Dolphin Premier

[cap58]

I bought a Dolphin DX6 about a month ago - it has been a great investment. I did an initial manual skimming for leaves at the bottom of the pool with a net, to pull out the biggest volume of leaves. But then I just threw in Poolio (as in Poolio Iglesias) and he has done a great job ever since. I never had to use the old suction/skimmer line vacuum set up at all this year. Poolio replaced a Jandy Ray Vac (his name was Ray - not as creative.....) that I had connected to a pressure side line. It worked fine but I developed a leak in the line last year, so it was just easier (and cheaper) to just close off the line. I used the old skimmer vacuum last year and realized what a pain that was. So I did a lot of research and ended up settling on the Dolphin DX6. I paid $1050 for it at BestBuyPoolSupply.com - I also purchased a Nature 2 replacement cartridge from them at a great price. I did have to pay for shipping but the cost savings on the Dolphin and the Nature 2 cartridge more than paid for the shipping costs. I usually just toss Poolio in and let the random program do its thing - although I have noticed, he doesn't like to clean the steps, so I just brush any dirt from the steps to the floor of the pool and this seems to work. I have the remote and have used it a couple of times - it is a bit awkward to use but it's nice to have the option. I do bring mine in and lock it up in the garage during the week when I am out of town on business - I would not be happy if someone stole it out of the yard. Overall, I am very pleased with this purchase.

Fiberglass pool, Hayward cartridge filter, Hayward heater - built in 2008
Seven Hills, OH

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP, cap58!!!

If you do some searching here, you will see that we NEVER recommend the introduction of metal to your water like the Nature 2 does as it can result in expensive staining and green hair.

 

[cap58]

Thanks for the welcome Jason. I never knew that about the Nature 2 product. I've used them on 2 fiberglass pools now since 2000 and never have had an issue. The only time I had metal staining issues, it was caused by copper algaecide which I no longer use. But I am always interested in better (and easier) ways to maintain my pool - thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

The nature 2 also adds copper, so it could have been the combination of both that resulted in staining. Of course we also rarely ever recommend algaecide except for special reasons ... chlorine is cheaper and more effective.

 

[mpnret]

Got my M5 today... can't use it for a couple weeks yet, but trying to understand the operation. All is pretty clear except for what the handle settings do. The manual is terrible on this. Each side of the handle has 4 positions... and somehow they affect the waterline time? Can someone tell me what the combinations on both sides of the handle do? Also, the top of the handle has two pop-out pieces that the manual does not seem to say anything about.

It's a shame that this is probably the best cleaner out there but has the worst documentation and support. I did own 2 Aquabot Turbos and this cleaner kicks their butt. Pool store owner told me that you pull the floats outward to get more lift if cleaner is not reaching the water line. Well my M5 wasn't reaching the water line and I tried the floats in every which position and it didn't make a difference. I read the entire manual and it made no mention of these float positions. I did follow the Maytronics troubleshooting for not reaching the waterline but came up empty handed. My water chemistry is fine and the pool is squeaky clean. If I remove the filters I can reach the water line but can't when I put them back in. The manual claims this is due to dirty filters, but they are brand new. This seems to be a common problem from other posts. I suspect those of us with a vinyl liner may need the PVC brush which is listed for concrete, PVC, fiberglass and liner. The M5 ships with a Combined brush which is listed for rough ceramic surface and mosaic tiles. But no one from dealers to support seem to know much about the different brushes. I did call support about the float positions on the handle and they are pretty much clueless. They just kept stating that they provide stability and leverage when the M5 is on the bottom of the pool. Other than that they knew nothing about the positions. I suspect they hired a bunch of temps to handle the summer rush and they just try to match a question with an answer from a database.
Anyway I was able to solve my not reaching the water line problem. I remembered that Aquabots ship with little extra Styrofoam pieces that you put inside if you need more lift. I just cut 2 small pieces of Styrofoam and put one in each filter compartment and my M5 now scrubs the water line.
If enough of us end up with M5's we may need to start a separate thread for supporting each other.

Edit: I just checked the online documentation for the M4 and it does mention the float positions:
"There are three possible float positions. Default with both in. Left out if it turns while scanning less than 90 degrees. Right out if it turns while scanning more than 90 degrees." Anybody have any idea what they are trying to say? And I guess both out is not one of the possible positions. This makes it look like the float positions only pertain to the M4. Maybe the M5 with the split brushes for turning don't require it but just happen to use the same handle.

 

[BobbyR]

I have the M4 and it is a great cleaner but, you're right, the documentation really blows. Regarding the instructions to move the left or right floats out, I struggled with that too. Which float is which? The cleaner is symmetrical with no front or back. In any case, I've experimented with all the positions and it really doesn't seem to make much difference whether the floats are in or out as long as the handle is angled. Good thing there's no problem to begin with! The cleaner goes everywhere in my pool regardless of float position. As for the waterline issue, that is a great idea to put a couple of pieces of styrofoam in the filter compartment. I'm going to try that when I get home because the cleaner does stop a bit shy of the waterline and my dealer has no idea what difference the brushes would make, if any. He couldn't even tell me which brushes the unit comes with.

 

[doncaruana]

If you start reading here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/post362330.html#p362330, you'll see what I learned about getting the M4 to work the waterline and about the handle positions. Pushing the floats outward only controls how tight it turns and has nothing to do with scrubbing the waterline. My M4 scrubs the waterline fine now.

 

[mpnret]

If you start reading here: http://www.troublefreepool.com/post362330.html#p362330, you'll see what I learned about getting the M4 to work the waterline and about the handle positions. Pushing the floats outward only controls how tight it turns and has nothing to do with scrubbing the waterline. My M4 scrubs the waterline fine now.

Thanks, I read through your posts. Some of this is starting to make sense now. Float positions should only pertain to the M4 and not the M5 which may be why it is in the M4 manual and absent in the M5 manual. The M5 with it's dual motors and split brushes can make turns as wide or as sharp as the electronics decide to, so there is no need for a turning angle adjustment. It's amazing to watch the M5 work during it's normal routine and decide it wants to make a sharp turn and turn one brush half one direction and the other half the other way to accomplish this. I also keep my handle angled in positions 2 and 3 as you do. Only difference is I don't switch each use. Documentation with previous cleaners always said this was to prevent the cord from always twisting in the same direction. Being the M5 has a swivel cord I don't see the need. Also being that the cleaner is symmetrical with no front or back the handle angle is switched many times with each use depending on direction.
Since I added 2 small pieces of Styrofoam to the filter compartment my M5 is scrubbing the water line fine now. This may be due to the water temp more than anything else. We haven't really used the pool yet, so I don't have the solar panels cranking or the solar cover on. Temp is down at 78. From my past experience with Aquabots, climbing ability increases as water temp goes up, so I may have to then remove my Styrofoam pieces.

 

[sfatl]

Does anyone know if the Dolphin M4 or M5 eliminates the problem of getting stuck on the main drains? I was wondering if the third roller keeps it from getting stuck. My Dolphin Deluxe 4 gets stuck several times during the cycle and I have to go pull it off.

 

[doncaruana]

Does anyone know if the Dolphin M4 or M5 eliminates the problem of getting stuck on the main drains? I was wondering if the third roller keeps it from getting stuck. My Dolphin Deluxe 4 gets stuck several times during the cycle and I have to go pull it off.

I have a dual drain and my m4 has never been stuck.

 

[mpnret]

Does anyone know if the Dolphin M4 or M5 eliminates the problem of getting stuck on the main drains? I was wondering if the third roller keeps it from getting stuck. My Dolphin Deluxe 4 gets stuck several times during the cycle and I have to go pull it off.

My Aquabot turbos used to get stuck regularly. My M5 rolls right over it. You could get something like a Polaris unicover to prevent your cleaner from getting stuck.

 

[Rescue30]

An M5 update
So far I am happy with the M5. It does miss a couple of spots in the shallow end , I touch it up with the remote. The deep end always is spotless. The remote is great , machine responsiveness is amazing. Here's a pic , I moved it up the wall, and took my finger off the remote , it stayed stationary on the wall !![attachment=1:315iezno]ImageUploadedByTapatalk1374860236.103782.jpg[/attachment:315iezno]

Cleanup of the filters is real easy , you don't get yourself filthy like the bag cleaners.

I also received a $150 rebate. I found the form online after I bought my M5 , sent it in and received the check today , bringing my total for the cleaner to $1000 plus tax. I'm happy

 

[mpnret]

Still waiting for my rebate. Does you M5 climb to the waterline like in the pic reliably? That's the one thing my M5 is a little weak at. My Aquabot turbo was much better at climbing. However, the M5 is much better than the Aquabot in every other way so I am not to concerned about the climbing. My dealer is located in a big warehouse type building and has a few in ground pools installed inside. I did take it there and tried it in his vinyl liner pools and it climbed just fine. There most be a slight difference between the griping capability of my liner and his but both are squeaky clean and feel the same to the touch.

 

[Rescue30]

The aquabot climbed the wall each time it encountered one. I don't believe the Dolphin is programmed that way , I believe it climbs every third time. But it does climb all the way up. My pic just shows that it sucks so much water that it can remain holding onto the wall even without the rollers moving. I have owned almost every kind of pool cleaner out there . I do really like the M5 and the Polaris 9300 so far the best .

 

[mpnret]

Yes, it's programmed about every 3rd or 4th time it reaches 90 degree angle to climb the wall. Problem with mine is even on that attempt it just spins on the liner and never really makes it to the water line. Like I said it did climb the wall at the dealers pool so I have to assume it's something with my liner. Pool couldn't be any cleaner and liner is scrubbed and certainly feels the same as my dealers. M5 is so great I am willing to live with this for now.

 

[Rescue30]

What's your water temp ?? Here in Jersey when I opened in June and threw the cleaner in , it struggled on the walls. Now in the summer it climbs all the way to the waterline. Could be your dealer's pools are warmer than yours ??

 

[mpnret]

That was one of the first things I checked. My Aquabot always struggled when the water was cooler and then would climb well when things warmed up. I first tried the M5 in my pool at 78, then 80 and more recently 88. It behaved the same at all temps. The water temp in my dealers air conditioned warehouse was 70.

 

[Rescue30]

Interesting.... I thought for sure it would be the water temp. Try this , on the remote go into the cleaning acrtion and put it on "increased wall cleaning " does that help it climb ???

 

[mpnret]

M5 remote doesn't have an "increased wall cleaning" setting but it does have a "walls only" setting. In that setting it spends most of it's time trying to climb the wall but never reaches the water line.

 

[bigbadwullf]

Went to two dealers. One that installed my pool had a demo M4 to try. First thing out of there mouth was DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD. Worked well. Went to the other dealer in town and all they had was an Endeavor. The girl there told me "we use an extension cord with our Endeavor". Wow. My decision right now is the M4 or the M5. Leaning toward the M4 because the reason I never bought a zero turn lawn mower...less parts to go bad. Now I'm seeing a lot of people with zero turn mowers regretting that decision. Input?