Vacuum, Robot or In floor system

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J

JorgeSerna

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Aug 27, 2014
11
Zapata Texas
The wife and I have been planning on where the pool is to be located and how we can keep it clean. I decided on cutting a tree that was damaged in the past which would result on less or zero leafs in pool.

My concern would be the dust since we live in a very dry part of South Texas. What would be the best way or system to keep pool clean of dust settlement on pool floor?

Will pool returns and skimmers help?

Should we get an infloor system?

I think he said 2k for the infloor system and another PB had quoted us 3k on a Pcc2000.

We have never used a pool vacumm or robot so we have no knowledge about them.

The pool builder is showing up tomorrow to show us layouts and an infloor system not sure what brand of system. Any ways I want to build a concrete pool about 32'x15' with basic white plaster in the next few months.
 
Welcome to TFP!

For dust, I don't think you can beat a robot. Pool returns and skimmers help, but they aren't going to get anywhere near keeping all the dust out. There have been a few folks state they have had problems with in-floor systems, and a few love them. The thing is, one of the chores associated with having a pool is sweeping, and the robot will do that for you. And, their filter systems filter even finer than most pool filters, so they are really good at removing small stuff like dust. A robot also doesn't need additional pump HP or a second pump, it just uses good old electricity.
 
X2 on the robot. In floor systems aren't cheap, and they only move stuff to the drains where they get pulled to the filter so they only clean what is easily moved. Plus, they use the pump to do it so you get dirt in the filter which eventually will need to be backflushed or cleaned. A robot uses very little energy to do an awesome job. They clean the waterline and filter (at least in my case) to 5 microns. That's clean. You just need to pop out the filter bag after a cleaning and rinse it with a hose. No lost pool water or filter canister disassembly required.

I have friends with new pools that have in-floor systems that keep getting stuck between ports. One guy has a leaf collection vortex thing that doesn't work either. I have a Bravo Fury that I bought this year that I have been thrilled with.
 
Thanks RobbieH

I sure read alot about infloor systems and there pros and cons on here over these past few days. So these robots have an onboard filter or cartridge that we clean out daily or weekly.

A Few questions on these robots.

Do they have timers built in?

Can I just run them at night and leave them unattended?

Is there any certain options I should look for?
 
They have a built in filter. I am going to go out on a limb and recommend the Dolphin Z5. The filters are very easy to clean, and it has a remote if you want to drive the thing into any trouble spots. They shut themselves off after a specific run time (differs from robot to robot). If you want one that turns itself on each day, you'll have to step up to the M5, but finding someone that carries it is much harder, maybe your pool builder can sell you one?

I run mine unattended. I just walk out, hit the power button, and walk away. I clean it out about once a week unless it's in the fall when leaves are really heavy.
 
X3 on the Robot. I thought I was going to be dealing with dust only...I bought a Dolphin Z5(cheaper and easier to find than the M5 for me). It vacuums more stuff than I could by hand vacuuming 3x. The M5 is a little better than the Z5 (third brush, and a better remote with programming options). But even with my having the lesser of the two, I can't see where any improvement in cleaning abilities would come from. I'm blown away by my Z5.

Fast forward to this last month. Figs are in season. Birds love Figs.....I have two fig trees in my backyard....see where this is going?

As you've guessed Birds have dropped many a fig in my pool. "Flipper" sucks those figs up no problem. I have only used the mesh filters once, that was when my PB redid the grout they screwed up the first time and dropped 1/2 of the grout in the pool. Other than that time I've run the pleated filters and flipper has done amazingly.
 
The pool store told me if you don't like the pcc2000 I'll give u a free robot...uh huh. On the other hand this PB that's coming tomorrow is in the middle of an infloor and robot so really wasn't much help.

I guess it really comes down to what robot we pick out that determines the outcome.

If I get one it may be one of those dolphins.
 

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We don't have many pools here but I do know a person who decided to get his $90k pool cut up to install this infloor system because his pool kept getting dirty. I don't know any info on his filtration system or method he was using.

I tried uploading a picture through my phone but not sure if I did it correctly to give you guys an idea of this red or brown dust.
 
That is a lot of dirt and which ever cleaning system you choose it is going to be busy. I would consider an in-floor for this amount of dirt only because the robot will get a ton of work and to haul it in and out of the pool that frequently would be a chore in itself.

I would want more of a guarantee than a robot if you are not satisfied with the in-floor system. The in-floor systems seem to work very well if they install them correctly, but are a complete waste of money if they don't get everything exact. Ask how many in-floors they have installed and if you can see any of them. Try to find some that are installed with the same shape and floor as your pool is going to be.

Remember that the electrical cost to run a in-floor is many many times more than running a robot and you will have to brush the pool weekly with the in-floor.
 
I love my WALL-E! He is the older dolphin deluxe 4 without a remote... I just turn it on a walk away. Once it is done cleaning it shuts itself off automatically. I remove the filter and set it to dry. Once dried, I shake all the dust off. The robot had worked very well even when Santa Ana winds have blown a ton of dirt into my pool.
 
That is a heck of lot of dirt for a couple of days!

This year we did major paver work around the pool as well as re-grading & landscaping. Dirt and sand all over the place. I chuck the robot in every couple of days or after a storm and it really keeps up with getting all the sand/dirt out of the pool.

Sometimes I have taken well over a quart of sand out of the baskets. That can equal lbs of sand which the xtra weight can change it’s directional pattern, so when it starts getting jerky I stop it to clean all the sand out and give it a fresh start.

I probably should be using the hose and Vac head for the bad days, but the robot is just too easy.

It’s a AquaBot 4WD, it’s not fancy but at just over $600 it’s a great value
 
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