Are there any pool cleaners - preferably robotic - that you can leave in the pool 24 / 7 and only take it out occasionally to empty the bin / bag? I'd prefer something that you can schedule to run automatically once a day or so and that can hold enough debris that it only needs to be emptied every couple of days (preferably once a week). My in-ground pool constantly has debris being blown into it from various sources (trees, bushes, ground cover, dog hair), and I have times where I'll have to work a couple 80+ hour weeks in a row, and/or travel. While I like taking care of the pool, anything I can do to minimize the time required to do so could be very helpful.
Pool Cleaners You Can Leave in 24/7/
- Thread starter wsamon
- Start date
Welcome to TFP,
I a biased but it sounds like a Robot would be a good choice. You'll have to take it out more frequently than what you want it sounds like however.
I a biased but it sounds like a Robot would be a good choice. You'll have to take it out more frequently than what you want it sounds like however.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,832
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I leave my cleaner (ThePoolCleaner) in most of the time and it is still going strong after almost 10 years.
Pressure side and suction side non-robotic cleaners can almost all be left in the pool 24/7. All of the robotic cleaners I know of must all be removed from the pool when not in use.
I was originally looking for a robot because my understanding is that they cost less over time since they don't require the pump to run, they (some) clean walls and the water line, and scrub as well. They also don't add more work to the filter like the suction sides do. Additionally, I'm not certain that my 1 hp pump is strong enough to effectively operate them (~15k gallon pool), especially on the pressure side, or that my small filter (100 sq ft currently, with 200 sq ft being the biggest it can take) would do well with everything passing through it. I also expect that the irregular kidney shape with rounded wall bottoms may prevent a "dumb" system from covering everything. However, I will admit that I am a complete noob, having never owned a pool before. My current equipment consists solely of a net, brush, and venturi leaf vacuum that attaches to a pole & garden hose
I do really like the idea of leaving something in 24/7 when I'm not swimming though. Even if it can't get the waterline, I could get a solar breeze to help out with that and just scrub the walls when I can get to them. Do you have any recommendations of ones that do a good job gathering everything from pollen dust and dog hair to leaves?
I have to admit that I'm a little surprised there isn't a Roomba-style robot that just lives in the pool and turns on to clean for 2 hours every day before returning to its base (ideally) or even just turning off and sitting there.
I am guessing this is why the robots I have had failed in a shorter period of time than I would have liked, I would leave it in for a few days ... maybe weeks ...
In my mind the robots I had were close to the Generation 1, so maybe (hopefully?) the newer ones are better sealed.
I leave my robot in all the time, its when I took it out that I would have problems. The seals heat up in the sun, then contract, then heatup, etc.
One of the big issues is that a cleaner is a protected environment where algae can get started if you don't run the cleaner regularly. Non-robotic cleaners are automatically run every day by the pump being on. Robotic cleaners are not normally run nearly that often.
If I can find one with a scheduler that I just leave in the pool I'd have it run every day.
You can do that, and algae won't be an issue in that case, but the cleaner won't last all that long. Robotic pool cleaners are designed to be run once a week, and their lifetime and warranties are based on that assumption.
Blue diamond is the only one I'm aware of that is based on Cycles. Dolphins can be set to run certain times per week. The problem for me is the filter is full after a run so it doesn't work that well if you have a lot of stuff in the pool.
The Dolphin warranty says "This warranty covers only normal and reasonable use of the unit." and I promise you daily usage is not going to be considered normal and reasonable.
hmm... I might have to contact them. I wonder why daily, or every other day wouldn't be considered reasonable usage. Unless you want to go swimming in a pool with leaves and dirt on the bottom of it, I don't think once a week would cut it for many people. That sounds like an unreasonable definition of reasonable to me. That would be like the LED lightbulbs claiming that they last 22 years but only if you use them an average of 30 minutes a day (their claim is typically based on 3 hours / day, which is much more "reasonable").
That aside, the only recommendation I actually see here is the for ThePoolCleaner, which I've also seen mentioned in other threads. I'm not the biggest fan of relying on my pump and filter to do all the work, but it's definitely something I'll consider. Is there anything I can check to get an idea if my pump / the suction is strong enough to use one of these effectively? Also, wouldn't leaving a suction-side connected in the pool all the time essentially disable my skimmer? I don't know if that sounds like a great trade off.
I really couldn't imagine them saying anything if you run it everyday, if you have debris, then the pool needs to be cleaned. As I said though, if you have a lot of debris, you will be cleaning the thing every single day. If you went with a suction cleaner, yes it would block the skimmer, but I did see something at the local pool store that attaches to the hose and skims at the waterline. Still, I wouldn't want to be cleaning or replacing filters all the time either.
I have a Dolphin Premier which has three preset schedules. It can be set to run once a day for a week, once every other day for a week or 2 times per week. It has a 3 year, non-prorated, not limited by cycles warranty. No where in the instructions does it say to remove it from the pool when done. It also have a light that tells you when the filter is dirty, but I do not know if the light is based on time used. or truly measures how dirty the filter is. I just got it a few weeks ago, so I have no idea if being left in the pool "forever" will shorten its life span or not, but I intend to find out. I guess time will tell.
Jim R.
I guess time will tell.Jim R.
I can't speak for Robotic cleaners, but I can speak to my Polaris 280. It has a separate booster that takes the load off of the main pump. I leave it in all the time when we are not swimming. It runs 2 hours a day on a timer and keeps the pool completely clean. I have a lot of trees and sand, but I put an extra large knee high nylon inside the units bag and I never need to manually vacuum now. Good luck on your search.
Does it come with the separate booster & timer? Otherwise I have to purchase that and have it installed as well, which will push the price up significantly, I'm sure.
Booster pump driven pool cleaners tend to be very good for mid-sized to small pools. However the booster pump uses a fair bit of electricity, which can be an issue if your electric rates are high.