Robot cleaner gets stuck on main drain

[Mexicomike]

I tried out a Pentair Warrior and it got stuck. I was able to return it to Marina. I heard that there is not much difference between the Maytronics models except the plastic body. In spending days reading reviews on Amazon, it seems that every cleaner gets stuck. I bought a device which covers the train and adds a more gentle lift but the Warrior still got stock. So anybody had really great success at one NOT getting stuck or can steer me away from one that does? Thanks. I need to update my profile, but 27,000 gal pool, L or Boot shape, 33 feet long. Inground.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mike,

The main drain is the problem and not the robot... Some drain covers just sit higher than others.. I have three robots and three pools, all with VGB drain covers, my two S200's have never gotten stuck, and my Premier only got suck after the treads wore down after 5 years of use.. New treads fixed the problem..

That said, the difference in thread depth is minimal and highlights the small of difference in a drain a robot will drive right over, vs. the ones that cause the robot to get stuck.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know if the robot will get stuck without trying it.

I would have "assumed" your drain adapter or ramp did not solve the issue..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mmardini]

I have the warrior SI and it doesn’t get stuck on my main drain. Not sure why yours is getting stuck. Do you have Bluetooth ability to manually control it?

 

[PoolGate]

Mine never gets stuck change brands!!

 

[mwemaxxowner]

Mine gets stuck. Sometimes it gets off, sometimes it doesn't.

I used to schedule cleaning at the same time as filtering, and the main drain being on made it get stuck most every day. Any time I came out to the pool the robot was on top of the drain. Meaning at some point on the last cycle, it got on the drain and never got off, until the cycle finished.

I separated pool filtering and robot cleaning times and it helped a great deal. Most of the time it will work its way off now.

I have the Warrior SE and have not tried the drain covers yet.

 

[Mexicomike]

I have the warrior SI and it doesn’t get stuck on my main drain. Not sure why yours is getting stuck. Do you have Bluetooth ability to manually control it?

Thanks for replying. No, it was without wireless. With the Bluetooth, I would have to be there, right? I couldn't program it to avoid the drain area?

 

[Mexicomike]

Mike,

The main drain is the problem and not the robot... Some drain covers just sit higher than others.. I have three robots and three pools, all with VGB drain covers, my two S200's have never gotten stuck, and my Premier only got suck after the treads wore down after 5 years of use.. New treads fixed the problem..

That said, the difference in thread depth is minimal and highlights the small of difference in a drain a robot will drive right over, vs. the ones that cause the robot to get stuck.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know if the robot will get stuck without trying it.

I would have "assumed" your drain adapter or ramp did not solve the issue..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks Jim, for the thoughtful answer. I wrote a reply earlier, but started a conversation instead of a reply. Hope my robot will be smarter. I see you have a Quantam. I was drawn to that because it cleans the waterline. If not that, a Triton PS. One person on Amazon said he fixed his Premiere from getting stuck by pushing the handle all the way forward.

 

[Mexicomike]

I have the warrior SI and it doesn’t get stuck on my main drain. Not sure why yours is getting stuck. Do you have Bluetooth ability to manually control it?

Thanks for responding. I can't get down there but suspect the fault lies in the cover for my drain. It must be high. I see this same complain about every robot, so only some have it and I guess others have lower covers. It just dawned on me! No that unit did not have Bluetooth. If it did, would I be able to tell the bot to avoid the area - minefield? Thanks again.

 

[Mexicomike]

Mine gets stuck. Sometimes it gets off, sometimes it doesn't.

I used to schedule cleaning at the same time as filtering, and the main drain being on made it get stuck most every day. Any time I came out to the pool the robot was on top of the drain. Meaning at some point on the last cycle, it got on the drain and never got off, until the cycle finished.

I separated pool filtering and robot cleaning times and it helped a great deal. Most of the time it will work its way off now.

I have the Warrior SE and have not tried the drain covers yet.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. You're right separating the pool functions from the robot functions is smart - if the Warden approves.

 

[panic_button]

My M600 use to get stuck on my Pentair drain covers, a 4" piece of pool noodle zip tied to the handle fixed the issue.

 

[Mexicomike]

Mine never gets stuck change brands!!

My M600 use to get stuck on my Pentair drain covers, a 4" piece of pool noodle zip tied to the handle fixed the issue.

My M600 use to get stuck on my Pentair drain covers, a 4" piece of pool noodle zip tied to the handle fixed the issue.

Aha! So that gave it enough lift to get over? Thanks for the idea. Why did you choose a 600 over other models?

 

[panic_button]

Aha! So that gave it enough lift to get over? Thanks for the idea. Why did you choose a 600 over other models?

I drank the kool-aid about how good it was... In hind site, I'll never purchase another Maytronics product. On number 7 warranty repair in less than 18 months.

 

[jimmerpro]

I drank the kool-aid about how good it was... In hind site, I'll never purchase another Maytronics product. On number 7 warranty repair in less than 18 months.

Well that depressing. I just got a Warrior SI Friday. Did you buy it from Marina?

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I love my Warrior SE. Best thing I've ever done for our pool! I never even covered the pool this year. It's clean and clear and ready to go as soon as it warms up. It's in the pool 24/7 and has run every day. Maybe break downs are coming but it has been great so far. Not quite a year old.

 

[jtpipkin]

I know not of which I speak, but couldn't you just replace the drain cover with one of a lower profile?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Well that depressing. I just got a Warrior SI Friday. Did you buy it from Marina?

Jim,

No reason to feel depressed...

Name me one thing that does not get a bad review from time to time.. Things happen.

In my case I have three pools and three robots.. Two are S200's (Like the Warrior), which are about 2 years old, and one is a 6 year old Dolphin Premier, which is still working strong.

I have been using Dolphin robots for about 15 years. Started with two old Craig's list units that I reworked that lasted about 5 years each.

The S200 type of robot is the best one they have built so far..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[gary300]

I got the Zodiac unibridge drain cover about 3 years ago and my Dolfin Triton plus has never got stuck on the main drain since then.

Unibridge

 

[westbrook215]

My M600 use to get stuck on my Pentair drain covers, a 4" piece of pool noodle zip tied to the handle fixed the issue.

Can you post a picture of what it looks like?

 

[panic_button]

Not a very pretty but it is functional. It also cleans the swimouts, stairs and attempts the tanning ledge.

 

[mw63]

My pool "came with" a Polaris robotic cleaner which failed after 3 yrs at the house, don't know how old the unit was. Expensive to repair, so purchased an S200 per recommendations here.
S200 gets stuck on the drains frequently, nothing to do with pump suction I believe. Never happened with the Polaris, not once, S200 gets stuck on drain with pump off as well.