Comparison of Polaris 360 vs Pentair SE ( s200 )

[markayash]

Just a little background, I had a 360 for over 20 years. This pool is setup with a center outlet for it which helps
It stayed in the pool 24/7/365 unless I am worried about it freezing,

Early 2020 it needed rebuilding and at the time I thought the parts were expensive so bought a Pentair SE for $699 and got a $50 rebate so was happy..
In early 2023 my robot quit and although it needs a impellor motor that should cost $50 Maytronics makes you buy the whole assembly for $450
Should note my motor had water in it so a seal leaked.
So i decided to go back to another 360 and found a used one for $210, had to spend another $45 on a piece of hose and a float but it look's brand new

Should also note I have a lot of hardwood tree's around me so I get tree junk..People in the south will understand

Roboot Advantages over Polaris
It does clean better, mainly with the small grit on the bottom
It was less of a hassle, cord sometimes got tangled but nothing major


360 Advantages Over roboot
It does a better job keeping the pool clean over all. It will run 24/7 as long as my pump is on.
It does a better job with bigger leaf's
PARTS! I used to complain that $125 rebuild kit was a scam but compared to a $450 motor its cheap
Plus you can buy every part separate, most of the ones I replace are $20

A lot of folks on here have Robots and never have issues. But once I started looking around a lot of us have.
Not sure why unless it has to do with water temp and taking it in and out. As mentioned mine stays in especially from early spring until summer.

If they designed it to last more then 3 years I would have bought another one.

 

[dfwnoob]

You can have my Polaris 280 when you pry it from my cold dead hands. Even the unboosted Polaris' like your 360 just work with no hassle. I think the love affair with robots is slowly fading now that people are starting to realize they're basically unrepairable for any reasonable amount of money and they certainly don't seem to last. When a company comes out with a robot that is fully repairable and doesn't subscribe to the Apple way of doing business (e.g. only offering entire expensive assemblies, offering little if any individual components), I'll entertain getting one. But for now, the Polaris and other "dumb" cleaners just seem to be the better choice.

 

[ajw22]

I am a Polaris cleaner fan. I think people who are happy with the Polaris cleaners give it regular maintenance and are able to DIY rebuilds.

Robots have its place for a different type of pool owner.

 

[markayash]

I have got pretty good and rebuilding mine. After the 2nd time I just started taking it apart and replacing the belts and cleaning it
I think the reason this person sold theirs cheap was the back float was full of water and kept laying on it's side. Quick $15 fix

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I think your Pro's/Con's comparison is spot on. And while it is possible to find some of the internal components to the robots motor assembly on eBay (there's a seller in Israel that ships to the US), it's still a fairly expensive repair with no guarantees (your impeller motor would cost $140 plus $35 for overseas shipping ... and that's for a scrapped motor, not even an OEM new one, so zero guarantee on life expectancy). Robots do have their conveniences and aesthetics, but I think it's vastly overstated for the average pool owner.

My pool is plumbed for a suction-side cleaner and, like you, I have a center port for the suction line that eliminates the need for taking out the skimmer to run the cleaner. This leaves the suction cleaner in the pool 24/7 unless we are swimming. It's a set it and forget it type cleaner that just works. There's a bit of automation I need to do at my pad to make it even more user friendly, but that's a Saturday project for when I have the time (involves a small bit of plumbing to rework some PVC pipes that are in the way). I think a pool with a properly designed suction cleaner line is very easy to maintain and there are suction cleaners out there nowadays that look a lot like robots as opposed to the old school membrane cleaners doing the jiggly-dance along the pool bottom. Plenty of good option in the suction cleaner world.

In my neck of the woods, there's little leaf debris in the pool (except for the next month when everything is in bloom and then floats right into my pool) so the majority of the work for any cleaner I use is sand and silt. The Dolphin robot definitely cleaned up lots of clay-like silt as it cleaned and I would often just use the ultra-fine pleated filters all the time ... the hose spray would always rinse out a trail of brown water from all the dust. So, in that sense, my suction cleaner sends that to the filter but, thankfully, the loading hasn't gotten noticeably worse. Pairing a dedicated suction line with a very large surface area and low head filter, like a Pentair Clean and Clear, is definitely the way to go. I have a DE filter which will be replaced some day with a Clean and Clear.

Glad to see your pressure cleaner is working.

 

[DanF]

Thanks for the report and comparison, Mark. Very timely as my my Dolphin S200 died (I think) yesterday, three years nearly to the day after I purchased it. I'll create another post about that after I calm down a little .

I've owned only suction-side cleaners ("The Pool Thing" was the latest) and my current Dolphin. I was convinced to go the robot on this forum and have no regrets. I loved the way the Dolphin cleaned my pool compared to the suction side cleaners, and liked the fact that the debris didn't end up in my pump basket or filter. I get leaves here occasionally from a few big trees in my yard, but they're small enough so that they're don't bother the robot. And the silt and dust that Matt mentions above.

Not sure what direction I will head at this point, but open to all options.

Mark - I though the Polaris cleaners required a booster pump, but I see your is unboosted. Can you explain that? Where does the hose connect?

I have a center port for the suction line that eliminates the need for taking out the skimmer to run the cleaner.

Matt - I have a Betta solar skimmer that I like (when it works). However, I do need to remove it from the pool when my Dolphin is running. Are you saying that your skimmer and suction-side cleaner can co-exist?

 

[markayash]

The 360 has a flexible hose that’s about 1 1/2” in diameter and runs off the existing pump setup.
It’s made to connect to a normal return but mine was plumbed for one in the center of the pool.
I like that because it runs with the pump unless you take it out.
I will post a generic picture of one

 

[markayash]

Thanks for the report and comparison, Mark. Very timely as my my Dolphin S200 died (I think) yesterday, three years nearly to the day after I purchased it. I'll create another post about that after I calm down a little .

I've owned only suction-side cleaners ("The Pool Thing" was the latest) and my current Dolphin. I was convinced to go the robot on this forum and have no regrets. I loved the way the Dolphin cleaned my pool compared to the suction side cleaners, and liked the fact that the debris didn't end up in my pump basket or filter. I get leaves here occasionally from a few big trees in my yard, but they're small enough so that they're don't bother the robot. And the silt and dust that Matt mentions above.

Not sure what direction I will head at this point, but open to all options.

Mark - I though the Polaris cleaners required a booster pump, but I see your is unboosted. Can you explain that? Where does the hose connect?

Matt - I have a Betta solar skimmer that I like (when it works). However, I do need to remove it from the pool when my Dolphin is running. Are you saying that your skimmer and suction-side cleaner can co-exist?

Funny mine died very close to 3 years also, don’t know the exact dates but had to be within weeks in putting it in the pool.

 

[DanF]

It’s made to connect to a normal return but mine was plumbed for one in the center of the pool.

Thanks for the pic. I'm having a hard time envisioning how the hose would connect to my return line, but I can do some googling. Is it easy to pull the cleaner out for emptying the basket? I guess the basket would prevent debris from going to the pump's basket/filter as in a suction side cleaner.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Matt - I have a Betta solar skimmer that I like (when it works). However, I do need to remove it from the pool when my Dolphin is running. Are you saying that your skimmer and suction-side cleaner can co-exist?

Sorry to hear about the dead robot. It’s really surprising to me how many posts I’ve read lately about Dolphin robots dying. It’s really sad and I think a lot of has to do with the pandemic’s influence on manufacturing businesses and supply chains. It doesn’t seem to me that their design has changed all that much so it’s likely an issue with subcomponents and suppliers. One would think that they would do a deeper level of quality-assurance as they just be detecting these higher failure rates but maybe they aren’t or they don’t care so much. Hard to tell either way.

I have a traditional in-wall skimmer and a separate suction port. Both lines run back to the pump. So my suction cleaner runs independent of the skimmer. In my case Inhave both the skimmer running and the suction cleaner running at the same time.

 

[markayash]

Thanks for the pic. I'm having a hard time envisioning how the hose would connect to my return line, but I can do some googling. Is it easy to pull the cleaner out for emptying the basket? I guess the basket would prevent debris from going to the pump's basket/filter as in a suction side cleaner.

This might help. There is also another one that uses a booster pump. It actually uses pressure and not suction.

 

[Homebrewale]

I have a robot similar to S200. To plan for any future failure, what are the best options when you don't have a booster pump and outlet for a pressure side cleaner or a dedicated port for a suction side cleaner? From this thread, I got to know more about the Polaris 360 which doesn't need a booster pump. It still requires removing one of the return eyes so you can connect the line. That doesn't seem optimal if you remove the cleaner after each use. For suction side cleaners, there are ones that can use the skimmer instead of a dedicated suction port. Do these cleaners that use the skimmer do a good job?

 

[markayash]

I have a robot similar to S200. To plan for any future failure, what are the best options when you don't have a booster pump and outlet for a pressure side cleaner or a dedicated port for a suction side cleaner? From this thread, I got to know more about the Polaris 360 which doesn't need a booster pump. It still requires removing one of the return eyes so you can connect the line. That doesn't seem optimal if you remove the cleaner after each use. For suction side cleaners, there are ones that can use the skimmer instead of a dedicated suction port. Do these cleaners that use the skimmer do a good job?

It has a twist in quick coupler so you can take it in and out pretty easy. That return just won't have the smaller " eye" to direct the water. I think the biggest issue is if your return isn't in the middle you need a long hose

 

[Homebrewale]

It has a twist in quick coupler so you can take it in and out pretty easy. That return just won't have the smaller " eye" to direct the water. I think the biggest issue is if your return isn't in the middle you need a long hose

Did I not read somewhere in the literature that if you have multple returns, you need to install plugs on the others? I have four returns.

 

[Homebrewale]

Here is where I got that info.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I have a robot similar to S200. To plan for any future failure, what are the best options when you don't have a booster pump and outlet for a pressure side cleaner or a dedicated port for a suction side cleaner? From this thread, I got to know more about the Polaris 360 which doesn't need a booster pump. It still requires removing one of the return eyes so you can connect the line. That doesn't seem optimal if you remove the cleaner after each use. For suction side cleaners, there are ones that can use the skimmer instead of a dedicated suction port. Do these cleaners that use the skimmer do a good job?

If you use the skimmer for the suction cleaner there is a few options - one is to use a skimmer plate that fits over the entire skimmer interior and sits on the basket. Crud and junk gets stopped by the basket but you lose all surface skimming function. Another option is to use an adjustable skimmer bypass valve that plugs into the suction pipe at the bottom of the skimmer and splits the suction using an adjustable handle. This allows you, in theory, to both run the skimmer and suction cleaner at the same time BUT you can’t use a skimmer basket with the diverter valve in place. Also, to avoid a suction line clog, you’ll want to use an in-line leaf trap on the suction line to capture debris. Hayward makes very good ones.

In reality, using the skimmer as the source of suction …. sucks. Skimmer plates pop off all the time and diverter valves come undone. If there’s no other option then it’s all you have. But many people with suction cleaners and no dedicated suction line HATE them because of all the issues.

 

[Homebrewale]

I use skimmer plates when vacuuming by hand. They would stay in place on my old pool. I have not tried it yet on this pool. Since I don't leave any cleaner in the pool when not in use, I may clean more often by hand since I have the time (now retired).

 

[DanF]

I use skimmer plates when vacuuming by hand. They would stay in place on my old pool. I have not tried it yet on this pool. Since I don't leave any cleaner in the pool when not in use, I may clean more often by hand since I have the time (now retired).

Congrats on retirement! Do you have a place to store the hose when not vacuuming?

 

[Homebrewale]

Congrats on retirement! Do you have a place to store the hose when not vacuuming?

There is a hook on the fence next to the equipment pad.

 

[markayash]

For those with broke Dolphin Robots some of the used parts are worth selling.
Power supplies are around $150 for a good used one on eBay so don’t throw it all away