Advice for auto pool robot

[jongig]

I've never used a pool-robot and am thinking of getting one. Our pool is very clean and just gets a few bugs, little sand and minor stuff that falls to the bottom of the pool. I usually just use a net to skim the bottom and use the vacuum every couple weeks. I guess what I'm looking for is a automatic floor robot that filters on it's own so that I can drop it in the pool and leave it. I was looking at the Aquabot but I'm just not sure and was hoping someone could help steer me in the right direction. Pool is vinyl and is a sport pool shape, deep in the middle.

Thanks.

 

[JasonLion]

Robotic cleaners need to be taken out of the pool when they complete a cycle. If leaving it in for days at a time is important to you, perhaps you should look at a pressure side cleaner.

 

[keene3b07]

Ive talked to 3 or 4 people who have had those aquabots and nobody has been impressed. They are expensive too.

 

[duraleigh]

Our pool is very clean and just gets a few bugs, little sand and minor stuff that falls to the bottom of the pool. I usually just use a net to skim the bottom and use the vacuum every couple weeks.

That is an extremely low maintenance pool. You are very lucky.

An auto-vac is normally used on pools requiring MUCH more cleaning. Have you considered a suction-side cleaner which will have enough cleaning power, be less expensive?

If you really want a robot, all of the mid-price ($700 or so) should do a very nice job for you but, as Jason said, really should come out of the pool between cleanings.

 

[jhalpinjr]

I purchased the Aquabot rapids xls for $699 with a two year warranty, 1 year bumper to bumper. It replaced my polaris and cleans much better.
I am very happy so far with the unit. I only have about 6 cleanings with it so far but I can tell you it works great and costs less to operate then the Polaris.

With a two year warranty I couldnt go wrong.

 

[glitter&guns]

Robotic cleaners need to be taken out of the pool when they complete a cycle. If leaving it in for days at a time is important to you, perhaps you should look at a pressure side cleaner.

Wait, is this true? I have been looking at Dolphin M4 by Maytronics and one of the big things that I liked about it is that it only needs to be removed to clean the filters (or if it is in the way of a pool party or whatever). I know the one at the pool store basically lives in their pool. What I have read and been told is that once a week you need to hit a button on the control panel outside of the pool, and when the filter needs to be cleaned it will light up and refuse to clean so that you know.

Have I gotten bad info?

 

[jongig]

I am considering some sort of auto cleaner because I sometimes have limited time in the morning and just want to swim instead of clean. For me to clean the bottom of the pool by hand takes about 10 minutes and then I swim for about 20. Unrolling the cover and then rolling it back up is probably anther 5 minutes. Since I have to work durring the day I sometmes am late to work because the run and swim of course are more important.

I thought if I could I'd put the auto-cleaner in the pool and have a timer start it working at some point before I swim. Not sure if this is good or not but just my idea and without knowing much about them maybe this won't work. When I installed the electric around the pool I did install outlets that can be timed by the house automation. I had thought that the unit could sit in the pool and then be turned on remotely to start cleaning. I'm not sure what the harm to the unit would be to sit in the water?

The way I clean the bottom now is with the use of a skimmer that I found at Walmart that has a slight nose end to it and works as a scoop along the bottom of the pool. I swim underwater with it to scoop up what I find and then clap it out of the pool.

The only stuff I can't get out of the pool is a little sand that probably comes from the sand filter. This is the only reason I vacuum every couple weeks.

I might add that I hate vacuuming the pool because of the 10,000 foot hose that I'm using and the way it looks like a Laurel & Hardy episode as I loose the vacuum to the bottom of the pool and end up soaked somehow.

 

[Mike_k]

Robotic cleaners need to be taken out of the pool when they complete a cycle. If leaving it in for days at a time is important to you, perhaps you should look at a pressure side cleaner.

Wait, is this true? I have been looking at Dolphin M4 by Maytronics and one of the big things that I liked about it is that it only needs to be removed to clean the filters (or if it is in the way of a pool party or whatever). I know the one at the pool store basically lives in their pool. What I have read and been told is that once a week you need to hit a button on the control panel outside of the pool, and when the filter needs to be cleaned it will light up and refuse to clean so that you know.

Have I gotten bad info?

That's interesting. I have a Dolphin DX3. It doesn't have a filter alert feature, but I remove it from the pool after each cycle and wash out the filter. With all of the gunk that collects in the filter, I wouldn't think that you'd want to leave it in the pool for an extended period of time.

There is an "away" feature where I can leave the Dolphin in the pool and it will start a cycle at the same time for several days in a row, but I've never used it.

And to the OP - I love, love, love my Dolphin.

 

[glitter&guns]

[quote="glitter&guns":3q6890zp]

Robotic cleaners need to be taken out of the pool when they complete a cycle. If leaving it in for days at a time is important to you, perhaps you should look at a pressure side cleaner.

Wait, is this true? I have been looking at Dolphin M4 by Maytronics and one of the big things that I liked about it is that it only needs to be removed to clean the filters (or if it is in the way of a pool party or whatever). I know the one at the pool store basically lives in their pool. What I have read and been told is that once a week you need to hit a button on the control panel outside of the pool, and when the filter needs to be cleaned it will light up and refuse to clean so that you know.

Have I gotten bad info?

That's interesting. I have a Dolphin DX3. It doesn't have a filter alert feature, but I remove it from the pool after each cycle and wash out the filter. With all of the gunk that collects in the filter, I wouldn't think that you'd want to leave it in the pool for an extended period of time.

There is an "away" feature where I can leave the Dolphin in the pool and it will start a cycle at the same time for several days in a row, but I've never used it.

And to the OP - I love, love, love my Dolphin.[/quote:3q6890zp]


I am glad to hear that you love your Dolphin! The M4 has a weekly timer on it (according to their advertising material) which you can set for it to run through various cleaning cycles for a week. I do need to take back the "refuse to clean" comment as re-reading it, it is simply an indicator light that goes on when it is getting overly full - I had miss-read the wording on the advertising. I looked at an M4 that had been running in a newly (2 1/2 week old) plaster pool with limited trees in the area, and it was on day 6 of a 7 day run when the owner opened it, and it had some grit in the filter area, and a couple of acorns, but not a ton of stuff by any means. The pool looked beautiful, btw.

He was leaving his in the pool - am I wrong in assuming that is the intent of a weekly timer?

 

[duraleigh]

With the usage OP is talking about, a suction side cleaner would be perfectly adequate and I would have no problem leaving it in the pool....no electricity or seals to worry about.

Time it with the pool pump and you are good to go.