looking for affordable auto cleaner that does a good job. could you guys recommend a few for me
pool cleaners
- Thread starter cspivey
- Start date
Suction, pressure, or robot? If pressure do you want a booster pump type or boosterless? We really need a bit more information (and if you don't know what I am talking about then please ask so we can explain about the different types of pool cleaners! 
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)i need a suction used in my skimmer, and boosterless i guess, please do explain, i am new pool owner 15.5ft x 35.5 ft grecian shaped pool
This article from Pool School should help.
category/pool-school/automatic_pool_cleaners
If you have not already done so I would suggest reading through the entire Pool School section of the forum. The link is at the top of the page and also in my signature!
It will probably answer a LOT of the questions you have as a new pool owner.
category/pool-school/automatic_pool_cleaners
If you have not already done so I would suggest reading through the entire Pool School section of the forum. The link is at the top of the page and also in my signature!
It will probably answer a LOT of the questions you have as a new pool owner.
fofa
0
I'm going to tell you my experiences.
When we had our pool renovated, I added a suction side line, well the renovator suggested it, me being pool stupid went with it. They also sold us a Hayward navigator.
The Navigator worked really well, except for large leaves and twigs and acorns.
Every year I had to replace the "wings" $15.00 and about every other year the "feet" about $12.00.
It would clean the entire pool in about 3 hours, give or take.
After 5 years of staying in the pool 24x7 (we don't close here in the winter) it finally was so worn out it cost more to fix it than to buy a new one online.
So I bought "thepoolcleaner" 4 wheel two years ago. Got a close out deal for $200.00.
It does a better job on large leaves, acorns and small twigs. But it takes about 8 hours to cover the whole pool.
I had to replace all 4 tires this year for $60.00. It also stays in 24x7, and other than the tires, have had no problems with it so far.
My neighbor has owned two of those big rubber disk suction side cleaners, both different make, he seems to like them, but they do not cover his pool that well, there are spots they just don't seem to get into for what ever reason.
I liked/like both that I owned, but the cost of the tires on "thepoolcleaner" seems a little too much. But I like how it works better on the leaves, acorns and twigs, so I spend less time this time of the year (fall/winter) unplugging it's suction hole than I did the navigator.
If large leaves, acorns or twigs are not an issue, I would go for the navigator again myself. But that is just my opinion.
When we had our pool renovated, I added a suction side line, well the renovator suggested it, me being pool stupid went with it. They also sold us a Hayward navigator.
The Navigator worked really well, except for large leaves and twigs and acorns.
Every year I had to replace the "wings" $15.00 and about every other year the "feet" about $12.00.
It would clean the entire pool in about 3 hours, give or take.
After 5 years of staying in the pool 24x7 (we don't close here in the winter) it finally was so worn out it cost more to fix it than to buy a new one online.
So I bought "thepoolcleaner" 4 wheel two years ago. Got a close out deal for $200.00.
It does a better job on large leaves, acorns and small twigs. But it takes about 8 hours to cover the whole pool.
I had to replace all 4 tires this year for $60.00. It also stays in 24x7, and other than the tires, have had no problems with it so far.
My neighbor has owned two of those big rubber disk suction side cleaners, both different make, he seems to like them, but they do not cover his pool that well, there are spots they just don't seem to get into for what ever reason.
I liked/like both that I owned, but the cost of the tires on "thepoolcleaner" seems a little too much. But I like how it works better on the leaves, acorns and twigs, so I spend less time this time of the year (fall/winter) unplugging it's suction hole than I did the navigator.
If large leaves, acorns or twigs are not an issue, I would go for the navigator again myself. But that is just my opinion.
Fofa, those are very common complaints of suction side cleaners. The navigator is a programmed pattern cleaner so it does cover the whole pool while the rubber disc type like the Baracuda line from Zodiac are random cleaners and can miss entire sections of the pool.
These are some of the reasons why I prefer the pressure side cleaners like the Polaris and Letro.
These are some of the reasons why I prefer the pressure side cleaners like the Polaris and Letro.
I've had the Letro Legend pressure-side cleaner with booster pump and it did a good job cleaning my pool, though my pool has an electric opaque safety cover so never got too dirty except when open (due to a cedar tree nearby). I now have The Pool Cleaner pressure-side cleaner that is on a dedicated line connected to the main pump (not a booster pump) where I have a valve to switch the flow from the returns to the dedicated line. It seems to work reasonably well, though perhaps not quite as well as the Letro Legend. However, it's saving in electricity cost by not needing a separate booster pump (my Pentair Intelliflow variable flow pump drives The Pool Cleaner at 15 GPM). For my pool, I'm happy with it.
Richard
Richard
I have The Pool Cleaner running on a dedicated suction line whenever my pump is on. I used to have a Polaris 280 with a booster pump. Although it used more energy, I preferred the Polaris. The skimmer in my pool worked MUCH better, for one thing. It only took 1-2 hours to clean my large pool. It cleaned the steps. It didn't affect flow rates for solar, heater, swg, etc.
I could have saved energy by reducing the run time and running fewer days a week. I didn't know better then (hadn't found this board yet). I wish I had known all of this before a large pool remodel I did.
In a few years, I will go back to a boostered, pressure cleaner.
I could have saved energy by reducing the run time and running fewer days a week. I didn't know better then (hadn't found this board yet). I wish I had known all of this before a large pool remodel I did.
In a few years, I will go back to a boostered, pressure cleaner.
I suspect that a rough ordering of best-to-worst in a general sense of overall cleaning with the least side effects would be:
Robotic > Pressure-Side with Dedicated Pump > Pressure-Side Shared Pump > Suction-Side Shared Pump
For the pressure-side shared pump, if one has a dedicated line and runs the cleaner on a separate time schedule than regular circulation (and this requires a variable speed pump), then this is better than running it off of a regular return all of the time in terms of circulation since the latter would sap from return flows. Similar reasoning as to why a suction-side system isn't as good because it saps suction from the skimmer.
Richard
Robotic > Pressure-Side with Dedicated Pump > Pressure-Side Shared Pump > Suction-Side Shared Pump
For the pressure-side shared pump, if one has a dedicated line and runs the cleaner on a separate time schedule than regular circulation (and this requires a variable speed pump), then this is better than running it off of a regular return all of the time in terms of circulation since the latter would sap from return flows. Similar reasoning as to why a suction-side system isn't as good because it saps suction from the skimmer.
Richard
I agree with chem geek's ranking 100%, although I have no first-hand experience with robotics. The pressure side Polaris line with dedicated booster pump do an excellent job, especially with a fine mesh bag which captures dirt, sand, and other small stuff. As far as my own Kreepy Krauley, I would personally like to put it in a hydraulic press and crush it into the size of a soda can (remember the old David Letterman bits?). But alas, my wife won't let me replace it until it dies. It gets hung up on everything, including itself. I've tried everything Pentair has recommended to stop this activity, but nothing has worked. It also rarely gets to the center of the pool, spending most of its time along the sides. Rant mode OFF! 
