I'm leaning towards a dolphin robot. Most that I've looked at have a bag with the option for a cartridge filter. Seams like the bag might filter more fine debris. Are the bags that bad to clean vs the cartridge, seams to be the main complaint that I can find.
Bag or cartridge filter for robot cleaners
- Thread starter Andrew Howard
- Start date
- Jul 3, 2013
- 9,028
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool SJ-40
the bag is used for the big stuff like leaves and then the filters get the finer debris 
The bag works well but it's difficult to clean out and takes considerably more time.
Pop out the cartridge, spray with water hose and your're done.
Also, the cartridges come in 2 versions. The spring cleanup one which is sort of file a fine mesh, and the fine particle one. The fine particle one will filter just as fine or finer than the bag will.
Pop out the cartridge, spray with water hose and your're done.
Also, the cartridges come in 2 versions. The spring cleanup one which is sort of file a fine mesh, and the fine particle one. The fine particle one will filter just as fine or finer than the bag will.
Or get the Dolphin S300i which has a combination of a "mesh" filter and a fine filter. Dolphin S-series - cleaning the filter - YouTube
Andrew,
I have a couple of old Dolphins which have the heavy canvas-like bags, which can pick up everything... leaves, little pebbles, and dust. I did not find it hard to clean the bags at all, takes five minutes, but you will get wet.
I now have a year-old Dolphin Premier, which gives me three options....
1. A thin, cheap-feeling, bag which can be used for leaves and big stuff, but leaves all the dust or dirt behind... OR... 2. A fine screen mesh, which picks up small pebbles, but not much big stuff or any dust or dirt... OR... 3. A pleated flat cartridge filter that picks up sand, dust, and dirt great, but also captures small pebbles in-between the pleats. I find cleaning them to be a PIA...
My next robot will be the S300 that diverminh is recommending. I like the fact that it uses a "bucket" that can capture leaves and large stuff, a mesh "pre-filter" to capture pebbles, sand etc, and a fine filter to capture dirt and dust, all at the same time.
Jim R.
I have a couple of old Dolphins which have the heavy canvas-like bags, which can pick up everything... leaves, little pebbles, and dust. I did not find it hard to clean the bags at all, takes five minutes, but you will get wet.
I now have a year-old Dolphin Premier, which gives me three options....
1. A thin, cheap-feeling, bag which can be used for leaves and big stuff, but leaves all the dust or dirt behind... OR... 2. A fine screen mesh, which picks up small pebbles, but not much big stuff or any dust or dirt... OR... 3. A pleated flat cartridge filter that picks up sand, dust, and dirt great, but also captures small pebbles in-between the pleats. I find cleaning them to be a PIA...
My next robot will be the S300 that diverminh is recommending. I like the fact that it uses a "bucket" that can capture leaves and large stuff, a mesh "pre-filter" to capture pebbles, sand etc, and a fine filter to capture dirt and dust, all at the same time.
Jim R.
Do you run with a combination of your filter screens in? Currently I'm running all 4 sides with the fine mesh and seems to get a lot. I have the "finer" pleated inserts in the bag but just don't know when to use them.
The s300i basket has integrated filters. You don't need to change them out. It's quite the convenient system. I love it. Super easy to clean and no changing of filters ever for fine or big filtration.
I am running it with the pleated filter as well as the mesh screen. It works for me, so I don't see a reason to change it.
Dave,
OK... I was wrong and your were right!!
You have said a couple of times how easy it was to clean the Dolphin pleated filters, and I have been complaining about how hard it was for me to clean them. My problem was I was trying not to get wet and cleaning them under a Kitchen-like faucet with a sprayer. I was also a little worried about how robust the filters were and was afraid to use much more than "sink" pressure. So the last couple of days I took your advice and sprayed them with a garden hose nozzle and you were right. It does a great job cleaning them and the filters are way more robust than I had originally thought.. But, at least the way I do it, you get about as wet as you do cleaning the bag style of filter.
Thanks for the heads-up...
Jim R.