PoolCleanerMom said:
So I'm debating trying an automatic cleaner for our old IGP - it has one skimmer and one return and I tried a Barracuda G3 but our system doesn't pull enough suction to run it, plus the vacuum port has a different size opening than the Barracuda hose so I probably lose suction trying to connect it (and the skimmer port is configured in a way that made connecting the hose to the skimmer impossible).
so, given those constraints, does it seem that a robotic cleaner would be the way to go b/c I wouldn't have to deal with connecting to the pool plumbing? And any comments on the 'bots sold through costco.com, specifically the Pool Rover Plus C
(
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1 ) and the Kleen Machine (
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...=9&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1)?
I love my old Aquabot but I have so much fine power from chalk and clay it does clog up the fine bag pretty fast. It is a lot of hassle pulling it out of the water every day to put in a clean bag; frequently more than once. It just depends on how much fine stuff is blown into the pool.
Do you have a deep end. A lot of the lower priced cleaners can not make it up a steep incline when the bag starts getting heavy; that is if it only has one pump that drives the wheels and does the filtering. My situation is very extreme so most people won't have as much stuff for the bot to pick up as I have.
Any bot that doesn't go up the sides may have a problem with going up a steep incline. The word is "may". I like the wall scrubbing my Aquabot does. It's gentle but does loosen and vacuum some fine debris, and in my case, some calcium scaling that is continuing to release.
I took my Polaris 280 out of service yesterday when I calculated how much it was cost me to run it so many hours every day, to keep the stuff up. About $250 a month. My Tracker 4X is in there now and even though my Intelliflo VF has to run at a higher speed it is not nearly as high as the 3450 rpm the booster pump runs at.
If my Aquabot was not at my friends house he would have been put in instead. The running cost on the robots is so very minimal. My old Aquabot is probably 10 years old but when I got it it had a lot of new parts including the tracks, rubber bands, etc.
I'm working on getting my electric use down as much as possible balanced with the ease of use. So I'll be studying what compromises I'm willing to go to between the two, vac and robotic. The robot has it's hassles but cost less to run. The suction side has its hassles too and will cost more to run. It's going to be an on going trial for a month or so.
Costco is one of the better places to purchase many things because of their very liberal return policy.
Read lot's of reviews and keep in mind that lots of satisfied customers don't post their opinions.
gg=alice
