Dolphin Active 20 seems worthless so far

[suep]

I just got an Active 20 and so far I am very disappointed. It moves very slowly and doesn't pick up all the dirt in the pool. I have run 2 cycles today and there are still small pieces of debris all over the pool. This is my 4th or 5th Dolphin and so far it is the absolute worst. My last one was a Z5 Oasis and it cleaned the pool really well with one cycle as did all of my other Dolphins.

The only thing I like about the Active 20 is that it isn't as heavy as the other Dolphins I have owned.

 

[reggiehammond]

That’s definitely not right - any chance the filters aren’t in the basket or something other strange that you notice?
I would reach out to where you bought it and get a replacement shipped if you don’t find a smoking gun.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Suep,

My Active 20's work great. I use the pleated filters..

Make sure the open-ended bag. at the bottom of the filter basket. is open all the way. You can also remove it and see if it is the problem.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[TexasDedHed]

Mine has only been "ok," but I just assume they hype is because compared to other robots it works fairly well? Have had my Active20 for probably about 6 months and the power source has always sucked- I only get about 15-20 minutes of work out of it before it stops. It's never really climbed walls, gets stuck for the 20 minute cleaning on an intake, etc. I've just taken to turning it back on every 20 minutes or so for about 5 hours to get it to do anything.

Kinda assume they're all like this- since I wrote Marina Pool Supply with a video of it and they just ghosted me, never even replied lol.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ded,

I have had several Dolphin robots over the years and none of them worked like that!!! Something is wrong!!

Are you sure the power supply is bad and not the robot itself?

I have never had one shut off before the end of its cycle and 90% of the time it will clean my pools in one cycle. 100% of the time in two cycles.

You can't blame the robot for getting stuck on your main drain. That is really main drain issue and not a robot issue.

PM me the video....

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[TexasDedHed]

Ded,

I have had several Dolphin robots over the years and none of them worked like that!!! Something is wrong!!

Are you sure the power supply is bad and not the robot itself?

I have never had one shut off before the end of its cycle and 90% of the time it will clean my pools in one cycle. 100% of the time in two cycles.

You can't blame the robot for getting stuck on your main drain. That is really main drain issue and not a robot issue.

PM me the video....

Thanks,

Jim R.

I honestly have no idea where the video is now, I sent it to them a few weeks after I got it back in November. I could go film a new one now? I just tried it again in the last few minutes and it went about 4 feet and stopped. blue led on the back flashes but thats about it. I get better results (about 15 mins worth) if i unplug the power supply for a like 30 seconds and then plug it back in, but that's how I've been using it lol. I actually opened up the dolphin yesterday and checked the impeller and there wasn't a thing in it, nada- we dont have any pine trees or any trees really for that matter around here. but gimme a few, and i'll try to shoot a few vids and be back.

 

[mknauss]

Mine works great. Now in its 7th year of operation.

Call Marina if that is whom you bought it from. Call right at 10 am MDT.

 

[suep]

Thanks for your responses. The filters were in but one was popped out a little so maybe that was the problem. However, I ran it for the first time a couple days ago and it did a poor job cleaning and none of the filters had popped out. I use the pleated filters too and the little black bag was open. The only weird thing is that it rattles when I carry it. Is it supposed to do that?

If it does a poor job next time I will double check the filters to make sure they are secure and and if they are I will remove the black bag to see if that helps.

Anyway, the pool is pretty clean after 3 cycles and hopefully the filter popping out was the problem.

 

[mknauss]

The only weird thing is that it rattles when I carry it. Is it supposed to do that?

No.
Check for the drain flapper. It is a sheet of rubber that releases to allow the unit to drain when you pull it out.

 

[TexasDedHed]

Mine works great. Now in its 7th year of operation.

Call Marina if that is whom you bought it from. Call right at 10 am MDT.

Yeah I did a few hours ago. They sent me a video on realigning the motor which didn't help at all. I sent them videos of it basically doing nothing. we'll see what they say. Hopefully it can be replaced but it's never been any better or worse since I first used it.

 

[suep]

No.
Check for the drain flapper. It is a sheet of rubber that releases to allow the unit to drain when you pull it out.

The flapper is there and the it drains fine when I pull it out of the pool.
I found some old Dolphin reviews for the S200, Cayman, and S 50 on Gazette Review - Breaking News, Editorials, and Product Reviews and they say that if there is a rattle it is a factory fault.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Suep,

They all rattle, so your breaking news is total Bull Feathers...

I guess it might make sense to know what you mean by rattle..

Just to make sure I went out and turned by Active 20 upside down and you hear what sounds like a float 'clunk' as you turn it upside down and then again when you turn it right side up. If you shake it, it sounds like a rattle.

Maybe you have a different rattle???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[suep]

Suep,

They all rattle, so your breaking news is total Bull Feathers...

I guess it might make sense to know what you mean by rattle..

Just to make sure I went out and turned by Active 20 upside down and you hear what sounds like a float 'clunk' as you turn it upside down and then again when you turn it right side up. If you shake it, it sounds like a rattle.

Maybe you have a different rattle???

Thanks,

Jim R.

It wasn't meant to be breaking news. It rattles when I am carrying it and I have never had a Dolphin that rattled. If that is normal, fine.

 

[Jsf721]

I am not familiar with your model but my Nautilus Cc Plus is amazing. The only one I’ve ever owned. I use screen filters to open and then switch to fine filters the rest of the season.

 

[Jimrahbe]

suep,

Sorry, I was not trying to pick on you about the rattle. I just don't think the rattle is the source of your robot issue.

I have an S200, and Active 20, and a warrior SE... they are all the same basic robot with different names. They are in three different pools and they all work about the same. I am not doing anything special to make them work, so it seems to me your robot is not working correctly.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jtpipkin]

If I paid $700-$800 for something and it rattles and doesn't work properly, it's going back...

 

[Jimrahbe]

jt,

I'll bet your Dolphin Explorer 30 rattles...

Turn it upside down and see what happens.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[TKpoolOH]

@suep there's definitely something amiss with your A20. I got one when I built my pool. It acted as my sole water distribution/filtering/pump/cleaning equipment for nearly 3 months, ran perfectly every time, cleaned up a ton of large and fine debris. It could never get my whole pool due to the size in the 2 hour cycle, but I wouldn't trade it in for anything. it's still going strong and does a great job. Hope you get it resolved.

 

[TexasDedHed]

Well Marina P&S is getting me another motor since mine is under warranty still. They think that that is the issue. Hopefully it fixes the thing because my Active20 has been the worst waste of $850 I've ever spent . Vacuuming a pool with a mask and snorkel on with a rechargeable stick vacuum gets real old!

 

[RLP]

Something must be wrong with it, mine gets everything off of the bottom every time.