Instapark Betta review

[Orion7319]

I am excited to hear if the Betta 2 will be that much better. Still looking for something that just works. Until they fix the battery on the Ariel its never going to be great.

Mine should arrive by Monday, then time will tell if it still has reliably issues. I can say though that when it’s working it works absolutely great. I think with all of these it’s entirely dependent on the weather as to rather or not they will run all night or not. I would like to see an option to charge via a wall charger to top it off on cloudy days. The reliability issues for me so far have been only a mild irritation as they are mostly negated by the excellent customer service. The ease and speed to which they will send out a replacement is second to none. They always answer emails, they always answer the phone during business hours, they always honor their warranty. I’m going to pick up the 3 year warranty with this one as when I bought my original they only came with the standard 1 year.

 

[tcat]

Just ordered mine. Impressed with quick chat on Easter! If you chat and ask if they have any sales, they may give you a 5% code, pays for about half the 3 year warranty! I'd wondered if 3-4 hours sun was enough. "Should" run during day, but not after dusk. I figure if it runs as long as my Breeze did, it's adequate. He did say it has the logic to drive towards the sun (be nice if it had wheels and drove out of the pool!). Will add feedback after I receive it.

 

[Bam Bam]

It’s heat seeking capability intrigued me too however I haven’t observed it despite trying. I have had to push it into the sunny side of the pool when it was resting but then it would start up and go to shade again. When mine arrived we had many unusual days of cloud cover so it never got fully charged the first week. When the sun came back it ran and ran and ran.

The other day it got stuck in the skimmer and actually impacted the water flow. I had to remove the skimmer wizard for cleaning because algae was invading the bungee attachments. To prevent another mishap I hung a flipper over the skimmer opening from the pool deck. Betta hasn’t jammed again or crashed the flipper into the pool.

Their customer service was my deciding factor to go Betta after reading all the posts here. All the products have major issues but Betta’s responsiveness clinched the deal. Ironically I have had not need for customer service yet!

For me, it has paid for itself over the past 6 months in scooping up “tons” of tree drippings, whirly seeds, pine pollen, sticks, magnolia leaves....and avoiding more shoulder pain.

 

[tcat]

Pool was spotless an hour ago, and it's not windy! Hope this gadget helps!

 

[Newdude]

Hope this gadget helps!

Moving helped. Alot.

 

[Katodude]

Ok, that is some crazy pool debris. It take a HUGE windstorm to fill up my pool like that. You may need 2 of them.

 

[tcat]

Betta2 + 24" net + poolskim, might put a dent in it, for an hour.... At least these things don't sink to the bottom. Google tells me they're called catkins. Looking at the trees, I'd say not even 10% have fallen.

 

[Orion7319]

Ok, that is some crazy pool debris. It take a HUGE windstorm to fill up my pool like that. You may need 2 of them.

Mine gets worse then that quite regularly. My beta can clear it in a couple of hours. Just got to dump the basket every hour when it’s really bad.

 

[Orion7319]

Betta2 + 24" net + poolskim, might put a dent in it, for an hour.... At least these things don't sink to the bottom. Google tells me they're called catkins. Looking at the trees, I'd say not even 10% have fallen.

It will clean it.

 

[Bam Bam]

I commiserate with your catkin (thank you - new word) calamity. Two weeks ago the pine tree catkins blanketed the pool and the skimmer looked like the snake scene from raiders of the lost ark. I have a skimmer wizard that should have blocked the catkins but Betta dislodges it just enough for them to slip by.

Last week the oak catkins started which I think are the same as yours.

I can unequivocally state that the Betta will gobble those up without any problem and in no time. At least mine did and continues to do so - knock on catkin! Don’t be surprised if it conks out even if the sun is out. I believe the load can get too heavy. I had to empty it every 2-3 hours during the catkin deluges because it stopped moving and the catkins kept coming. When I went out it was so full the basket could have weighed 5 pounds. Once emptied it restarted without a problem. I did not have to use the net skimmer once. Just the strainer to scoop out the skimmer invasion. I wish I took pictures. Next year.

First pix is today’s catch (light day), 2nd is how great Betta cleans the pool wall and 3rd is typical pine tree catkin in my neck of the woods.

 

[tcat]

Just googled skimmer wizard, is it the thing that mounts in front of your skimmer to prevent big stuff from going in? My problem is not much goes into my skimmer, 80% more goes into the poolskim (or stays in the pool). Glad I don't have pine trees!

 

[Orion7319]

Just googled skimmer wizard, is it the thing that mounts in front of your skimmer to prevent big stuff from going in? My problem is not much goes into my skimmer, 80% more goes into the poolskim (or stays in the pool). Glad I don't have pine trees!

Yeah that’s it. I have one as well. Sometimes the bettas get stuck in the skimmer if it’s running to fast. Also I have had my skimmer fill up so quickly that the pump started sucking air. Instead of the skimmer wizard I use this now instead. I like it a lot better.
HydroTools by Swimline Pool... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032JSPVW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[tcat]

Yeah that’s it. I have one as well. Sometimes the bettas get stuck in the skimmer if it’s running to fast. Also I have had my skimmer fill up so quickly that the pump started sucking air. Instead of the skimmer wizard I use this now instead. I like it a lot better.
HydroTools by Swimline Pool... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032JSPVW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Looks like a "grate" idea! I have a 3d printer I haven't cranked up in a while. That looks like something that would be fairly easy. While I was searching to see if a file existed, I came across this. At the end of the pictures there's a video. Dang, could have saved $500...

DIY RC Pool Skimmer Parts by TechButterfly

I saw a remote controlled skimmer at the pool store and thought I could make something similar. I've made a few different versions. I thought I'd put the various parts here in case someone was looking to make something like it. When I added the "sweep" sections, which also hold the weir door, I...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[Bam Bam]

Yeah that’s it. I have one as well. Sometimes the bettas get stuck in the skimmer if it’s running to fast. Also I have had my skimmer fill up so quickly that the pump started sucking air. Instead of the skimmer wizard I use this now instead. I like it a lot better.
HydroTools by Swimline Pool... Amazon.com : HydroTools by Swimline Pool Skimmer Screen : Swimming Pool Skimmers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Betta drives like South Carolinians! Collision marks in upper right and left corners.

 

[Bam Bam]

Looks like a "grate" idea! I have a 3d printer I haven't cranked up in a while. That looks like something that would be fairly easy. While I was searching to see if a file existed, I came across this. At the end of the pictures there's a video. Dang, could have saved $500...

DIY RC Pool Skimmer Parts by TechButterfly

I saw a remote controlled skimmer at the pool store and thought I could make something similar. I've made a few different versions. I thought I'd put the various parts here in case someone was looking to make something like it. When I added the "sweep" sections, which also hold the weir door, I...

www.thingiverse.com

Holy catkins! At least with the Betta you don’t have to standby and direct it. I like that carbon fiber bumper attachment.

 

[Bam Bam]

Just googled skimmer wizard, is it the thing that mounts in front of your skimmer to prevent big stuff from going in? My problem is not much goes into my skimmer, 80% more goes into the poolskim (or stays in the pool). Glad I don't have pine trees!

When it’s pine straw season, i.e. pine needles falling, they tend to wrap around the shaft where the paddle wheel attaches to the Betta. It’s not a big gap but it takes some effort to unravel the pine straw. This causes it to bind up and stop working too.

 

[Orion7319]

Looks like a "grate" idea! I have a 3d printer I haven't cranked up in a while. That looks like something that would be fairly easy. While I was searching to see if a file existed, I came across this. At the end of the pictures there's a video. Dang, could have saved $500...

DIY RC Pool Skimmer Parts by TechButterfly

I saw a remote controlled skimmer at the pool store and thought I could make something similar. I've made a few different versions. I thought I'd put the various parts here in case someone was looking to make something like it. When I added the "sweep" sections, which also hold the weir door, I...

www.thingiverse.com

That’s pretty cool!

 

[Orion7319]

Betta drives like View attachment 402243South Carolinians! Collision marks in upper right and left corners.

I know right! They don’t drive any better in NC either, I deal with both.

 

[Orion7319]

The Beta 2 arrived today. I haven’t had a chance to test it yet because it was dark by the time I got home from work. I have taken some photos of both the original Beta and the Beta 2, to compare. The main difference between the two units is obviously the motors. The beta 1’s motors are completely sealed and are a lot smaller than the beta 2’s. The beta 2’s motors seem to be partially sealed, in that it looks like the motor bearings themselves are sealed but the shafts are completely exposed and there are some fine mesh covers on both ends of the motors to allow water to pass through. I can’t tell just by looking at them how these motors work exactly and how exactly they are designed. I was told by Instapark that these motors are designed to where they shouldn’t seize up and fail. Time will tell. The other major difference than I see is that the unit will no longer charge unless the switch is set to the on position. Obviously this is to prevent charging of the unit outside of the pool. With the previous version, users were simply instructed not to charge the beta out of the pool in order to avoid overheating and damage to the unit. The on and off push button has now been replaced by a switch. The beta2 now comes with what the manual refers to as adjustable “anti-stranding bars”. These are in place obviously to prevent the unit from bottoming out on stairs. I never had this problem myself but I would assume that plenty of people probably did. The LED lights on the back of the unit are now completely gone and replaced with an additional handle that makes it easier to lift the unit out of the pool in a horizontal position. The front LEDs are now green and red. They function similarly to how the old unit worked. If they alternate flash between green and red you have a problem. When they stay lit up red the unit is running out of battery life. When it flashes green everything is working fine. On the inside of the cover there is now this weird port looking thing that is not on the original beta. I have no idea what function it serves, and it’s not mentioned in the manual. I might contact instapark and ask them what it is for. We will see how long this unit goes without a major issue. They now are offering a three-year warranty for an additional $60.00 that I plan on taking full of advantage of. When I first purchased my beta 1 around this time last year all that was offered was the 1 year warranty that came with the unit. Supposedly the beta2 comes with updated software, but I have no idea what the update addresses. As you can tell, the beta 2 has quite a few design changes over the original beta.

Original beta photos

 

[Orion7319]

Beta 2 photos