PoolCleaner Help

[wsamon]

I have an ~6 year old ThePoolCleaner (Poolvergnuegen FWIW). In the last couple weeks, one of the 2 wheels has started coming off the body. The plastic "hub cap" that holds the wheel on occasionally pops out and the wheel falls off altogether, but even when it's on it's very wobbly, and often doesn't catch the gears when moving forward. This causes it to go in circles or remain stationary.

Does anyone know what likely issues are and if it's easy for a homeowner to fix?

Should I just be looking to get a new cleaner? If so, any suggestions? I want something that stays in the pool 24/7 and can climb the sides (this stopped doing that about a year ago). Ideally it could work well with low flow to take even more advantage of the VSP, but that's probably a pipe dream. The ability to handle large amounts of leaves, pollen, and dirt is crucial. I'd consider a non-24/7 robot cleaner if the performance is that much superior, but it honestly sounds like a hassle and introduces new concerns (vacation? cord length? storage?)

FWIW, I've got a 30' x 13' (ish) kidney-shaped gunnite pool with rounded walls and depth ranging from 3 - ~8 feet. The only sharp corners are the steps and one small ledge in the deep end, which ThePoolCleaner couldn't handle anyway, so I don't have many expectations there, though it would certainly be nice to have something that could clean them too.

 

[setsailsoon]

I had the same pool cleaner and it was great in its day. If it were me I wouldn't waste any more time and effort on it. Get you a new pool robot and your pool will be cleaner than it's ever been. The one I got was a Pentair Warrior SE. There are several identical models and they are all made by Maytronics. Call Marina Pools and they'll give you the scoop on which one has the best net cost (there are often rebates).

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

 

[wsamon]

I had the same pool cleaner and it was great in its day. If it were me I wouldn't waste any more time and effort on it. Get you a new pool robot and your pool will be cleaner than it's ever been. The one I got was a Pentair Warrior SE. There are several identical models and they are all made by Maytronics. Call Marina Pools and they'll give you the scoop on which one has the best net cost (there are often rebates).

I hope this is helpful.

Chris

Thank you for the advice, I'll look into it!

Unfortunately, I have several concerns with any of the robotic cleaners:
1) Both my personality and lifestyle/schedule don't lend themselves well to doing something like manually putting a cleaner into or out of the pool on a daily or more frequent basis.
2) What do we do for cleaning the pool during vacation, or even if I travel for work. My wife doesn't like to do anything with pool maintenance except a quick raking right before getting in the spa.
3) I'm assuming this isn't an issue, but will a robot cleaner have a cord that is long enough to cover the 30' of pool + another 20' from the pool to the nearest outlet, and is there any issue with that outlet being on the indoors side of a wall causing a 180deg bend in the cord that could in theory get pulled on by the cleaner if it's getting to the end of its length?
4) I don't have anywhere good to store it. I'm assuming leaving it out in the FL sun and rain under a roof eave isn't going to cut it. There's no pool shed, and the garage is 60+ feet away, through a gate, and therefore a hassle combining with #1 above. I suppose I could put it in a plastic pool/deck container if it fits? That container is out in the sun too though...
5) Are there any concerns with the electric motor, etc. if it gets clogged with leaves, twigs, or palm tree nuts? I would hate for the motor to burn out and destroy an expensive machine because it got jammed on debris while I'm inside working.

There's a level of simplicity and convenience with just leaving a suction-side cleaner attached 24/7 and only doing anything when it gets clogged with leaves (sometimes noticing hours later) or its basket gets full of everything it sucked up. Is the quality of the robots that much better to be worth the extra $ + extra hassle of several of the items I mentioned above? Is the motor burning out due to being clogged a legitimate concern or does it handle that somehow? What kind of longevity are we typically looking at out of these things? I don't mind paying a little extra for a quality product, but $ is definitely an object.

 

[setsailsoon]

Wsa,

Everybody has their own preferences and I certainly understand yours might be different from mine. That said, I'll offer the following from my experience:

• I agree on the taking it in and out. I left mine in all the time. Many others here do as well.
• I put mine in automation mode and plugged it into a smart plug. It ran every day for two hours and pool was pristine. All I did was to clean the debris box every 7-10 days.
• Cord was a concern to me. Most don't worry about it but I covered it with a cord cover like this:works like a charm.
• I've not heard any problems with twigs or leaves causing the motor to burn out but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
• Most of the info I could find indicates they typically last 7 years.

My experience has been great with robots and I'll have one on my next pool but it doesn't sound like it's right for you. There are a lot of things like this with pools. What's right depends on your preferences and priorities.

Good luck with whichever cleaner you decide to use!

Chris

 

[wsamon]

Wsa,

Everybody has their own preferences and I certainly understand yours might be different from mine. That said, I'll offer the following from my experience:

• I agree on the taking it in and out. I left mine in all the time. Many others here do as well.
• I put mine in automation mode and plugged it into a smart plug. It ran every day for two hours and pool was pristine. All I did was to clean the debris box every 7-10 days.
• Cord was a concern to me. Most don't worry about it but I covered it with a cord cover like this:View attachment 356638works like a charm.
• I've not heard any problems with twigs or leaves causing the motor to burn out but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen.
• Most of the info I could find indicates they typically last 7 years.

My experience has been great with robots and I'll have one on my next pool but it doesn't sound like it's right for you. There are a lot of things like this with pools. What's right depends on your preferences and priorities.

Good luck with whichever cleaner you decide to use!

Chris

If I can leave it in all the time and there's no significant risk of damage from debris then it could very well work for me. The last time I looked, which was 6 years ago, they had to be put in and out of the pool manually every day (or at least it was very strongly recommended / your warranty was voided if you didn't do so). I'll give them a serious look. Thank you.