Instapark Betta review

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How long did it take to receive from when you placed your order? You can charge it outside the pool if you want to, right? I may have to since I only get 4 or 5 hours sun on less than half the pool. Hopefully larger motors doesn't mean shorter run time. Does the remote have a button that let's you turn it off while it's in a sunny spot (in case it's not smart enough to do that)? I bought the 3 year warranty with my purchase.
 
Katodude said:
I am really interested to hear if once it is charged up will it run through the night?
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The old one would if it got enough charge during the day. If you had a sunny day it always would. If you had a sunny day followed by a cloudy day, it could go most of the night. Two cloudy days in a row and it wouldn’t go though the night. Time will tell if this one is any different, but I see no reason it wouldn’t be.
 
tcat said:
How long did it take to receive from when you placed your order? You can charge it outside the pool if you want to, right? I may have to since I only get 4 or 5 hours sun on less than half the pool. Hopefully larger motors doesn't mean shorter run time. Does the remote have a button that let's you turn it off while it's in a sunny spot (in case it's not smart enough to do that)? I bought the 3 year warranty with my purchase.
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Took about a week. Your not supposed to charge them outside of the pool, as the heat can damage them. My pool doesn’t get that much sun either, but it will find a sunny spot to charge itself in if it needs to. You have to have it turned on to charge now, that’s the biggest change in the charging. The remote is exactly the same as the old one, it just takes it in and out of autonomous mode. No on and off, and if you quit controlling it for a period of time it will go back into autonomous mode. (At least that’s how the old remote worked, I haven’t had a chance to put the batteries in the remote and play with it yet.)
 
Also how does it do with corners? My pool is lousy with corners. I actually have 12 corners in my pool. All my SolarBreezes have struggled with them. The Ariel is better, but still has issues.
 
tcat said:
How long did it take to receive from when you placed your order? You can charge it outside the pool if you want to, right? I may have to since I only get 4 or 5 hours sun on less than half the pool. Hopefully larger motors doesn't mean shorter run time. Does the remote have a button that let's you turn it off while it's in a sunny spot (in case it's not smart enough to do that)? I bought the 3 year warranty with my purchase.
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Even if it is off in a sunny spot it can still float out if it’s windy, pool circulation, or if like me and you have a bottom feeder robot whose hose lassos it if it’s in the way. You probably could tie it up to a fixed object on the deck so it stays put in the sun while in the water.
 
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Bam Bam said:
Even if it is off in a sunny spot it can still float out if it’s windy, pool circulation, or if like me and you have a bottom feeder robot whose hose lassos it if it’s in the way. You probably could tie it up to a fixed object on the deck so it stays put in the sun while in the water.
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The new one won’t charge if it’s turned off.
 
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So you could remove from pool for 4 or 5 hours in sun
Orion7319 said:
The new one won’t charge if it’s turned off.
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That's too bad. Was hoping if out of the water and off it would charge, then you could turn it on and put it in. So when on, with any charge, the props rotate?
 
tcat said:
So you could remove from pool for 4 or 5 hours in sun

That's too bad. Was hoping if out of the water and off it would charge, then you could turn it on and put it in. So when on, with any charge, the props rotate?
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I recall reading that it has to be in the water while charging to avoid overheating the battery. I guess you can set up a kiddie pool or tub.

Mine can be on with the props not rotating. I reset it and they start up right away sometimes. This usually happens when there’s pine straw wrapped around the paddle shaft, something big stuck in the paddle (magnolia leaf, pine cone) or it’s jammed into the skimmer. There must be some kind of frustration shutdown interlock.
 
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tcat said:
So you could remove from pool for 4 or 5 hours in sun

That's too bad. Was hoping if out of the water and off it would charge, then you could turn it on and put it in. So when on, with any charge, the props rotate?
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Looks like it. The old one you could charge out of the water and turned off. I suppose they must have had a lot of them come back that got damaged due to overheating. Seems like it would charge faster if it wasn’t running at all while trying to charge it. I’m not a big fan of this change either. My pool is mostly shaded for a good part of the day. It wasn’t a big deal to tether it in the pool in an area with sun. It will find a sunny spot though when it needs a charge.
 
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Does it have a float switch? (If you pull it out of the pool does it stop?). If not, should be able to charge in the sun for a couple hours if needed.
 
tcat said:
Does it have a float switch? (If you pull it out of the pool does it stop?). If not, should be able to charge in the sun for a couple hours if needed.
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They are quite clear in the manual and FAQ, I was told over the phone that this one is supposed to be more energy efficient somehow. They basically just state that you can toss it in the pool and it will just take care of itself. It’s supposed to find the sun when it needs it. We will see how long it goes before the battery dies. With mine I take it out of the pool every night and run my dolphin pool cleaner.
 
I’ve been anxiously awaiting your report especially since I read your post about algae problem. Sorry to hear it hasn’t arrived. Based on what everyone reports about their customer service why not give them a call, even today.
 
Betta Noise Report

It seems that there is a difference between fall/winter and spring Betta distress sounds. I realized that this is my first spring after I pondered why are these noises happening!

Squealing like a Carolina wren - the oak catkins like to collect around the space between the paddle and the body - about 1/8”. After enough have wrapped themselves around the shaft Betta starts squealing. Removing the oak pollen is not as simple as pine straw. With pine straw all I had to do was turn the paddle in the opposite direction and the pieces would free themselves. With oak the strands just wrap in the opposite direction. It requires a sharp tool to get them out. Pulling on a free end just shortens the strand unlike pine straw which remains intact.

Thump thump thump - Seems like the oak catkins can ball up. This morning there was a 1.5” ball being dragged by the paddle. I thought there might be an acorn, dead frog, turtle or a piece of pool chocolate but it was all oak catkins.

I am amazed by all the dirt looking crud that accumulates in the tray. “Betta dear, what a big pile of crud you collect? The better to filter the pool with!” This is quite the learning experience!
 
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