Need Help Troubleshooting Dolphin CC Plus

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mmcwhorter

mmcwhorter

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Jul 13, 2015
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Huntingtown, MD
I have a Nautilus Dolphin CC Plus, maybe 6 weeks old. Has been working great till..........this week. (It has a few quirks but it does work well)

I noticed three days ago it was not sitting flush on the floor of the pool when dormant between cycles, easily noticeable at a 20-degree slant, and then when it started it would go one foot to the left, one foot to the right and stop. So, it runs for 15 seconds only.

Have been reading the Forum and the CC Plus manual for troubleshooting ideas.

As to the flush on the bottom, where one end of the brush was 3-4 inches above the floor (see picture), probably not a big deal but I think perhaps a lot of air got into the blue handle used to pull it out of the pool. I saw bubbles coming out while I was moving it around....and spent a bit of time rotating it and shaking it under the water line until all the bubbles had exited the handle. I put it back down on the floor and it appeared to be flush or darn close to flush. At least noticeably better.

But it still won't run....continues to start, move one way, then the other and stop. So maybe it does not pass the self-check? I tried cycling AC power many times. Yes, the filters are pristine. I made a video but it says its too big to upload to the server. You can see it here:

Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

I assume (hope) it's as simple as there is something like a leaf stuck in the impeller, but I can't get the impeller cover to open. I cannot see any debris in the impeller looking in from the top.

See other pic....There is a small plastic slot to the lower left of the impeller cover, accessible only when you open the large hinged cover to expose one of the two filters. There is a diagram saying OPEN / CLOSE with arrows and a screwdriver. So the inference is you turn the slot one way or the other. Mine will not budge either way. I don't want to force it....so I am being only strong enough to say maybe I shouldn't apply any more force. IS THERE A TRICK TO OPENING THE IMPELLER COVER?

The roller brushes and track belt will roll when you manually turn them. You can see the gears turning at the ends of the roller brushes.

I saw a post somewhere that said to take it out of the pool, turn it over, and start it. I did that, and it ran both directions for about 10 seconds each.

At this point, I don't want to bust the impeller cover? Any ideas? Sure would appreciate it.
 

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Mark,

Sounds like it is not passing its self tests... At only 6 weeks old, why are you not just filing a warranty claim?

When it runs upside down, can you see or hear the suction impeller working?

I have not worked on this specific model, but to open the impeller cover, it seems that you need to turn the white slotted post to the left (CCW) to unlock the cover and then pop open the lid with a small screwdriver.. I am not sure if it will pop open on its own or not.

The impeller being wrapped with string or hair will cause the robot to fail its self tests...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I wanted to check for the impeller before warranty. And that darn post won't budge. I'll try again as you indicate.

I'll run it upside down again and check for the sound yo mention.

I tried popping the impeller cover open, there is a tiny slot there, without turning the post....and it's hard latched till the post rotates CCW.

The video on the company website has a young girl push a button or latch underneath the opened filter cover and the impeller cover just pops up, she pulls it out....pulls out two leaves and puts it back together. Just to show you how easy it is....No post. Kinda makes me feel a little dumb...but I don't want to BUST it.
:cautious:

Headed back out there again now to try Phase 2 of the diagnostic.
 
Pulled the robot out of the pool, turned it upside down, powered it on using the power supply. The tracks are pretty loud, clackety-clack noises, it ran one way for 5 sec, stopped, then the other for 1/2 as long. Could not say I heard an impeller. So, I picked it up by the handle, and power cycled the power supply, started it up again...where I could see the impeller on the top of the unit. No turning of the small 2 inch diameter impeller just beneath the impeller cover seen....Going to get a Bigger screwdriver out and try to turn the post in the CCW direction again....
 
Oh, by the way....when I tried to register my unit, the Maytronic website would not accept the serial number on the warranty card. It says also the serial number can be found on the "inner side" of your robot....still looking for that too.
 
Mark,

I am not sure about your unit, but some units are warrantied by the seller and not directly through Maytronics...

Maybe you need to be pushing down as you turn the post???

Jim R.
 
Hi Mark,
If it were me, I would contact Maytronics tech support first. I have a 10 year old Dolphin and even though still not under warranty, the tech guy was very nice and tried to help when I had a problem. Seeing as yours is new, I would contact them before I did anything, especially starting it when out of the water (good way to burn out the power supplly if you do things wrong). Their number is 888-365-7446, ext 1.
Good luck!
 
Oops, sorry about that. I wasn't even thinking how much the Dolphins have changed in 10 years. Mine says in the manual to never run the Dolphin out of water or it could damage the pump seals. But mine is the old kind with a frame on the bottom that you put a cloth bag over so I'm sure lots of other changes have occurred over 10 years. I wish mine had some diagnostics so I could figure out why it keeps getting stuck in the corners of the water line in our vinyl pool. Thanks, Jim, and sorry Mark :)
 

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Paws, mine likes to get stuck on the back wall of the oval "love seat" cutout near the waterline at the deep end. It does not handle the curved side wall there. So it's sideways and the brushes just roll away, no movement. Happens 2-3x per week.
 
My experience with this model is that the impeller cover does not like coming off. It is just much easier to open the filter hatches and remove the 4 screws and pull off the entire top cover to get to the impeller. As Jimrahbe said, I would file this as a warranty claim with Maytroincs. Sounds like a bad motor from the ones I have worked on. You may be able to find a local Dolphin dealer that will handle the warranty and repair for you so you don't have to send it in. I know it was bought online, but there are plenty that will still work on it.
 
UPDATE: I'm sending it back...called twice to Maytronics Warranty Support. The first time we did a little troubleshooting, the second time it was "send it back". They sent me a pre-paid shipping waybill and an RMA. Service was decent from Maytonics, no complaints. Well, the hold time was a bit long....They said the turn time at their facility is two days to repair and return, which is good.

An interesting tidbit worthy of note: I was finally able to get the darn impeller cover off. Not using the white CCW post. Apparently, there is a second latch on the other side of the unit (exposed only when you open the cover exposing the other filter...). By pressing it, the impeller cover could be removed. I held the unit in my hand, out of the water, using the handle, started it and the impeller moved and it ran for ten seconds and stopped. When I put the impeller cover back on and ran the test again...same ten seconds and stopping...BUT Impeller DID NOT MOVE....very odd, ran both tests twice, the same result.

Anyway, I like my robot, I'm sending it back...and hopefully, it's run more than 6 weeks.
 
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UPDATE: The robot was repaired and returned in less than 5 days. Maytronics phone support was very good. Hold times were not horrible. I am in MD, the repair was done in PA. They paid the freight both ways, I just had to go out and buy a really good box and packing materials. Dropped it in the pool this morning and everything so far is good. My only concern when I first bought this was "will it last". If it works, it works really good (with a few quirks). I have started a comprehensive review and will post it soon.....
 
I purchased my Nautilus CC Plus in February 2019 and it is having the exact same problem. I called in and they very quickly sent me the return authorization information. Since your unit is so new, I'm concerned that they haven't addressed the true cause of the frequent failures. Thanks for letting me know about the side latch to release the impeller cover.
 
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