Quad Drains and Robots?

[stinsontx]

Hello folks. I have recently had a pool replaster (currently on day 17 of startup). My old pressure side Polaris 280 setup worked well for many many years, however my pool has a lot of vegetation and trees around it so I am looking for a high quality robot to augment my cleaning schedule. I have read a lot about various models getting stuck on drains (Dolphin Sigma for an example), and with the quad drain setup at the deep end I am concerned. Does anyone on this forum have a similar return drain setup and run a robot with good results (not hanging, jamming up). Once in a blue moon the P280 would jam on the drains, but it was very rare. Thanks!

Sorry for the poor pic, it makes the area look skinny but its just the angle. This is 8ft deep and wide.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Wow..that's a lot of drains. Do you have any friends with nice robots that would lend to you for a test drive in the pool to see how well it works? Or ask a local robot seller (pool store) if they loan out test models, some do.

Maddie

 

[stinsontx]

I have a local pool store in mind (not one of the major chains) that is a dealer for Mytronics and Polaris. I'll ask them if they have some demo models, great idea!

 

[Jimrahbe]

S,

All robots are about the same, but that cannot be said for floor drains. It really has a lot to do with how they are built, more than the robot.

Unfortunately, the only way to tell is to run a robot and see what happens.

I have used several robots over the years and most of the time have had no problems with the robots getting stuck. I do have one rent house pool where after a couple of years the tracks wear down and then the robot will start to hang up on the drain. Replacing the tracks fixes the problem.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[NCMike]

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I have a few drains myself. I have a dolphin M600 and it cleans the pool fine. Does it get stuck on a drain every now and then? Absolutely, but it also always gets itself unstuck within 5 mins or so if I leave it alone. If I see it stuck, a tug on the cord will get it going again. Also, they only time it gets stuck is if it runs over the drain with the drain perfectly centered between the tracks. Every other time it hits it off center and one track is still in contact with the plaster and it can keep going.

 

[stinsontx]

I have a few drains myself. I have a dolphin M600 and it cleans the pool fine. Does it get stuck on a drain every now and then? Absolutely, but it also always gets itself unstuck within 5 mins or so if I leave it alone. If I see it stuck, a tug on the cord will get it going again. Also, they only time it gets stuck is if it runs over the drain with the drain perfectly centered between the tracks. Every other time it hits it off center and one track is still in contact with the plaster and it can keep going.

Thanks Mike, nice to hear that the M600 is doing a good job. I certainly don't expect 100% perfection on the drain hang ups, the Polaris 280 used to get jammed up a fair number of times on the old drain lids.

 

[stinsontx]

Completed the first run with the Dolphin S400 and no issues as all with the main drains, and it did spend quite a bit of time crawling around them! Very impressed with the cleaning results so far.