Pool Cleaners (robot, etc)- how long have you had yours?

[Oregonpool214]

Potential Future Robot / Assistive Device Owner here and I’m curious to know....

-what equipment do you have ?
-how long have you had it / has it been operational ?
-would you purchase it again, or just go back to regular brushing / vacuuming process?

THANKS!

 

[Homebrewale]

I'm not the person to ask. I've had my robot for about 3 months so I don't have much experience. I would only go back to my Polaris 360 if I found a robot lasts one or two years for me. Right now, the Pentair Warrior SI that I bought is doing better job of vacuuming than the Polaris did.

 

[dschlic1]

I have had a Great White for about 7 years. Works good, just a pain in the you know what to setup and take down. Suction side cleaner. Last month purchased a A30i. So far everything looks good.

 

[Oly]

Maytonics S200 now into the third season and it replaced a Pentair Rebel suction side cleaner with inline leaf net canister.
The difference is night and day with the bot picking up everything including the dust. Best thing is, it keeps all of this out of my pool filter and the fine bot filters are easy to clean outside of the pool.
I also like not having my pool cleaner live in the pool 24/7. Simply drop it in, plug-push and play, done in 2 hours, then back to the shed after cleaning. If my bot dies for any reason I would replace it the same day. Game changer.

 

[grottoguy]

I have had my Polaris 280 for five years (this is my sixth summer with it). It has never had an issue and I would purchase a new one if it ever broke. I keep it in my pool 24 hours a day and run it three hours every day.

 

[Jimrahbe]

214,

I have been using robots for about 15 years or so.. I have them at two rent houses and my own home.. I started out with two used Dolphin Diagnostics that were 5 to 10 years old when I bought them.. I replaced the drive belts and bearings and used them for another 8 to 10 years.

When I built my pool, about 6 years ago, I had a new Dolphin Premier before I had water in the pool. I used it for the past 6 years and it has now replaced one of the older units. I bought an Dolphin S200 as another Diagnostic replacement, and was so impressed that I bought one for my house.. So far, the S200's are only about 2 years old, but if one of them died, and could not be fixed, I'd buy another one tomorrow.

Robots are electrical and live in the water, so it should be no surprise that they can, and do go bad over time.. Just from my personal experience, I'd say they last about 5 years.. Of course this means some last longer and some die early.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[HarryMichael]

I've been using the Maytronics Dolphin active 20 for two years now. It replaces an 11 year old Pentair Legend.
First week I had to return it...would not climb wall. End of 1st year, the power module stopped working, (under warranty). Worked fine until a few weeks ago, 3 weeks after warranty expired. Unit lost power 30 minutes into cleaning...twisted the cord and it started to work again. Brought to the pool store and company replaced cord under warranty. Just got it back yesterday.
It does a good job, (8 out of 10). I think there are pros and cons with all of them.

 

[jtpipkin]

I have had my Polaris 280 for five years (this is my sixth summer with it). It has never had an issue and I would purchase a new one if it ever broke. I keep it in my pool 24 hours a day and run it three hours every day.

beauty of the 280 is, if it did ever break, my 12 year old daughter could repair it. Parts aren't always 'cheap', but a lot cheaper than it's electronic alternative

 

[DiverGirl1972]

I have a Hayward Tigershark and have owned it since the day we moved into our home with a pool (3 years tomorrow!). The old owners left it for us, which was appreciated. I have no experience with any other model, but I love this thing. I run it 2 - 3 times per week and it lives in the pool 24/7 when not running.

I've only manually vacuumed 3 times and it was 3 times too many! lol If it broke, I would replace it immediately, even if I had to severely cut back in other places in my household budget.

 

[ZcottD]

Barracuda MX8 and a hayward canister plus conversion connectors, 3ish years, started to slowdown and not climb the walls this season so I replaced what they call the engine assembly($30) and it was all good again. I will never go back to manual vacuuming.

 

[mknauss]

-what equipment do you have ?
-how long have you had it / has it been operational ?
-would you purchase it again, or just go back to regular brushing / vacuuming process?

Dolphin Active 20 (same as S200)
3 years
Yes - quickly.

 

[DanF]

Maytonics S200 now into the third season and it replaced a Pentair Rebel suction side cleaner with inline leaf net canister.
The difference is night and day with the bot picking up everything including the dust. Best thing is, it keeps all of this out of my pool filter and the fine bot filters are easy to clean outside of the pool.
I also like not having my pool cleaner live in the pool 24/7. Simply drop it in, plug-push and play, done in 2 hours, then back to the shed after cleaning. If my bot dies for any reason I would replace it the same day. Game changer.

Dolphin Active 20 (same as S200)
3 years
Yes - quickly.

Same as these responses for me, except I've only owned my S200 for about 4 months now, so I don't have the long track record. I was a late adopter LOL, with my S200 replacing a suction side PoolCleaner that I thought did a good job until I got the robot. Unless my future experience with the robot is miserable, which I don't anticipate, I'll keep buying them no questions asked. BTW like Oly I try to keep mine out of the pool while it's not running, unless I'm away from home.

 

[markayash]

I don’t think you understand how good a robot cleans until you get one. I thought my Polaris did a good job picking up leafs but the robot does that and gets the dirt. I brushed when swimming yesterday and no dust or dirt, bottom and tile were spotless

 

[Saturn94]

beauty of the 280 is, if it did ever break, my 12 year old daughter could repair it. Parts aren't always 'cheap', but a lot cheaper than it's electronic alternative

Agreed.

We’ve had our Polaris 280 since 2012. It’s been very reliable and does a good job.

 

[wcmaness]

I have a Pentair Legend Platinum - 11 years so far. I've had to replace a few parts though: Feed mast, Ballast float, Mesh bag, and Wheel Bearings. All about $100 in parts. Apart from that - still running strong.

 

[BowserB]

Maytronics Dolphin M500. One year. Bought it for the third brush that sits amidships between the two vacuum slots. Paid a little more for the M500 over the M400. That extra was a waste, as I NEVER use the bluetooth connection and NEVER manually "drive" the cleaner. Buying again, I'd get the M400 with all the functional advantages of the M500. BTW, I do not leave it in the pool. I put it in, run a 3.5 hour bottom and sides cycle, then take it out and rinse both the robot and the cable with soft water, then store it on its caddy on the back porch, covering with a chair cover after dry. Manual says you can set a schedule and leave it in the pool. No sir. I do not leave anything that costs that much in a pool of chlorinated (and salted if you count 1600 ppm as salted) water. A caution to some people. The M500 is heavy. I think empty it's around 20 pounds or so, but lifting it out of the pool, until it has drained, I'm sure it weighs 40 pounds (maybe not that much but it feels like it when I'm standing and leaning over the edge of the pool. I gently pull it up from the bottom by the cable until the floats reach the surface, then I grab a float and handle. Still heavy. But this sucker, especially with the extra fine filters, really cleans the pool. Even sucked up a bunch of Sahara dust that was washed in by the rain.

 

[drsipe]

Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus, on my third season. This replaced a twelve year old Dolphin Explorer. I haven't hand vacuumed the pool in years. I can't say enough good things about the Dolphin pool cleaners, the Nautilus handles the bottom drain better than the Explorer. The Explorer needed a special cover over the bottom drain or it would get stuck like a turtle on a rock.

 

[tdp]

I had a Dolphin Triton for 5 years. It died yesterday. It did a good job, but I was disappointed it only lasted 5 seasons without me leaving it in the pool all the time. Also, it's heavy to haul out of the pool. I need to replace it and will probably try another brand. I wouldn't go back to the manual vac for anything--robot cleaners are absolutely the way to go.

 

[trivetman]

My S200 broke this year after only 2 seasons and I bought another the next day.

Then I found I had an extended warranty through my credit card company and got a bunch of money back.

Then Maytronics offered a special one time out of warranty fix.

Then I sold the fixed bot on ebay.

I made money and got a new robot out of the whole deal

 

[Chrissykr]

My Daisy is four years old. Last year I had to replace her motor, Maytronics S300i She runs 3-4 times a week and would replace her with the same model if I had to.