OK to keep robotic cleaner in pool?

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blueman2

blueman2

Bronze Supporter
Aug 4, 2013
69
SF Bay Area
I am going to replace my Polaris 380 with a robotic cleaner. I leave my Polaris in the pool all year long, removing it only when kids are swimming. It has held up well for the past 7 years needing only a few minor repairs such as belts. Can I do the same with a robotic cleaner? I am often gone for a weeks at a time and need something I can just forget about and let it work.
 
You can, just expect the lifespan of the unit to be significantly shorter.

I don't recommend it. I see plenty of robots where the owners leave them in the pool full time and they always have more issues than those that get stored properly. Aside from the plastics becoming brittle and bleached, leading to increased wear on commonly replaced parts, the gaskets fail more often which can mean big money down the line if water is allowed to breach the cable connections or motor.
 
thebombardier said:
You can, just expect the lifespan of the unit to be significantly shorter.

I don't recommend it. I see plenty of robots where the owners leave them in the pool full time and they always have more issues than those that get stored properly. Aside from the plastics becoming brittle and bleached, leading to increased wear on commonly replaced parts, the gaskets fail more often which can mean big money down the line if water is allowed to breach the cable connections or motor.
Click to expand...

I agree with thebombardier.

I take my robot out of the pool when done with the cleaning cycle. I then hose off the robot and the cable with fresh water in an effort to prevent degradation from the bleach in my pool water.

Though it makes sense that the manufacturers have designed these robots to be left in the pool. One look at my control panel confirms this. Why else would there be options to have the robot run at 48, 72 or 96 hour intervals?

"The power supply’s convenient control panel allows you to easily designate when your Aquabot runs a cleaning cycle. Choose your preferred length and frequency of cleanings; with programmed settings for 1, 1.5 or 2 hour cleaning cycles, and timer settings for your Aquabot to run automatically every 48, 72 or 96 hours."
 
Water puts a lot of force on objects. Water and electronics don't mix. Your robot is electronic and has gasket sealed compartments to keep it's electronic parts dry. Gaskets fail with age and use. Pressure increases use, thus increasing failure rate and decreasing life of said gasket.

I try to take my robot out of the pool when I remember. But sometimes I run it so often it is back in quickly and there was hardly any point in removing it. Other times I forget to take it out for a few days.

In other words, I try to remove it due to the reasons I started with. But I don't beat myself up over it.
 
Please keep in mind that there are two sides to every story...

The same gaskets and O-Rings that are under that horrible water pressure are the same gaskets and O-Rings that will dry up when the Robot is taken out of the pool...

I have three dolphin robots... two I bought used and have to be at least 15 years old... Both of them have been underwater at rent house pools for about 5 years... They don't come out except when the bag is being cleaned. There is no doubt that the plastic has faded and they look bad, but they keep right on ticking...

The problem with Bombardiers comments is that he only sees one side of the story... I am sure what he says is absolutely true, but what kind of pools have these damaged robots been in? I doubt they were all TFP pools, so we have no idea if the pH was really low or if they were in the pool when powered shock was added or what other chemicals were added while the robot was in the water...

The other part of the story we don't know is the true failure rate.. If we had 10 robots all left in a pool for a year, and eight of them failed, then that would be a pretty strong indication that being constantly under water was the main cause of their failure.. On the other hand, if we had a 1,000 robots being kept underwater and only 8 of them failed that would prove the opposite... I guess my point is that the Bombardier is a repair guy... as such almost everything he sees is bad... :p

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Phin (S200) loves the pool and does a great job. I do not leave him in and I clean the basket immediately after cleaning cycle, I rinse the unit by dipping it in the pool and then leave the basket compartment open to air dry. I then wrap the cord and sit the robot on top of the cord when stored away on the patio (out of sight). I consider this my preventive maintenance to try and extend the life of the unit. I'm finding I only have to run the robot 3-4 times a week and could probably get by with less time!
 

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Jimrahbe said:
Please keep in mind that there are two sides to every story...

The same gaskets and O-Rings that are under that horrible water pressure are the same gaskets and O-Rings that will dry up when the Robot is taken out of the pool...

I have three dolphin robots... two I bought used and have to be at least 15 years old... Both of them have been underwater at rent house pools for about 5 years... They don't come out except when the bag is being cleaned. There is no doubt that the plastic has faded and they look bad, but they keep right on ticking...

The problem with Bombardiers comments is that he only sees one side of the story... I am sure what he says is absolutely true, but what kind of pools have these damaged robots been in? I doubt they were all TFP pools, so we have no idea if the pH was really low or if they were in the pool when powered shock was added or what other chemicals were added while the robot was in the water...

The other part of the story we don't know is the true failure rate.. If we had 10 robots all left in a pool for a year, and eight of them failed, then that would be a pretty strong indication that being constantly under water was the main cause of their failure.. On the other hand, if we had a 1,000 robots being kept underwater and only 8 of them failed that would prove the opposite... I guess my point is that the Bombardier is a repair guy... as such almost everything he sees is bad... :p

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Dolphin at least greases all the o rings and gaskets from the factory with PFTE lube, so they shouldn't "dry out" for several years. And the way I see it, the longer the unit is in the water, the more oxidation the gaskets are exposed to from chlorine, and the more contact it has with water to wash away the lubricant. It's not like these gaskets are exposed to extreme sun or heat, so I doubt they are really drying out all that much anyway.

Sure not every robot is in a perfect pool, but those that aren't have more metal rusting issues than electrical ones.

Also, Dolphin specifically makes a pretty robust unit. The engineering resists neglect a lot more than other brands. If you were buying a robot and absolutely had to leave it in the pool 24/7 it's the brand I'd recommend, but I still don't advise it at all.

I think of it like garaging a car. Sure, you can certainly leave a car outside its whole life and never put it indoors, but the paint is going to suffer and you're going to be more likely to get frame and body rust. Some cars will naturally rust quicker than others, and there are lots of rusty 50 year old Ford pickups still chugging along, but you can't deny that a 20 year old car thats been garaged is going to maintain a better condition than the same 20 year old car that wasn't.
 
The bomb...

I don't disagree with anything that you have said...

The op asked if it was ok to leave a robot in the pool.. I think the answer is pretty subjective... and really depends on your point of view..

I certainly appreciate your perspective and participation in this form...

Thanks for the feedback,

Jim R.
 
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