Just bought robot from Colorado per tfp…do robots get leaves off of top?

[jrh590]

Or do they just scrub and brush from the bottom? My skimmer isn’t the best. Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

No, robots clean the pool bottom and walls.

The Solar Breeze will skim the surface of your water.

Out of Business » Pivot-Solar Breeze

Dear Valued Pivot-Solar Breeze Customer, We are writing to inform you about some upcoming changes with Pivot-Solar Breeze. Pivot International, our parent company, has recently sold the product-related assets of Pivot-Solar Breeze to a pool product manufacturer.As a result of this sale, the...

solar-breeze.com

We are trying to get a group buy going for it....

Ariel by Solar-Breeze

What will the price be on the group purchase? Is this group buy still an option?

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[markayash]

What Allen said but that being said you will Love it. So much better Then a suction or pressure side cleaner. I was gone for 2 weeks and ran mine and it not only got leafs but a lot of dirt that was on the bottom

 

[Jimrahbe]

jrh, (I am jhr BTW...)

Tell us about your skimmer problems..

Where do you try to keep your water level at the skimmer??

Does your skimmer have an operating weir door between the skimmer mouth and the skimmer basket?

How long do you normally run your pump and at what speed most of the time?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[reggiehammond]

The thing that changed my pool from ”the skimmers are not great” to “omg these skimmers are awesome” was advice from this site. If you can isolate your skimmers from your main drain, cut the main drain off completely and send all that glorious suction to your skimmers. Voila - amazing.

 

[jrh590]

jrh, (I am jhr BTW...)

Tell us about your skimmer problems..

Where do you try to keep your water level at the skimmer??

Does your skimmer have an operating weir door between the skimmer mouth and the skimmer basket?

How long do you normally run your pump and at what speed most of the time?

Thanks,

Jim R.

Hi! I don't know if its fair to say they are skimmer problems because I have no pool experience to compare to. I thought that overnight all or close to all the leaves or bugs would be trapped by the skimmer. I have a safety cover that is on when the pool isn't in use. I don't have a lot of stuff floating on top, but it never gets everything.

I do have a weir door. I keep the water level at most half way up the waterline, normally its about 1/3 the way up. Around 1/2 it gets close to the pool cover sitting on the water, so I avoid that. My pump currently is running 24/7 at 3000rpm. It is variable and it was taking some time off during the night, but I figured why not run it all the time and at a higher the pools high usage turnover the water (and keep it semi chilled since here in charleston, sc it is HOT already). The pool is new this spring. Besides my power bill, is there any reason not to run 24/7 at 3000 rpm during peak season?

@reggiehammond I can isolate the skimmer and turn the main drain off where everything is running through the skimmer. How long (hours/days) do you suggest I do that before I turn back on the main drain?

I just got a robot and have been dropping it in almost everyday to brush and vacuum.

Overall it takes no time for me to scoop leaves and stuff off the top with the net, but I am just surprised that all throughout the night that the skimmer doesn't handle everything since its covered and running fast.

Thanks!

 

[markayash]

Hi! I don't know if its fair to say they are skimmer problems because I have no pool experience to compare to. I thought that overnight all or close to all the leaves or bugs would be trapped by the skimmer. I have a safety cover that is on when the pool isn't in use. I don't have a lot of stuff floating on top, but it never gets everything.

I do have a weir door. I keep the water level at most half way up the waterline, normally its about 1/3 the way up. Around 1/2 it gets close to the pool cover sitting on the water, so I avoid that. My pump currently is running 24/7 at 3000rpm. It is variable and it was taking some time off during the night, but I figured why not run it all the time and at a higher the pools high usage turnover the water (and keep it semi chilled since here in charleston, sc it is HOT already). The pool is new this spring. Besides my power bill, is there any reason not to run 24/7 at 3000 rpm during peak season?

@reggiehammond I can isolate the skimmer and turn the main drain off where everything is running through the skimmer. How long (hours/days) do you suggest I do that before I turn back on the main drain?

I just got a robot and have been dropping it in almost everyday to brush and vacuum.

Overall it takes no time for me to scoop leaves and stuff off the top with the net, but I am just surprised that all throughout the night that the skimmer doesn't handle everything since its covered and running fast.

Thanks!

I leave my main drain turned off 90% of the time and just pull from the skimmers. How long is 100% up to you and what gets your pool clean.

 

[reggiehammond]

Turnover is a myth - Do you have another reason to run 3000 rpm? Likely just wasting money/electricity with no real effect on your pool.

I run 1100rpm, 24/7, 100% skimmers.

 

[jrh590]

Turnover is a myth - Do you have another reason to run 3000 rpm? Likely just wasting money/electricity with no real effect on your pool.

I run 1100rpm, 24/7, 100% skimmers.

I dont think I have the time or energy to dive into wurnover being a myth lol, but that is interesting. You do say higher rpm has no real effect on my pool. How could it NOT? Higher rpm means more water filtered and also heated/cooled...correct? If not, what am I missing to misunderstand that?

 

[Selenap]

Myth or not, if I run my pump on high it skims better. As for turnover? Idk. I’d have to assume it turns over faster on higher rpm. Why wouldn’t it? If I don’t have a lot of wind forecasted, I just run my pump on low. I use a suction side vacuum and it runs at the perfect speed on low. Slow and easy. If anything I’d like to get a robotic skimmer. They are just cool.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Higher rpm means more water filtered and also heated/cooled...correct? If not, what am I missing to misunderstand that?

For the filter part it is the basic understanding of what your filter does, and what it does not do. All a filter does is filter out suspended particles in the water including dust and dead algae. If your water is cloudy from this, then by all means get as much water through the filter as you can, but that is usually not the case.

What is more important is water chemistry, mainly chlorine. That is what kills and prevents algae. There are a lot of common myths that you have to run your water through your filter x times a day, and people get way too focused on that and forget the more important elements that actually kill algae (your filter does not kill algae).

Bottom line, run your pump to circulate chemicals, and skim stuff that falls in your pool. Typically those are much more important than the amount of water going through your filter.

For your comments on heating/cooling, I'm not sure if more rpms will heat/cool more or less efficiently. I'm sure someone knows the answer to that. Are you currently running your heat pump 24/7?

 

[ajw22]

For your comments on heating/cooling, I'm not sure if more rpms will heat/cool more or less efficiently. I'm sure someone knows the answer to that. Are you currently running your heat pump 24/7?

Once you have sufficient flow to satisfy the heater pressure or flow switch then flow rate makes no difference in the heater efficiency or rate of heating. Heaters put out a fixed amount of BTUs into the water regardless of flow rate.

 

[reggiehammond]

Bottom line, run your pump to circulate chemicals, and skim stuff that falls in your pool. Typically those are much more important than the amount of water going through your filter.

Agree on all points - just want to add that higher flow does not necessarily make a skimmer work "better" that I've found.

 

[jrh590]

Agree on all points - just want to add that higher flow does not necessarily make a skimmer work "better" that I've found.

Thanks everyone...much appreciated! Is there a downside to turning off the main drain and doing only the filter? I have a robot that does a great job I drop in every couple days.

 

[mknauss]

If you have a functioning main drain, just open the valve enough that water flows. That is sufficient.