empty and no worries about it being left in the pool all year.

Robots are not for every pool. I'm know they work great for many here but that was not my experience with my pool and my setup.
 
I like Slickraft regret going to a robot and wish I hadn't sold my suction vac when I purchased my robot. Here's my post on the issue(s) I'm having - Trouble with my new Maytronics Dolphin Plus - Pictures Included

I agree with others, if you're going to go robot have them install a suction line. Much easier (cheaper) to do it now vs. after your pool is complete. My pool is about the same size as yours an running my VS pump at 1200-1500 RPM powered the suction vac. perfectly for great cleaning.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Your pool builder probably wouldn't resist a switch from pressure cleaner to suction cleaner cause the cleaner is around the same money. If you go that route, people here like these ones and you don't see much trouble-shooting on the forum.

Hayward (Poolverneugen) "The Pool Cleaner"
Pentair Warrior (Rebel)
Hayward Navigator
Hayward Bug

I can only vouch for the Rebel, three seasons, covers the floor on low speed (not walls), doesn't get hung up. Cleans in around 4.5 hrs on low speed (it's just left in the pool actually). If I need to speed up the cleaning, and also have decent skimming, I run it on medium pump speed around 2.5 hours. To climb walls it needs more than medium speed (1.2 HP) but I don't vacuum walls. I've read that that it's not suited for fully-tiled pools.

Only a robot can do most of the brushing for you, and a robot can usually improve filtration beyond what you have.
 
I received some clarification as this project begins. There is no suction side port. The manual vacuum and hose will plug into one of the skimmers. It seems if I have a good automatic cleaner, I won't use a manual vacuum much, if any at all. The pool builder agreed and said I will probably only use it in the beginning to avoid putting ruts/lines in the plaster with an automatic cleaner. He said he has plenty of customers with robotic cleaners and they like them, he just has concerns because the "brains" are submerged.

So if I choose a robotic cleaner (it seems likely to be a Polaris as he is a Jandy dealer), the cost is about the same but it does remove pressure-side plumbing. At this point I am leaning strongly towards the robotic, but I do wish I could choose another brand (Dolphin?). I have until Monday or Tuesday to decide.
 
I would go with a Dolphin. The S series is their most versatile robot line so unless you have some crazy deep diving pool or an odd shape with lots of steps and ledges, the Dolphin S series will work fine. You can click the link in my signature to see how my S300i has worked over the last year.

We have a few Polaris robot users here but Dolphin is definitely the industry leader. So if you choose to go with Dolphin, don’t bother going through your PB unless he can get you some crazy good deal.
 
Definitely go with the Dolphin line. Maytronics is like the gold standard of robots IMO. You can shop around for a labeled Maytronics robot or one of the ones they make for a couple of other pool stores. My Dolphin Discovery is one of those (purchased from Doheny's online).

I don't know why anyone bothers to manually vacuum anymore since these robots far out perform what you can suck up. Amazing little fellas.

Mine is named "Sheldon".

Maddie :flower:
 
100% robot vs pressure cleaner. We have a Doheny's Discovery, same as S200 Maytronics. Before that we had a Pentair Legend II pressure cleaner. The robot puts it to shame!
 
I had a fiberglass pool with one skimmer and bought a Great White suction cleaner. The pool had a sand filter so it was a good combo since everything from a suction vac goes into the filter. I probably wouldn't pair a suction cleaner with a cartridge filter. Unless you just like cleaning the cartridges a lot. In any case, when the pump came on, the cleaner came on, it climbed the walls and did a good job.
We had our current pool built and builder put in a pressure line with aux pump. We have a Polaris 280. It works okay, picks up big debris, gets stuck occasionally. The hose even with the swivels gets tangled in a knot, especially before the water warms up well. The hose isn't as flexible when cold, something to consider in your area. You can get a silt bag which is a finer mesh bag for it but it really doesn't pick up dirt. I have had to rebuild mine already after 6 years. The wheels and plastic gears don't last long. You can swap some of the wheels around to get fresh gears when they get worn down but eventually have to rebuild them.
I just bought a Pentair Kreepy Krauly Prowler 820 based on a friends recommendation. He's had one for his pool for several years. Pretty inexpensive for a robot, I think it was around $650. I really like it, has two filter types, one is a mesh for when the pool has more junk, and a pleated one that will clean up fine silt. So I am a happy convert from both suction and pressure to a robot.
I agree with most of these recommendations. Get the suction line for your vac and get a robot.
 
Thanks again for the responses. I am going to go with a robotic and hope that I will never need a suction side or pressure side cleaner. The last conversation I had with the pool builder he was very accommodating. I thought since he was a Jandy dealer I would be stuck with a Polaris but he indicated that he could get me a Dolphin and to just provide him the model and he would find out the cost. It seems he is pretty flexible. I am trying to figure out which one to inquire about and see that Maytronics brands the same units with multiple model numbers (rebadging). I am thinking an M400 or S300/S300i. I think there is another version of these which may or may not be cheaper.
 
Cross-shop his cost with Marina Pool & Spa. Unless he is giving you credit towards the purchase it may very well be cheaper elsewhere.
 
Good news, I am able to get the following Dolphin robots with the credit they are providing from removing the plumbing, booster pump, and pressure side cleaner:

Active 20
DX3
Active 30i
DX4
Edge
DX6 (will cost $100-200 extra)

I had originally asked about a few models that their distributor doesn't have and was provided with the list above. Looks like I have some more research to do.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply