Robot or In Floor cleaner

[orthopod]

I know everyone here loves the robot....Ive never owned one, our last pool I had a polaris 280 that I kept in the water. That was for 10 years....

Our new home/pool, we are going all out. I want ease of cleaning, but was just quoted the infloor cleaning and its a lot. For the pool our size we need 2 Paramount water control valves which added significantly to the cost. I could buy 8-10 robots or buy 1 robot and hire a pool cleaning service for 4-5 years for the amount it will cost. Im still leaning toward in floor for the following reasons:

1) we have a large beach entry/sun shelf with a step down. Im concerned about the robot cleaning up here. I know dolphin has a model that says it can work on these. Any experience?
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2) We have 4 in pool stools being installed. Im worried the robot will just get all tangled up

3) I don't want to babysit this thing. Ill maintain my chemistry, but I hate the idea of lugging the robot in and out of the pool and babysitting it. Im already not home enough....


Anyone think Im crazy for still wanting the in-floor system? There are not a lot of people that post that they love their in floor systems. Is that because they are just not installed very often?




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I edited this, because I dont know if I put it in the right forum

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Anyone think Im crazy for still wanting the in-floor system? There are not a lot of people that post that they love their in floor systems. Is that because they are just not installed very often?

It’s about 50/50 - 50% love them and 50% hate them. You’ll find that, of the 50% that “love” them, they’re split about 50/50 into die-hard fans versus “meh, i’d get something else if I could...”.

The IFC will require longer pump run times at high speed in order to work effectively. That’s going to translate directly into utility costs. By contrast, robots use A LOT less power. For a pool that sounds as complicated as yours, you should only consider a M series Dolphin. They have longer cleaning cycles and can handle complex shapes and herd to reach areas with ease. They have a split-track design with separate motors that allows them to turn on a dime. You can leave a bot in the pool 24/7 if you like and only take it out to clean the filters. The higher end robots have smartphone app control.

 

[jblizzle]

Had IFC at previous house. Would 100% choose a robot over it. Cheaper and more efficient.

 

[orthopod]

It’s about 50/50 - 50% love them and 50% hate them. You’ll find that, of the 50% that “love” them, they’re split about 50/50 into die-hard fans versus “meh, i’d get something else if I could...”.

The IFC will require longer pump run times at high speed in order to work effectively. That’s going to translate directly into utility costs. By contrast, robots use A LOT less power. For a pool that sounds as complicated as yours, you should only consider a M series Dolphin. They have longer cleaning cycles and can handle complex shapes and herd to reach areas with ease. They have a split-track design with separate motors that allows them to turn on a dime. You can leave a bot in the pool 24/7 if you like and only take it out to clean the filters. The higher end robots have smartphone app control.

Thanks for the response....I need to teach my kids how to work the robot. We are already climbing up in the budget...Ill look into the M series.

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Had IFC at previous house. Would 100% choose a robot over it. Cheaper and more efficient.

YEs. When they came back today saying the pool was too big, it needed essentially double the guts. Im leaning toward the robot. Thanks for the honest reponse from someone that had an IFC

 

[Dodger]

We have 5 in-pool stools. To clean around them, a robot has to get between the stools, and then move around behind the stools. So stool spacing counts, but also the space between the stool and the wall (how deep the bar is above the stools.)

We have 5 in floor pop-ups in a row behind the stools. They do help blow debris out from behind. That said, it's not a slam-dunk solution. Depends on the level and frequency of your debris. A quick brushing can push the behind-stool debris out in front where a robot could get it. It's a good idea to brush the walls and top of the stools anyway. I would be a little concerned about whether the robot could handle the rounded walls of the stools (probably not?) and the recessed wall behind the stools and under the bar.

Another idea to have it both ways and reduce cost would be to just put pop-ups behind the stools and on your beach entry and let the robot handle the rest of the pool. That's probably just one control valve. Just make sure they give you the ability to close that off from the regular pool returns, so you only run the pop-ups on demand at higher pump speed. That way you can tailor it to the level of debris at different times of the year.

 

[jimim]

Thanks for the response....I need to teach my kids how to work the robot. We are already climbing up in the budget...Ill look into the M series.

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YEs. When they came back today saying the pool was too big, it needed essentially double the guts. Im leaning toward the robot. Thanks for the honest reponse from someone that had an IFC

When i I researched the dolphins and talked with the local rep he said I would be fine with the s series cause I have a free form and no obstacles. I’m wide open minus curves. He said if I had a lot of benches and tables or stools he would say the m series only due to that reason. Sounds like he would tell u m series for the stools reason.

I sont babysit mine at all. I throw it in and let it run it’s 2.5 hr cycle. When my dad comes down at lunch to take dog out I have him reset it for another cycle. I come home throw it out of pool clean it and all good.

 

[jimmythegreek]

you still wont have a spotless pool even w the IFC system so ur gonna have to brush some areas no matter what. for 6-7k Id teach the kids/wife to throw robot in pool and show em where the brush is. The higher end robots are great I have a S200 and it picked up so much stuff the first run AFTER I had cleaned the pool already manually vacuum style

 

[duraleigh]

Anyone think Im crazy for still wanting the in-floor system?

Yes! But your reasons are sound.....they just don't seem to perform as well as they should.

Don't let a salesman fool you, though. Robots have their issues (they are just dumb plastic and dumb motors and dumb brushes) with difficult spots and you must be prepared to do SOME cleaning manually.....despite the "brains" they are supposed to have.

All in all, robots are clearly the future of pool cleaning. They will likely continue to improve.....but don't expect them to be bulletproof - just a LOT better than an in-floor system.

 

[shocka]

FWIW -- Currently in the design/planning process and was initially planning for an IFC system. Paramount was the brand that was design and quoted.
At several pool parties over the summer, pools with IFC systems still had "dead" spots where you could see and feel debris accumulation. I don't think you can really get away with a 100% hands off approach with either system. So, for the premium that I was going to get hit with on an IFC system, I decided to nix it from the design and plan on going with a Dolphin robot. Still deciding between the S200 and S300/S300i.

 

[chiefwej]

Regarding IFC vs robot, I have both. My pool was built with an infloor system. After 10+ years of mediocre results, I bought a robot early this year. All any IFC system does is blow the debris around, until it falls into a drain. So they work okay , in a simple pool with a slope to a deep well. My pool is a sport pool with a relatively flat bottom, so if debris falls in to drain, it’s by accident. But even the best functioning IFC will never approach the level of performance of a robot.

Based on what I know and have seen with both, I think Dodger has the best solution. Install cleaning heads only in the problem areas and let a robot handle the rest. A full IFC will cost a lot to install and to operate. It’s also likely you won’t be fully satisfied with the level of performance. A robot alone will have problems with the areas you have identified. Taken together, the cost and performance will be much better than the IFC alone. You get the best of both and save some money to boot!

 

[riley00dog]

I don’t have an infloor cleaning system. We have a robot which I love. He’s my favourite piece of pool equipment. He does a perfect job every time. Many of the pbs we had quote tried to push the IFC heavily. So glad we weren’t persuaded. Much rather 10K in my pocket and replace my robot as needed. Also got to say that it’s very satisfyingly seeing all the debris that the robot has picked up.

 

[Gladius Nova]

How long do these robots typically last? With normal to high usage.

 

[nicheel]

FWIW -- Currently in the design/planning process and was initially planning for an IFC system. Paramount was the brand that was design and quoted.
At several pool parties over the summer, pools with IFC systems still had "dead" spots where you could see and feel debris accumulation. I don't think you can really get away with a 100% hands off approach with either system. So, for the premium that I was going to get hit with on an IFC system, I decided to nix it from the design and plan on going with a Dolphin robot. Still deciding between the S200 and S300/S300i.

During my meeting with a pool builder, he steered me away from an IFC. (I know, I was shocked) He's been selling pools since 99 and has a robot in his own pool.

 

[Poolbella]

Our PB almost had my husband convinced on the IFC even though I’d read the advice against them on here. He finally came across an article that mentioned how much they cost to run and that was enough to dissuade him. And even though our PB offers a lifetime warranty on it, the thought of having to have the whole pool dug up to fix it if it breaks seemed a bit insane.

 

[jblizzle]

Lifetime warranty is worthless if the pool builder disappears.

 

[Poolbella]

Lifetime warranty is worthless if the pool builder disappears.

Exactly.

 

[orthopod]

OK...With all the common sense here we are going with a dolphin M500. As much as the infloor look great on paper, cost was significant (11,500). I was thinking the quote would come back at 6000 and would have considered it....but wow its high, and for the pro's the system offers, there are some major major downsides. The amount of plumbing is INSANE...the pool builder showed me the amount of plumbing needed near my equpiment pad, and it was enormous

 

[JoyfulNoise]

OK...With all the common sense here we are going with a dolphin M500. As much as the infloor look great on paper, cost was significant (11,500). I was thinking the quote would come back at 6000 and would have considered it....but wow its high, and for the pro's the system offers, there are some major major downsides. The amount of plumbing is INSANE...the pool builder showed me the amount of plumbing needed near my equpiment pad, and it was enormous

A very wise choice. $11k can be better spent on other things. At that price, you could buy one M-500 robot every other year for the next 14 years and be covered completely under Dolphins warranty program.

Now you can take that $11,000 and spend it on a premium interior finish upgrade .... cuz you know that you never really save money in your pool budget, it just gets “reallocated”

 

[orthopod]

A very wise choice. $11k can be better spent on other things. At that price, you could buy one M-500 robot every other year for the next 14 years and be covered completely under Dolphins warranty program.

Now you can take that $11,000 and spend it on a premium interior finish upgrade .... cuz you know that you never really save money in your pool budget, it just gets “reallocated”

Yes Matt I agree-
That 11,000 "extra" that wasnt budgeted will go toward landscaping, pavilion electronics, etc....

We are doing Wet Edge Signature MAtrix, havent decided on the color- thought about primera stone, but dont know if its "worth" the upgrade to have a smooth finish.

 

[dustin2471]

My moms pool has an IFC and was built in the late 80's, like chiefwej said it just blows the debris around until it falls into the drain. My mom has an issue with earthworms getting into her pool and the IFC just blows the worms around, she bought a robot 2 years ago and absolutely loves it. I just finished building my own pool and it has some areas that are difficult to get to, we still brush (don't know if I have to) but I also bought a Dolphin M500 and absolutely love it, I put it in once a week and run it twice and then the pool looks great for the entire week.