Pump upgrade for SWG and add robot?

[scchristy]

Hi everyone. My wife and I bought a home with a pool (our first) late last year. I found TFP and have appreciated all the great info. I quickly switched to LC because our CYA was out of control. We've got a 15k pool with a backyard that drops an insane amount of leaves, which has been a constant battle. So as spring rolls in I'm trying to take as many steps as possible to simplify my personal pool maintenance so I can enjoy it instead of constantly complaining (soooo many leaves).

I came to the conclusion that switching to SWG would be a good first step. Based on the forum I settled on getting a CircuPool RJ-45 Plus. We have a single-speed pump, and as I understand it, a variable speed makes a lot more sense with SWG. So, I'd appreciate any recommendations for a new VSP to pair with the RJ-45. I've included a couple of pictures of the pad in case that's helpful.

Also, we have a Polaris P39 which does a pretty good job at collecting the leaves that fall in the pool, but not necessarily a great job at cleaning the steps. 1) can a robot clean well enough that I don't need to brush the pool weekly? 2) if so, any recommendations on robots to consider? and 3) would that replace the P39 or supplement it? Apologies for the litany of questions.

I've got a stressful job, a 2-year-old, and a baby on the way, so at this point in my life, I'm willing to throw some money at simplifying what I can to allow me to be a less grumpy husband/father and I appreciate any suggestions y'all can throw my way. Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

S,

I am a big robot fan, but they will not clean steps nor are they made to clean up a ton of leaves. We always recommend using a leaf rake, before using a robot, if you have a lot of leaves in your pool.

I am also not a fan of having a lot of trees right next to the pool. While it looks great, it just triples the work load.

In my mind, saltwater pools are the only way to go when looking for easy.. Just make sure the cell is at least 2 x the volume of your pool. We have a lot of members using the CircuPool SWCGs and for the most part the reviews are very positive.

The downside to having a SWCG is that you might have to run the pump longer so that the salt cell has enough time to generate the chlorine your pool needs. This makes having a VS pump almost a necessity.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

So if you buy a robot and it dies in 3 years or so (outside of warranty and not able to be repaired … yes, that’s a real scenario and it happens enough to be a concern), will that make you a more “grumpy husband and dad” or will you be cool with tossing money at a brand new robot?

If that scenario makes you grumpy, then I would say you should stick with whatever cleaner you have and hire a landscaper to heavily prune, or remove, some of those trees. I agree with @Jimrahbe, trees around pools are a nightmare for keeping a pool clean. I had one mesquite tree near my pool and it only took one season for me to realize that my chainsaw was an appropriate response.

 

[markayash]

A VSP has 2 big advantages to me. 1st power cost drops a ton, or it did for me.
That’s important if you have leafs, you can run the pump 24/7 and let the skimmer help.
2nd it’s a lot quieter, when I had my old pump I turned it off when company came. Now I can’t even hear it

 

[pjt]

as I understand it, a variable speed makes a lot more sense with SWG.

The synergy of VSP, SWG, large cartridge filter, and 24/7 operation is excellent.

 

[scchristy]

I get all the talk about trees. And if I was designing a pool from scratch it'd be no where near trees. But we've got a mature ash and oak and they're not going anywhere so I need to find another solution.

I'm on board with getting a VSP. Do y'all have any specific recommendations? Especially to pair with an RJ-45?

 

[scchristy]

So if you buy a robot and it dies in 3 years or so (outside of warranty and not able to be repaired … yes, that’s a real scenario and it happens enough to be a concern), will that make you a more “grumpy husband and dad” or will you be cool with tossing money at a brand new robot?

If that scenario makes you grumpy, then I would say you should stick with whatever cleaner you have and hire a landscaper to heavily prune, or remove, some of those trees. I agree with @Jimrahbe, trees around pools are a nightmare for keeping a pool clean. I had one mesquite tree near my pool and it only took one season for me to realize that my chainsaw was an appropriate response.

If it gave me extra peace for the three years I wouldn't be grumpy. Hopefully they last longer but I'm not going to let the possibility something goes wrong keep me from moving forward.

 

[markayash]

If it gave me extra peace for the three years I wouldn't be grumpy. Hopefully they last longer but I'm not going to let the possibility something goes wrong keep me from moving forward.

I have had mine for 3 years and hope it keeps going. I keep mine in the water 90% of the time. I have it on a smart plug and runs 2 hours every night. If it runs around my dog he thinks it’s a monster and goes nuts when it’s cleaning the tile. He is 10 pounds and bites the threads
I have replaced the threads but wasn’t a hard swap.
Just hoping the motor keeps going.