randelli said:
What is the best way to use the sweep?
Bottom Line ..... It depends on how much and what kind of debris you have. During Fall and Spring I use my sweeps much more than during winter and summer because of the leaves, other plant debris, berries, pollen, and higher winds in Fall and Spring. My Aquabot, with fine bags, runs all night practically year round for sand/silt blown in and dragged in by the dogs. I don't use it during the day as the dogs get tangled in the power cord. the Polaris 280 is the best for leaves and heavier plant debris. It is running several hours during the day now to catch a few dangly pollen things from trees and holly leaves that the Pool Skim and skimmer don't get AND more importantly pick up the sand. What silt that doesn't get picked up by Polaris is stirred up enough that the main drain and skimmer, with skimmer sock, catch it. My dogs don't have any problems with the Polaris hose.
I have an extreme environment, in the woods, with dogs in and out of pool all day, and pretty constant breezes 20-40 mph and frequent high winds averaging 40-60 mph and higher. So lots of stuff is constantly introduced to my uncovered pool.
In the summer when wind speeds are lower the all night Aquabot will probably take care of all the debris with a spotless pool every a.m. My aim is to not have to use the Polaris during day except after storms.
Many people have much less extreme conditions with many across the spectrum from virtually no debris in pool to what I have so your needs will vary.
Another factor is just how spotless you want your pool. Some people don't mind a bit of debris floating or on the bottom or in suspension. I don't like any of that so I spend a lot of time keeping it cleared out with different cleaners. The only time I have to do a manual vacuum is if I have not run any cleaners for a week or two (very rare) and in the spring for initial clean up even though I keep the pool open year round (but neither we nor the dogs swim in dead of winter). Another time would be when I can't be here during fall to constantly run the pump and clean out the leaves from skimmer and 2 Pool Skims and Polaris several times a day because they fill up so fast with leaves.
I have a variable flow pump. It is new so I will be experimenting on flow rates this first summer using it. I'm running it for two turn overs per 24 hour period right now which gives enough flow to feed the one Pool Skim and the Polaris booster pump. I'll be experimenting with it for day and night speeds/flows but will be running it 24/7. Pump run time and speed can also be a determining factor for need to use cleaner(s). The less the pump is run for filtering the more debris will settle to the pool floor.
Others will respond with their experiences.
gg=alice
