I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to explode.

[DigitallyChallenged]

I had a pool at my last home that was a monster, 51k gallons. I went through a Polaris that was difficult to keep running, moved to a Letro, and the an Aquabot Viva. We moved and the Viva sat for 6 years until we built our fiberglass pool. After the concrete deck was poured I made the mistake of using the fine filter bag to clean the pool. I think that it clogged and the resultant pressure killed one of the motors so that only one tread turns. I contacted http://www.aquaqualitypools.com/ where I had just purchased a new bag for advice. Since my unit is over 6 years old all of the motors would need replacing and at that point I might as well buy a new cleaner.

I have spent a few day reading every post here and calling dealers and manufacturers. The fact that there are dozens of variants on the same cleaners is what is driving me crazy. I have distilled it downn to a few points that guide my search for a replacement:

1. Newer models from Dolphin, Polaris, Aquabot do not have all of the drive belts of older units. They use gears and thus appear to be much more economical since belts don't need to be replaced every few years.

2. Tigershark and a few Dolphin models have gone to filter grids instead of bags. This would appear to be much easier to clean than what I was used to with the Viva. No more dunking in a bucket and the occasional trip to the washer. I haven't seen any posts commenting on this newer system. The Polaris 9300 may be similar but I'm not sure based on website.

3. The warranty length varies significantly between makes. Some have 5 years pro-rated, some 3-4 years full, and some are ridiculously short IMO for this price point.

4, Service and parts costs are a real issue as I see now. If a robot motor goes, you're sunk. Manufacturers will not cover many internet sources under warranty, especially Dolphin. For those of us in rural areas it really stinks. I'm not driving an hour or two to buy a cleaner.

Sorry for the long post but I don't know which model to purchase. I would love to hear from someone with a cartridge filter type cleaner. I see Blue Diamond recommendations here but why buy a unit with belts?

In the running:
http://westwoodpools.com/Dolphin-Suprem ... -1314.html
http://www.nationalpoolwholesalers.com/ ... C9990.html
http://www.amazon.com/Dolphin-Triton-Ro ... -1-catcorr
Dolphin DX-6 looks o.k. but warranty is short.
http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/poolsupp ... mpid=CMPGB short warranty

All advice gratefully accepted. I would love to hear about newer models from folks here.

 

[zea3]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

I have heard a lot of positive things about poolvergnuegen, dolphin, and blue pearl.

 

[robl45]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

Dolphins I believe can't turn without a wall, don't know if that's changed since I had one. The viva is the blue diamond remote control. They are exactly the same.
I would get a normal non remote blue diamond. It works and when the motor goes, at least you have 4 year warranty. Either that or get the nitro wall scrubber, it's cheaply made in china, but at least you can replace the motors yourself and you get 2 year warranty on them

 

[knjpool]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

I just got the Polaris and I'm quite happy with it. I broke it in yesterday with 3 cycles over 4.5 hours. It cleaned the heck out of the pool. I must say though I was worried initially because the first cycle it was acting a little funny and one of the brushes and wheels wasn't turning with the same power. I think it was trying to figure out my pool and needed broke-in. After the first cycle it ran very well for the other 2 cycles.

I wanted the 9300xi Sport, but my pool guy wasn't able to get one. I could've gotten it online, but he already brought it the job. He's matching the online price at least.

 

[beezar]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

+1 on the Polaris 9300. The filter is very easy to clean, just rinse it off and you're done. Cleans the pool very well. I had an issue with one of the rubber gaskets ripping due to a design issue which they've since fixed, and they are sending me a replacement under warranty (the part costs only ~$30 though). And it took only one phone call for a total of 10minutes to get this mailed out to me.

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

Down to the wire. Blue Diamond is out due to high motor replacement costs. Non-RC model would be $628.

Dolphin Supreme M4 has 3 year warranty. They cover return shipping. Remote is a $100 option that can be purchased later. Extra brushes underneath are nice. Has cartridge filter instead of bags. New model so motor cost is not definite. One repair center said ~$360 plus flat $65 labor charge. Called a second center and was told RC motor could run closer to $600. Ouch.

Polaris 9300xi new company to robotics. Warranty only 2 years. Parts are cheap. Motor 9300 is $358. No quote on x1 motor yet but should be similar. Willing to send parts to me since there is no service near my home. Looking like the more economical choice in the long run but reliability is a question.

What would folks pick between these two? Pricing is similar.

 

[RobbieH]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

My Dolphin has died 3 times in 6 months, netting about 3 months downtime. Last time it was down for the power supply, it took over 3 weeks to get a replacement. Take that for what it's worth.

My local Leslie's says there's a particular brand of robot that has spectacular service, but I can't remember the name of it. It's not Polaris. You call a 1-800 number for service, and if they can't assist on the phone, they come on-site. If they on-site repairman can't make it work that day, you get a new robot right there on the spot. Sorry I can't remember the name of it, I'm hoping somone here will.

 

[acroy]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

have you already decided to definitly buy a robot? there are 2 kinds: those that have broken, and those that will break

FWIW, I'm a fan of the poolvergnuegen cleaners. I have the big 4wheel pressure side, folks I know with the 2wheel suction-side love it in their smaller pools. Pretty darn simple piece of gear, reliable and effective.

Cheers

 

[pool_noob]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

My neighbor has had a Verro 500 for a few years and no problems outside of wear and tear parts (brushes and belts). We just changed belts on it and its working like a champ.

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

Well folks, agony of decision is over....I ordered a Polaris 9300xi from sunplay.com for 1099 with free shipping plus $150 manufacturer's rebate. To reward myself for making a decision and stop torturing my wife, I also ordered a Taylor Speedstir.

The deciding factor was that Polaris appears to make it easy to get service or the option of doing it yourself both at a much lower cost while Dolphin makes getting parts hard. The single, large filter in the 9300 also appears to be easier to work with than the two filters in the Dolphin. I still wonder how the first robotic from Polaris will do over time but it appears from users that there was a small design glitch that the rep told me has already been corrected.

It will be interesting to see how it performs compared to my Aquabot Viva before it died.

 

[robl45]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

The problemi found out with the polaris is it can only vacuum in one direction as told to me by the person with the patent. Blue diamond is cheapest of all because of four year warranty. Motor costs are irrelevant because they all cost more than it's worth. If it's out of warranty, you buy a new one. polaris filter is cool though. Only one that makes sense to repair are the nitros because parts are some what reasonable.

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

The problemi found out with the polaris is it can only vacuum in one direction as told to me by the person with the patent. Blue diamond is cheapest of all because of four year warranty. Motor costs are irrelevant because they all cost more than it's worth. If it's out of warranty, you buy a new one. polaris filter is cool though. Only one that makes sense to repair are the nitros because parts are some what reasonable.

Now you tell me about one direction cleaning. As long as my pool is clean I really don't care about the pattern utilized.

I don't agree about the disposable nature of a robot. For 1/3 the cost of new I would pop in a replacement motor and call it a day. Blue diamond has the 4 year motor warranty but the electronics are only 2 years. Depends on what dies first as to the cost savings. I was willing to spend a bit more to get the cartridge over the bag. I really didn't enjoy cleaning the bags in a bucket of water. Longevity of a new product will be the determinant with the Polaris but as an early adopter only time will tell.

 

[beezar]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

Now you tell me about one direction cleaning. As long as my pool is clean I really don't care about the pattern utilized.

I don't agree about the disposable nature of a robot. For 1/3 the cost of new I would pop in a replacement motor and call it a day. Blue diamond has the 4 year motor warranty but the electronics are only 2 years. Depends on what dies first as to the cost savings. I was willing to spend a bit more to get the cartridge over the bag. I really didn't enjoy cleaning the bags in a bucket of water. Longevity of a new product will be the determinant with the Polaris but as an early adopter only time will tell.

The one direction cleaning seems to be true, but it works. Tell us how it works out for you.

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

I

Now you tell me about one direction cleaning. As long as my pool is clean I really don't care about the pattern utilized.

I don't agree about the disposable nature of a robot. For 1/3 the cost of new I would pop in a replacement motor and call it a day. Blue diamond has the 4 year motor warranty but the electronics are only 2 years. Depends on what dies first as to the cost savings. I was willing to spend a bit more to get the cartridge over the bag. I really didn't enjoy cleaning the bags in a bucket of water. Longevity of a new product will be the determinant with the Polaris but as an early adopter only time will tell.

The one direction cleaning seems to be true, but it works. Tell us how it works out for you.

 

[robl45]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

Only electronics really is the power supply. That can go, rest is pump and drive motor and unless it's a nitro, not worth replacing, been there, done that. But at any rate, you got two years so worse case, 500 a year, not horrible

The problemi found out with the polaris is it can only vacuum in one direction as told to me by the person with the patent. Blue diamond is cheapest of all because of four year warranty. Motor costs are irrelevant because they all cost more than it's worth. If it's out of warranty, you buy a new one. polaris filter is cool though. Only one that makes sense to repair are the nitros because parts are some what reasonable.

Now you tell me about one direction cleaning. As long as my pool is clean I really don't care about the pattern utilized.

I don't agree about the disposable nature of a robot. For 1/3 the cost of new I would pop in a replacement motor and call it a day. Blue diamond has the 4 year motor warranty but the electronics are only 2 years. Depends on what dies first as to the cost savings. I was willing to spend a bit more to get the cartridge over the bag. I really didn't enjoy cleaning the bags in a bucket of water. Longevity of a new product will be the determinant with the Polaris but as an early adopter only time will tell.

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

"Only electronics really is the power supply. That can go, rest is pump and drive motor and unless it's a nitro, not worth replacing, been there, done that. But at any rate, you got two years so worse case, 500 a year, not horrible"

Used AMEX to purchase so I get three years. $300/year is even better.

 

[robl45]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

"Only electronics really is the power supply. That can go, rest is pump and drive motor and unless it's a nitro, not worth replacing, been there, done that. But at any rate, you got two years so worse case, 500 a year, not horrible"

Used AMEX to purchase so I get three years. $300/year is even better.

how does that work? they automatically extend the warranty or something?

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

"Only electronics really is the power supply. That can go, rest is pump and drive motor and unless it's a nitro, not worth replacing, been there, done that. But at any rate, you got two years so worse case, 500 a year, not horrible"

Used AMEX to purchase so I get three years. $300/year is even better.

how does that work? they automatically extend the warranty or something?

Manufacturer warranties are extended one year up to five years total automatically from most AMEX and Visa cards. This feature is included in the yearly card fees. I have found it to be quite helpful over the years and it usually takes care of any rxtended warranty purchase.

 

[NJ pool girl]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

So, Digitially Challenged: how is your Polaris working?

NJ Pool Girl

 

[DigitallyChallenged]

Re: I killed my robot. Please help, my head is about to expl

So, Digitially Challenged: how is your Polaris working?

NJ Pool Girl

Mixed review. It does pretty well but does not get 100% of dirt. I don't know if this is due to pool shape or cleaner. It gets almost everything but leaves a few spots. The clean up is much easier than the bag types. A quick, and I mean quick rinse under the faucet and you are good to go. If reliability does not become an issue, I'm willing to accept the tradeoff for ease of cleaning and repair.