Well, after nearly two years of procrastinating and taking some friendly ribbing by @Katodude for not living in the 21st century, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a Maytronics robot.
So, I will now be retiring Rita Hayward (aka Hayworth) into mothballs. Rita has been my trusty Hayward Aquanaut 400 Suction-Side Cleaner. She was a literal tank that I could not kill. But it’s now time for her to rest in peace.
I’ll only bring her out of mothballs if something goes really bad with the Maytronics unit and I have to send it in for repairs. I can only hope that my new Matronics Robot lives as long as Rita did (7 years).
Being on TFP for a while now, I had seen enough threads to know that I should direct my initial questions to Margaret at Marina Pool, Spa & Patio.
Man, trying to get a hold of her was a challenge because those folks are busy. But once I did, the hassles of busy signals, leaving messages, missing calls etc., was well worth it. She knows her stuff. Period….. We talked about the size and shape of my pool and what my requirements were.
My requirements were:
1. The unit HAD to have “Automation Mode” capability.
2. I wanted a caddy to accommodate the control unit and move and store the unit during those times when she was not in the pool.
3. I didn’t care about all of the Bluetooth/WiFi enabled features and gidgets and gadgets.
Well, once you want Automation Mode and a caddy, I discovered that you’re going to get all of the other bells and whistles, whether you want them or not.
The units that fit my requirements were:
1. Active 30i/S300i
2. Active 60/M600
Here are some things that I learned during my conversation with Margaret.
1. That the M400 and M500 have been replaced by the M600.
2. I also learned that the only difference between the Active 30i and S300i, Active 60 and M600, as well as the Active 20/S200 and Active 30/S300 is nothing more than color. The “Active’s” are lighter in color (light grey and blue) and the S or M series are darker in color (blue).
So now it was down to the Active 30i (S300i is out of stock) and the Active 60/M600. Here are the difference between the two sets.
1. The Active 60/M600 has a 3-year warranty versus 2-year for the Active30i/S300i
2. The suction rate for the Active 60/M600 is 5000 gallons an hour versus 3,735 gallons per hour (no big deal here).
3. The Active 60/M600 is “beefier.” It has a dual drive and a split brush. She said the Active 60/M600 will negotiate obstacles in the pool a bit better.
NOTE: One thing I really appreciated about Margaret at Marina. She does not try to “upsell” you. She genuinely seems completely interested in getting you the right robot for your pool, your requirements and your wallet. She is a real pleasure to deal with over the phone...
She noted that the Active 30i would be perfect for my requirements but I liked the 3-year warranty and the dual drive/split brush feature, so I opted for the Active 60. It was only $400.00 more and you do get a $75.00 rebate from Maytronics, so what the heck.
It was a breeze ordering over the phone and in less than an hour later, I received a shipping notification. Nice!!
Don’t forget… At Marina Pool, Spa & Patio, there are no shipping charges and if you live in the right state (which apparently I do at the moment), NO TAXES…. WooHoo
A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE IF YOU ARE ON THE FENCE REGARDING THE PURCHASE OF A MAYTRONICS ROBOT.
I learned that supplies are dwindling rapidly.. The Maytronic’s are built in Israel and if you are up on current affairs, you can understand the problem. Between that issue and shipping backlog issues due to Covid-19, at some point very soon, these Robot's may not be had until the fall of 2021 or later. So if you’re thinking about purchasing one soon, you might want to “jump off that fence” and move out and grab your phone….
In fact, there are only a few Active 30i’s left in stock at Marina.
UPDATE: 5/27/2021
Well, my Maytronics Active 60 arrived via FedEx today.
I unboxed it, put the caddy together and got it into the pool for a test run.
Very impressive. First impressions of this robot are very positive. After watching this monster for awhile, I affectionately named it "Creighton." The way it moves and the apparent ruggedness of the unit reminds me of an M1 Abrams battle tank.
After a 1.5 hour run, I got it out of the pool and checked the filters. Yup, it's doing it's job alright.
Then I proceeded to download the iOS app, get it onto my WiFi network and set about to customizing the configurations, registering with Maytronics and completing warranty information and completing the rebate info.
The app so far seems to be very user friendly.
I decided to get the underwater camera out and dove in.
I put together a short video of Creighton at work for anyone who would prefer a real world demo versus watching the promo videos.
r.
UPDATE: 6/5/2021
1. I knew that I wanted to use the "Automation Feature". Since the Control Panel/Caddy lives on my patio, I needed to install a GFCI receptacle which is controlled via a Lutron Smart Switch. There was an inside receptacle opposite where I wanted to install the receptacle for the robot, so I set to work.
Here is my solution so I can use the Maytronics Automation Feature.
2. Since I leave "Creighton" in my pool 24x7 and utilize the built-in "Automation Mode" now, I didn't particularly like the control/low voltage power cable running across the patio and kool decking. Not only that, but It was somewhat of a trip hazard.
I decided to put that cable in a cord protector. This is the one that I determined should work out the best for me.
So far, I'm pleased with the result.
3. I may have solved a confliction that typically exists between leaving a surface bot and a Maytronics bot in the water 24x7. Here is a link to that thread.
www.troublefreepool.com
r.
So, I will now be retiring Rita Hayward (aka Hayworth) into mothballs. Rita has been my trusty Hayward Aquanaut 400 Suction-Side Cleaner. She was a literal tank that I could not kill. But it’s now time for her to rest in peace.
I’ll only bring her out of mothballs if something goes really bad with the Maytronics unit and I have to send it in for repairs. I can only hope that my new Matronics Robot lives as long as Rita did (7 years).
Being on TFP for a while now, I had seen enough threads to know that I should direct my initial questions to Margaret at Marina Pool, Spa & Patio.
Man, trying to get a hold of her was a challenge because those folks are busy. But once I did, the hassles of busy signals, leaving messages, missing calls etc., was well worth it. She knows her stuff. Period….. We talked about the size and shape of my pool and what my requirements were.
My requirements were:
1. The unit HAD to have “Automation Mode” capability.
2. I wanted a caddy to accommodate the control unit and move and store the unit during those times when she was not in the pool.
3. I didn’t care about all of the Bluetooth/WiFi enabled features and gidgets and gadgets.
Well, once you want Automation Mode and a caddy, I discovered that you’re going to get all of the other bells and whistles, whether you want them or not.
The units that fit my requirements were:
1. Active 30i/S300i
2. Active 60/M600
Here are some things that I learned during my conversation with Margaret.
1. That the M400 and M500 have been replaced by the M600.
2. I also learned that the only difference between the Active 30i and S300i, Active 60 and M600, as well as the Active 20/S200 and Active 30/S300 is nothing more than color. The “Active’s” are lighter in color (light grey and blue) and the S or M series are darker in color (blue).
So now it was down to the Active 30i (S300i is out of stock) and the Active 60/M600. Here are the difference between the two sets.
1. The Active 60/M600 has a 3-year warranty versus 2-year for the Active30i/S300i
2. The suction rate for the Active 60/M600 is 5000 gallons an hour versus 3,735 gallons per hour (no big deal here).
3. The Active 60/M600 is “beefier.” It has a dual drive and a split brush. She said the Active 60/M600 will negotiate obstacles in the pool a bit better.
NOTE: One thing I really appreciated about Margaret at Marina. She does not try to “upsell” you. She genuinely seems completely interested in getting you the right robot for your pool, your requirements and your wallet. She is a real pleasure to deal with over the phone...
She noted that the Active 30i would be perfect for my requirements but I liked the 3-year warranty and the dual drive/split brush feature, so I opted for the Active 60. It was only $400.00 more and you do get a $75.00 rebate from Maytronics, so what the heck.
It was a breeze ordering over the phone and in less than an hour later, I received a shipping notification. Nice!!
Don’t forget… At Marina Pool, Spa & Patio, there are no shipping charges and if you live in the right state (which apparently I do at the moment), NO TAXES…. WooHoo
A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE IF YOU ARE ON THE FENCE REGARDING THE PURCHASE OF A MAYTRONICS ROBOT.
I learned that supplies are dwindling rapidly.. The Maytronic’s are built in Israel and if you are up on current affairs, you can understand the problem. Between that issue and shipping backlog issues due to Covid-19, at some point very soon, these Robot's may not be had until the fall of 2021 or later. So if you’re thinking about purchasing one soon, you might want to “jump off that fence” and move out and grab your phone….
In fact, there are only a few Active 30i’s left in stock at Marina.UPDATE: 5/27/2021
Well, my Maytronics Active 60 arrived via FedEx today.
I unboxed it, put the caddy together and got it into the pool for a test run.
Very impressive. First impressions of this robot are very positive. After watching this monster for awhile, I affectionately named it "Creighton." The way it moves and the apparent ruggedness of the unit reminds me of an M1 Abrams battle tank.
After a 1.5 hour run, I got it out of the pool and checked the filters. Yup, it's doing it's job alright.
Then I proceeded to download the iOS app, get it onto my WiFi network and set about to customizing the configurations, registering with Maytronics and completing warranty information and completing the rebate info.
The app so far seems to be very user friendly.
I decided to get the underwater camera out and dove in.
I put together a short video of Creighton at work for anyone who would prefer a real world demo versus watching the promo videos.
UPDATE: 6/5/2021
1. I knew that I wanted to use the "Automation Feature". Since the Control Panel/Caddy lives on my patio, I needed to install a GFCI receptacle which is controlled via a Lutron Smart Switch. There was an inside receptacle opposite where I wanted to install the receptacle for the robot, so I set to work.
Here is my solution so I can use the Maytronics Automation Feature.
2. Since I leave "Creighton" in my pool 24x7 and utilize the built-in "Automation Mode" now, I didn't particularly like the control/low voltage power cable running across the patio and kool decking. Not only that, but It was somewhat of a trip hazard.
I decided to put that cable in a cord protector. This is the one that I determined should work out the best for me.
So far, I'm pleased with the result.
3. I may have solved a confliction that typically exists between leaving a surface bot and a Maytronics bot in the water 24x7. Here is a link to that thread.
Ariel Surface bot and Maytronics Dolphin Deconfliction
Last November, I pre-ordered an “Ariel by Solar-Breeze” surface bot. Before the actual delivery of Ariel, I had then decided to also make the switch from a suction-side cleaner to a Dolphin Robot by Maytronics for cleaning the bottom, sides and tile. In my research, I noticed several threads...
www.troublefreepool.com
r.
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