Aquabot Rover Jr questions

[Xebec]

I just received my new Aquabot Rover Jr. I was very excited because of the great review, here. I returned my Hayward AquaBug, which I was unhappy with.

Sadly, it's not performing as I had hoped. It goes across the pool (oval, appx 12x24) just fine. But, it's not doing so well at picking up fresh dirt (ie, dirt that's not stuck to the bottom), and I'm not convinced the pattern will cover the entire pool.

So, I have three questions for those with experience.

1) How much suction are you getting out of your Jr?

I turned mine over to check it, and the two intakes felt more like a breeze than a suction.

2) Is there a recommended setting for oval pools? I see there are pin holes (forward and back) on the left and the right, but the instructions only talk about using the two on the right. If so, how do I select it?

My Rover Jr zips to the other side of the pool at an angle, then straightens itself out (IOW, it hits the side with one wheel and slides around until both wheels are touching the side before starting off again in the other direction. That seems to throw off the pattern that is supposed to assure complete coverage.

3) How much dirt should it pick up before requiring a bag cleaning?

I vacuumed, manually, two days ago. Today, there were a few patches of visible dirt. Nothing too heavy, but definitely noticeable. The first 10 minutes of running the new Rover Jr, seemed to work great. Picked up dirt well. But, soon afterwards, i noticed it leaving a lot of dirt behind. The bag CAN'T have gotten too clogged so quickly, could it?

 

[Tdog]

I have a 18x33 and my PRJ seems to work fine. I am very impressed by how it cleans. I had your same feelings at first about it covering the entire pool. I just turn it on and let it go, it seems to get everything.

I have my pins set on the holes closest to the body of the PRJ. I swap the pin to the other side, as the instructions show, every time I pull it out of the water. Keeps the cord from tangling to badly.

As for suction, I never really tested it. I do notice when it is going around, and my pool is really dirty, it seems to blow debris around a lot, but it still seems to clean everything up.

You would probably be surprised at how quickly the bag gets dirty. I use my PRJ about 2 times a week and clean the bag every time. Every time I pull the bag out, it is black with dirt and other nasties. I don't know if you have to clean it every time, but I am kind of anal when it comes to that stuff. I also take my PRJ out of the pool, rinse it off, clean the bag, and store it in my storage box every time. (For $300+, I'm going to make sure it lasts.)

 

[Xebec]

Thanks, Tdog.

I don't mind washing the bag each use. But, I don't want to have to wash it more than once PER use.

I just figured out the pin placement. On a given side (forward or back), it simply sets how much it turns per reversal. The left and right sides are for determining the direction of the turning.

I left it alone for a while and came back. You're right. Places I saw it leave dirt are nice and clean.

Thanks.

 

[Xebec]

Well, I let the thing go for the full 2 hours, then pulled it out and cleaned the bag. It didn't have much in it. But, there sure was a lot of dirt left on the bottom of my pool.

So, I cleaned the bag, changed the pin to the front (small turns) and I'm letting it try again.

I'm really hoping the Rover Jr will work. If not, I don't know what to try. I HAVE at least determined that I do NOT want to use my filter system for vacuuming. It's just not designed to do that well.