We have a one year old 14 X 28 kidney shape. an egg shaped 12 inch deep tanning ledge of about 6 x 6 at one end, two steps down from that, 3 feet deep to 5.5 feet deep and a swim out ledge at the deep end. Gunite construction. Tile trim along water line. One skimmer, two drains in deep end. Mostly pine trees which means pinestraw, pine cones, some leaves from nearby oaks. Plumbed for a side suction. No booster pump. It is a small adult cocktail pool. No diving board, no laps, just get wet, float, enjoy!
Builder recommended Polaris 280/380 with a booster pump and $1,000. Based upon comments from many people about the Polaris breaking, (as one store clerk said, "we keep a whole wall of Polaris parts for a reason") I went with a Zodiac Baracuda G2.
Immediately discovered that if I use the skimmer, then I loose the skimmer and cannot automatically skip debris off the surface. Then plugged it into the side dedicated line, but very little suction. Tried to close the skimmer line about 2/3 shut and got enough suction for the Baracuda to at least work. Skimmer at less than optimal functioning. The Baracuda G2 doe snot climb the walls, does not get the steps, the swim out or the tanning ledge. Debris such as pine cone, acorn or frog will clog and stop it.
We want something better. This product, I think, is bets suited to Florida and sucking up sand.
Options: 1) No other suction will work either. 2) Polaris 280/380 plus the booster pump and spend $1,000. 3) Robotic, which is what I am looking at. We are in a remote location, 1.5 hours from any major city, so reliability is very high on the list. We have a Leslie pool supply store, SAM's Club, target, Wal-Mart and that's it locally. The Leslie store carries Dolphin and Polaris 9300. My pool guy that services the pool, and built the pool, says cleaning the sides is not that big a deal. He suggests that a bottom cleaner will do, with an occasional brushing of the side tiles. But, the whole purpose of a cleaner is to do the work, so I can float and consume. : )
This is a small pool. We never cover it, we are close to Florida, and it runs 12 months a year. I'd like to stay in a budget of less than $1,000. Polaris 9300?; Aquabot Turbo T-Jet?; Aquabot Jr.; Dolphin?; Water tech?; Go with Polaris 280/380 and a booster pump?
Appreciate any input, opinions. No opinions are bad, some just don't get used...
Builder recommended Polaris 280/380 with a booster pump and $1,000. Based upon comments from many people about the Polaris breaking, (as one store clerk said, "we keep a whole wall of Polaris parts for a reason") I went with a Zodiac Baracuda G2.
Immediately discovered that if I use the skimmer, then I loose the skimmer and cannot automatically skip debris off the surface. Then plugged it into the side dedicated line, but very little suction. Tried to close the skimmer line about 2/3 shut and got enough suction for the Baracuda to at least work. Skimmer at less than optimal functioning. The Baracuda G2 doe snot climb the walls, does not get the steps, the swim out or the tanning ledge. Debris such as pine cone, acorn or frog will clog and stop it.
We want something better. This product, I think, is bets suited to Florida and sucking up sand.
Options: 1) No other suction will work either. 2) Polaris 280/380 plus the booster pump and spend $1,000. 3) Robotic, which is what I am looking at. We are in a remote location, 1.5 hours from any major city, so reliability is very high on the list. We have a Leslie pool supply store, SAM's Club, target, Wal-Mart and that's it locally. The Leslie store carries Dolphin and Polaris 9300. My pool guy that services the pool, and built the pool, says cleaning the sides is not that big a deal. He suggests that a bottom cleaner will do, with an occasional brushing of the side tiles. But, the whole purpose of a cleaner is to do the work, so I can float and consume. : )
This is a small pool. We never cover it, we are close to Florida, and it runs 12 months a year. I'd like to stay in a budget of less than $1,000. Polaris 9300?; Aquabot Turbo T-Jet?; Aquabot Jr.; Dolphin?; Water tech?; Go with Polaris 280/380 and a booster pump?
Appreciate any input, opinions. No opinions are bad, some just don't get used...