Maytronics Nautilus CC Pro specs

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R

Rental Pool

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2015
145
Saugus, CA
Reviews of this cleaner say it is a very effective cleaner, but their customer service and tech support is worthless. After much research, I discovered the controller pulls 2 amps, yet no one at their company has any idea how many amps are pulled when the cleaner is operating. The closest I can get to an outlet is 12 feet away, so I need to use an extension cord. I could go to the trouble of adding another outlet (which would still mean the power has to run an additional 12 feet), but I don't want to go through the hassle, and that area would be less protected from the rain. I want to use a 12 foot extension cord from the GFCI outlet running under the eaves and securely attaching to the controller's input cable. I have a 12 foot 14 gauge extension cord I could use. Maytronics say an extension cord is not recommended, but there would be no difference between adding a new outlet and the extension cord, other than the house wiring is 12 gauge rather than 14 gauge. 14 gauge wires are rated for up to 15 amps. I assume the cleaner's <29 volt DC motors (based on the rating of the cleaner's power cable) won't pull anywhere near the additional 13 amps during startup or while running, but I thought I'd run it by the experts on this site before I actually install it. A 1hp DC motor only pulls 9.5 amps, and I can't see how these small motors would produce anywhere near 1hp. The recommended extension cord (up to 25') for my heavy duty Bosch 15 amp jackhammer is 14 gauge. Any help you can offer would be appreciated.
DC motor amps.PNG
 
I can't imagine the 14 gauge extension cord being an issue, but a 12-gauge extension cord wouldn't be too expensive if you wanted one for the peace of mind.

I've actually been curious how many amps my Dolphin Nautilus draws while in use. I'll leave it plugged into the Kill a Watt when I run it tomorrow morning and will report back on amp draw.
 
The main point of the “no extension cord rule” is so that the bot cannot accidentally drag a live cord end into the pool & electrocute everyone.
 
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GKW, I appreciate your willingness to measure the amps drawn. Do you also have the Nautilus CC Pro? If not, are there the same number and types of motors in yours? I already have the 14 gauge extension cord, so if I don't have to buy another, that would be helpful. Now that I'm retired, I do my best to make the money last as long as possible. Also, since I'll only be securing the cord every 2 feet, the wind should be easier on the 14 gauge than a 12 gauge.

As far as a live power line being dragged into the pool, that makes no sense. The cord goes between the GFCI outlet and the controller, and the controller is attached to the wall. Even if the controller broke off the wall, it would never fit through the 1-1/4" conduit that I used to run the cable under the sidewalk. Even if it could drag it that far, it would pull the cord out of the outlet long before it could reach the pool. I sense they're just afraid of being sued, so they're assuming no one knows what they are doing, and they'll err on the side of caution to play it safe.

Either Maytronics sells products produced by another company, or they don't want anyone bothering their technicians. The people answering the phone just read what we already have, and they don't bother to send our requests to any technician. They're really not trained in the equipment. I've gotten the runaround multiple times from them. For instance, they claim you can't use an ultra-fine filter for this unit, yet they sell it. They just assume if a particular model isn't listed for a part, then it won't fit.

Also, I understand the primary problem with Maytronics' cleaners is the frequency of water getting to the motors. To reduce the likelihood of this happening, I disassembled the unit and made sure all seals have enough grease to keep out the water. I used Super Lube Multi-Purpose Synthetic Grease, which is marine rated. I also attached a cable clamp on the cable between the motor assembly and outer housing. That way, no one can pull the unit by the cable and possibly dislodge the cable from the motor assembly and allow water to enter the assembly. Pulling on the cable just results in pulling on the housing. They could make this improvement very easily and inexpensively, but then they would lose a lot of income coming from people having to replace the motor assembly. Products today are no longer built to last; they're built to be quickly replaced.
 
Rental Pool said:
As far as a live power line being dragged into the pool, that makes no sense. The cord goes between the GFCI outlet and the controller, and the controller is attached to the wall. Even if the controller broke off the wall, it would never fit through the 1-1/4" conduit that I used to run the cable under the sidewalk.
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They aren't worried about you or anyone thinking it through. They're worried about the general masses that use a 100 ft extension cord when the pool is much closer than that to the outlet. Then they plug the controller in poolside where it could be dragged in.
Rental Pool said:
Either Maytronics sells products produced by another company, or they don't want anyone bothering their technicians.
Click to expand...
Customer service having direct access to technicians would be incredibly rare. They all read off the script and ask if you turned it off and back on again.
 
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Rental Pool said:
I sense they're just afraid of being sued, so they're assuming no one knows what they are doing, and they'll err on the side of caution to play it safe.
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RP,

I am not sure what world you live in... :mrgreen:

It has been proven over and over again, that if it can be done wrong, some idiot will find a way to do it.

You can't really fault the company for trying to protect itself.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Newdude said:
They aren't worried about you or anyone thinking it through. They're worried about the general masses that use a 100 ft extension cord when the pool is much closer than that to the outlet. Then they plug the controller in poolside where it could be dragged in.

Customer service having direct access to technicians would be incredibly rare. They all read off the script and ask if you turned it off and back on again.
Click to expand...
Why not just worry we'll throw our furnace into the pool to heat it up?

My son was once called to work for an emergency. They had to prevent a satellite from dropping into the atmosphere and burning up. After driving across town to fix the problem, he looked at the equipment and said "It would probably work better if you plugged it into the wall."
 
Jim, based on your photo, let me share another incident. While in pilot training in the Air Force, I questioned my instructor pilot about a particular emergency procedure. I said "If I follow this emergency procedure in this situation, I'll kill myself." He responded with "Yes, that's right, but if you don't follow the procedure and you scratch the jet, you'll pay for it."
 
Most people don’t have a pipe they are routing their cable through preventing the folly of the cord being dragged into the pool- you didn’t mention that in your original post.
There is very low amp draw on these units so with your short cord you shouldn’t suffer any appreciable voltage drop issues with a 12 gauge or higher if you’re concerned.
 

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RP,

Good one.. :mrgreen:

I would consider most military pilots a big step up from the average guy who buys a robot, but I'll bet you can look back and remember guys in your flight school that made you wonder how they got that far... :scratch:

Common sense is not as common as it used to be.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
Most people don’t have a pipe they are routing their cable through preventing the folly of the cord being dragged into the pool- you didn’t mention that in your original post.
There is very low amp draw on these units so with your short cord you shouldn’t suffer any appreciable voltage drop issues with a 12 gauge or higher if you’re concerned.
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I guess, like Maytronics, I care about liability. Rather than have a trip hazard from a cable lying on top of a sidewalk, I tunneled under the sidewalk and inserted a length of PVC conduit. The conduit was used for 3 reasons. One is the cable isn't meant to be directly buried in dirt, another is to have easy access in case the cable needs to be replaced and the 3rd reason is to allow the cable to be drawn up into a deck box to pull the cleaner and cable out of the way when people are swimming.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
RP,

Good one.. :mrgreen:

I would consider most military pilots a big step up from the average guy who buys a robot, but I'll bet you can look back and remember guys in your flight school that made you wonder how they got that far... :scratch:

Common sense is not as common as it used to be.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
It is true I questioned some of the pilots' common sense. Some would get drunk and take straight O2 to sober up, but they ended up drunk again when they got to altitude. The Iranian pilots tended to get lost in the air and panic. The Norwegians had to be tied spread eagle on their beds when they got drunk and out of control. Pilots can be a strange breed.
 
Rental Pool said:
I guess, like Maytronics, I care about liability. Rather than have a trip hazard from a cable lying on top of a sidewalk, I tunneled under the sidewalk and inserted a length of PVC conduit. The conduit was used for 3 reasons. One is the cable isn't meant to be directly buried in dirt, another is to have easy access in case the cable needs to be replaced and the 3rd reason is to allow the cable to be drawn up into a deck box to pull the cleaner and cable out of the way when people are swimming.
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Very cool 😎- I have my power supply mounted inside a huge deck box & the cable goes through a hole in the side with a sweep plate right near the edge of the pool where no one walks. There’s no way the bot can pull that bug ole coffin into the pool.
 
Mdragger88 said:
Very cool 😎- I have my power supply mounted inside a huge deck box & the cable goes through a hole in the side with a sweep plate right near the edge of the pool where no one walks. There’s no way the bot can pull that bug ole coffin into the pool.
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Since this is at a rental house, I can't predict where people will walk, so I played it safe.
 
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I thought I'd add photos of the final installation. When people swim, the cable can be drawn up and coiled inside the deck box, so it is out of the way and stays clean. I believe I've also come up with a solution I've seen so many people complaining about (cleaners getting stuck on the main drain cover), though I'll be working with my engineer son to fine tune the details. Maytronics solutions are less than ideal.
 
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