Maytronics Dolphin Drive Motor

[mwemaxxowner]

Mine was in the pool full time. My pool needs vacuuming daily. It seemed silly to have to put it in and pull it out every day, and it also seems silly to me to build an AUTOMATIC pool cleaner that you can program to run on a timer once daily that CANNOT be left in the water.

However, that's where we are, and going forward I'll put mine in when I get home from work, then pull it out before bed. Every day.

 

[tcat]

Mine was in the pool full time. My pool needs vacuuming daily. It seemed silly to have to put it in and pull it out every day, and it also seems silly to me to build an AUTOMATIC pool cleaner that you can program to run on a timer once daily that CANNOT be left in the water.

However, that's where we are, and going forward I'll put mine in when I get home from work, then pull it out before bed. Every day.

Curious what falls in your pool daily? I have 6 oak trees overhanging, but cleaning floor once or twice a week doesn't really pull too much stuff out (lots of little ball things you can't really see). Very little silt.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Surrounded by mature 50' tall Leland Cypress trees, and where the arrows are tow very large Crepe Myrtles. Also a cedar and a magnolia that you can't see.

 

[tcat]

Oh yeah, got to worse than oaks! I'm guessing SC can get windy too.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Supposedly the Lelands are nearing the end of their typical life span. I can't wait until they start dying and I can remove them all.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

A hobby of mine since I was about 13 has been RC vehicles. One of my favorite types is trail/crawler trucks and I do run them through water or mud from time to time.

Most of those electronics are waterproof out of the box these days, but I have also waterproofed some of my own rigs before it was common for them to come that way. Usually using conformal coatings that I would brush on.

It would not be that difficult for Maytronics to waterproof the electronics, use brushless motors that would last almost forever, and properly seal the electronics inside the robot or motor compartment and have a REAL winner on their hands.

I understand it would cost more and would be willing to pay it.

 

[wireform]

It would not be that difficult for Maytronics to waterproof the electronics, use brushless motors that would last almost forever, and properly seal the electronics inside the robot or motor compartment and have a REAL winner on their hands.

But then you wouldn't be looking to replace it for a long time that's not good for the manufacturer. Back eons ago Panasonic had a very solid cassette player/recorder that was bullet proof at some point I went to buy another one and couldn't find it so went to every place imaginable but wasn't available. I then went to a popular electronics guy I knew and asked him to get it for me. He said it was built to good and was discontinued for a lighter cheaper look alike that won't last and that was some 45 years ago so now X10 everything made not to last so the consumer will buy again.

 

[Foosman]

All you folks with Dolphin failures, do you run them daily and leave them in the pool? Curious because I have a 9 year old Aquabot 4WD still going strong with no repairs. I did pull it out after use and use it maybe twice a week (unless leaves are falling). Been looking at Dolphin, but so many repair issues after 2-5 years seems extreme.

I run mine daily and it stays in the pool other than when I'm cleaning it. A brushless motor would be better. The brushes wear and the carbon from the brushes builds up and has no where to go and it will eventually fail...so it really does have a limited number of cycles before it fails.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I detailed rebuilding the impeller motor in my robot thread (see signature). It’s not hard at all. Once rebuilt, the impeller motor worked perfectly. The problem is the drive motor. Once that fails, the entire motor assembly is basically bricked. Maytronics does not allow replacements to be sold. It’s how they keep the revenue stream going - 3 to 5 years for the robot life and then force you to buy a new one by making the old one impossible/expensive to rebuild.

Not playing their game so I switched back to a suction cleaner. Cleaning results are identical and the power use is minimal so there’s no real utility cost to factor in. I’d rather cheaply repair a suction cleaner for years rather than expend the amount of money Maytronics forces you to in order to keep their product alive.

 

[Emiliano]

My Pentair Prowler 920 (Dolphin Active 20) would only go a few feet and shut down. Using the YouTube video above I pulled it apart. It looked like something had burned up, but on inspection this was carbon/graphite dust from the impeller brushes. I pulled apart the impeller motor and cleaned it up (wiped it down with a cloth), reassembled and it's now working. I probably should have use compressed air to blow it out, but it cleaned up pretty well. I think the dust is a normal byproduct of a DC motor that uses brushes. Note: it made a huge mess, so put down an old towel and keep plenty of paper towels and soap on hand.

I know this is an old post but it can help someone reading it with the same issue

*** Before disassembling the impeller motor make a mark across the body and the top and bottom parts to know the position***

My robot had the same issue, would run for a couple of feet and stop. The impleleter wasn't completely stuck and it would rotate, but when I disassembled the motor it was full of carbon dust from the brushes. Don't just wipe it, take it apart, put a tray or some paper towels under it and spray contact cleaner. Don't be shy, lots of it until it's coming clear. Spray everything, the board, the coil and the inside of the body where the magnets are. You won't break it. Then replenish the grease (I used silicon lube) on the front bushing, the one facing the water and put it back together. After cleaning the motor my robot has been working for a couple of weeks with no issues so far.

 

[Hal3]

All you folks with Dolphin failures, do you run them daily and leave them in the pool? Curious because I have a 9 year old Aquabot 4WD still going strong with no repairs. I did pull it out after use and use it maybe twice a week (unless leaves are falling). Been looking at Dolphin, but so many repair issues after 2-5 years seems extreme.

Good point!

I just set my Dolphin Active 20 to run twice a week instead of every day. I will increase the frequency as needed depending on the appearance.

 

[Emiliano]

Good point!

I just set my Dolphin Active 20 to run twice a week instead of every day. I will increase the frequency as needed depending on the appearance.

Good point!

I just set my Dolphin Active 20 to run twice a week instead of every day. I will increase the frequency as needed depending on the appearance.

Dolphin Robots are meant to fail. The brushes in the propeller motor indefectible wear out. On top of that the motor is sealed so the carbon dust accumulate on the rotor and creates friction with the permanent magnets. As someone said brushless motors would have been better, but I don't think Maytronics is committed to sell a durable product, they are just committed to get as much juice as possible from our pockets.

 

[Hal3]

It is working great now. I guess limiting run time is a good idea. When I asked the group which robot to buy no one mentioned these issues. Which robot would you have recommended?

12/2021 Robot recommendations - don't say Dolphin 200

Taking another look at replacing my Polaris with a robot. Searching the forum there are many recommendations for the Dolphin 200 and a few particular online vendors. I see no Dolphin 200's available anywhere today. I am looking for: 1. Available 2. Price close to $1000 3. At least 24 mo factory...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jimrahbe]

Hal,

The Dolphin S200.

Really, the S200 'Style' of Robot... Dolphin makes the same S200 with different colors for different sales channels. The S200 is the same basic robot as the Warrior SE and the Active 20 and I can't keep up with all the other names.

Just call Margaret at Marina pool and spa and see can tell you want is what. A couple of years ago they were $699, they are now about $850, but that includes 2 day shipping and no Tax.

The S200 style of robots clean as well as the more expensive ones, they just do not have all the bells and whistles that no one really needs. They do not come with a caddy, but again, they is something I don't need.


Margaret Mills
Marina Pool, Spa & Patio
7777 West Jewell Avenue
Lakewood, Colorado 80232
303-985-0077
[email protected]


You have to call or email so that it counts an an in-house sale. They get busy, so you have to keep trying.


Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Emiliano]

I know this is an old post but it can help someone reading it with the same issue

*** Before disassembling the impeller motor make a mark across the body and the top and bottom parts to know the position***

My robot had the same issue, would run for a couple of feet and stop. The impleleter wasn't completely stuck and it would rotate, but when I disassembled the motor it was full of carbon dust from the brushes. Don't just wipe it, take it apart, put a tray or some paper towels under it and spray contact cleaner. Don't be shy, lots of it until it's coming clear. Spray everything, the board, the coil and the inside of the body where the magnets are. You won't break it. Then replenish the grease (I used silicon lube) on the front bushing, the one facing the water and put it back together. After cleaning the motor my robot has been working for a couple of weeks with no issues so far.

*** Update: A week after posting this the propeller/water pump (call it whatever you want) stopped working again. The brushes were almost gone when I cleaned it so this wasn't any surprise. Last week I received the new ones so I replaced them on Saturday. It isn't a big deal but I have to say you need tools and patience. The robot was back in business in about an hour. I recorded the whole process so I'll try upload the video to YouTube as soon as I have time and share the link.

 

[Emiliano]

*** Update: A week after posting this the propeller/water pump (call it whatever you want) stopped working again. The brushes were almost gone when I cleaned it so this wasn't any surprise. Last week I received the new ones so I replaced them on Saturday. It isn't a big deal but I have to say you need tools and patience. The robot was back in business in about an hour. I recorded the whole process so I'll try upload the video to YouTube as soon as I have time and share the link.

*** Update ****
My robot died yesterday. When I pulled it out of the water I found the lid broke where it is holded by one of the white brackets and caused water to flood the electronics. I don't see how this could happen, my only guess is that the weather was much colder when I opened the box to repair the pump motor and when weather got hotter, pressure built up and the lid couldn't hold. Again just a guessing.

I read in another post someone mentioning that they fill the cavity with some specific gas when building the robots, who knows. Probably I should have heated the box just a little with a heat gun before sealing it .

I'll be shopping for another one, not sure I want it to be Maytronics.