Manual pool vacuum questions

[Wildcat]

A few years ago I tried a manual vacuum attached to a hose and pole using the suction side of my skimmer. I have popups which do great for general circulation and simple debris, but I get a lot of sand blown in by desert winds and dragged in by the dog's paws. As careful as I was I could never get all the air out of the system when I hooked it up . I did submerge the piping fully and even tried to fill it from a return but no matter what I did I got air into the pump filter basket, leaving an air space in there when it should be full of water (to protect the pump motor, right? Is this really bad for a pump for the 10-15 minutes it would take every few days to vacuum with this method?)

No matter how much I brush I still get a lot of sand left behind. I got a quote on installing a direct underwater connection to the filter but it was $700 and required the draining of a 9500 gallon pool into the Tucson desert, not environmentally friendly. I do have a cartridge filter so no back flushing. Water is quality is good with CYA under control for the last 5 years or so (since I found TFP) runs 55-60 which is where I want to be here in sunny Arizona. Was almost 300 when I starte4d (hard to measure at those levels)

OK, the question. Best hand vacuum to get and any hints on how to prevent air in the system would be appreciated. The sand is not organic like debris would be but it is unsightly and not the pool water quality I want.


Thanks

 

[chiefwej]

For that price just buy a good robot pool cleaner. I have an infloor system, but don’t even bother with it now that I have a robot. I have a Dolphin S200 with the dual filter basket and it removes even the finest of dust. No effort on my part other than toss it in and rinse the filter when it’s done.

 

[Wildcat]

For that price just buy a good robot pool cleaner. I have an infloor system, but don’t even bother with it now that I have a robot. I have a Dolphin S200 with the dual filter basket and it removes even the finest of dust. No effort on my part other than toss it in and rinse the filter when it’s done.

Ok, but what is your connection method? I don't have built in plumbing

 

[chiefwej]

Robots are self contained and electrically powered. The power panel plugs in (safe distance from the pool edge) and low voltage power cord goes to robot. I toss it in the pool and in two hours it can scrub every surface of the pool, up to and including the waterline clean. Pull it out, empty and rinse the basket, easy peasy.

 

[Wildcat]

For that price just buy a good robot pool cleaner. I have an infloor system, but don’t even bother with it now that I have a robot. I have a Dolphin S200 with the dual filter basket and it removes even the finest of dust. No effort on my part other than toss it in and rinse the filter when it’s done.

BTW, what area of Tucson? I am in Oro Valley, near Moore Road and LaCanada

Robots are self contained and electrically powered. The power panel plugs in (safe distance from the pool edge) and low voltage power cord goes to robot. I toss it in the pool and in two hours it can scrub every surface of the pool, up to and including the waterline clean. Pull it out, empty and rinse the basket, easy peasy.

Got it, so no water hose! I will look into it. Didn't know such a thing existed. Tried a battery one and it was trash

Robots are self contained and electrically powered. The power panel plugs in (safe distance from the pool edge) and low voltage power cord goes to robot. I toss it in the pool and in two hours it can scrub every surface of the pool, up to and including the waterline clean. Pull it out, empty and rinse the basket, easy peasy.

So, I did a search and the cheapest I could find was $500 and next level was $800-1300. Are their more economical ones and I just am not searching well?

 

[chiefwej]

The budget for a good Maytronics robot would be in the same $700 range you said to would cost to add a cleaner fitting to your Pool. I’m in Marana near Silverbell & Cortaro.

 

[Wildcat]

Thanks for the input. After the input and more research I went with the Pentair SI at Marina.($749). It is basically a Dolphin S300i ($999)with Bluetooth instead of WiFi. Choose it over the SE because of multiple cycles, enhanced warranty and the rough filter basket. Bluetooth was an unnecessary item but what the heck!

I tried getting a telephone response twice but no call back until much later which I missed! Anyways, did an e-mail, they opened an account and I filled out the payment info online.
Guess they continue to be very busy, probably due to excellent pricing.

It does leave me with an unanswered question or two.

1. I live in Tucson, we don't have lawns, we mostly have rocks. So the dogs inadvertently kick some in, a few a day. 1/4 inch to about 1/2 inch. It is a pain to scoop them out. Will these cleaners sweep them up without damage to the brush or tubes or other mechanisms? Will I have to remove them each time before running the cleaner?

2. I have PebbleTec surface. Any special considerations for that?

3. I have three platform steps in the low end. Since this climbs walls will it just go up each of those by itself? Or do I need to start it out there? Or just brush those steps manually?

Thanks again

 

[chiefwej]

I have had a Dolphin S300 for about 2 years now. No special concerns about PebbleTec. My robot will climb up onto my sun shelf when I set it to the full pool setting. On the bottom only (quick clean), it doesn’t climb walls or steps. It will not pickup rocks or pebble.

 

[Wildcat]

I have had a Dolphin S300 for about 2 years now. No special concerns about PebbleTec. My robot will climb up onto my sun shelf when I set it to the full pool setting. On the bottom only (quick clean), it doesn’t climb walls or steps. It will not pickup rocks or pebble.

OK, thanks, makes sense. Can't wait to get it!

 

[Wildcat]

Ordered very late Thursday, shipped Friday. FedEx promised for Sunday but that seemed aggressive. Sure enough, they pushed that to today, Monday. Got it, read directions and into the pool for the 2 hour cleaning. I didn't realize, though I should have, that it is almost totally random as far as how it navigates. Would be more efficient with GPS, haha. But it got the job done. Two inches or more of leaves and hair, probably 2-3 cups of sand. So far, so good. Because I have pop-ups I shut the pump down. Pool is now a little cloudy but no visible sand. I will run pump and then shut it off overnight to let things settle and run again tomorrow. I feel much better about my pool already!

BTW, it went up walls, though a little clumsy. Some waterline cleaning but since I have a shape pool that is hard to deal with. Did not go up to the platform and step. A little surprised but no big deal, I just brushed it into the main pool area. Thanks for the input, think I made the right choice.