After reading much of the advice here I just bought the warrior SI from Marina Pool and Spa (they were also great on the phone). I have a kidney shaped pool with stairs, a tanning ledge, and a couple of sizable benches along the walls. I wasn't expecting it to clean the ledge, but I did hope it would clean the benches and stairs. I've run it twice and that's not happening. There are also a couple of spots on the floor against convex sections that don't seem to have been cleaned on either round. I guess I'm wondering if there is something I can do to get better performance out of this bot (hopefully without active intervention, but perhaps using the app remote which I gather is terrible), or if there is a bot that performs better for my situation, or if I just have to accept that no bot cleans anything but the floor well and I should just sweep the raised areas a couple of times a week?
Robot for stairs and bench
- Thread starter jonahp
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 58,638
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Welcome to the forum!
The water depth and width of the steps and ledges will determine if a robot will get on them. Water needs to be at least 14" or so deep and the steps must be 18-24" wide. Which is unusual.
I just take a brush to the steps or ledge if necessary. When the pool is being swum in daily, it is of no issue.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
The water depth and width of the steps and ledges will determine if a robot will get on them. Water needs to be at least 14" or so deep and the steps must be 18-24" wide. Which is unusual.
I just take a brush to the steps or ledge if necessary. When the pool is being swum in daily, it is of no issue.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.
I think I have the depth, the width is probably just under. I'll go measure soon. This is replacing a zodiac passive suction vacuum that wasn't great and was always in the way, but at least it ran without any input from me. I guess if I'm going through the trouble of getting the robot from where it's stored, plugging it in and dropping it in the pool a quick sweep isn't that much trouble. I was just hoping for something that I could leave in the pool Monday to Friday and not really think about.
While I'm asking (not sure if this needs to be in it's own post, I'm new), I didn't buy a cart since I knew my wife would find it hideous and it would invariably get left out in her line of sight. Has anyone here come up with a decent looking, preferably weather proof box that's big enough to hold the bot and cable?
While I'm asking (not sure if this needs to be in it's own post, I'm new), I didn't buy a cart since I knew my wife would find it hideous and it would invariably get left out in her line of sight. Has anyone here come up with a decent looking, preferably weather proof box that's big enough to hold the bot and cable?
- May 3, 2014
- 58,638
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
That is what my robot does. I take it out every few times I run it to clean the filters. Otherwise it lives in the pool about 9 months out of the year. During our short winter, I put it in the garage.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,211
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
For storing a robot poolside, these Lifetime deck boxes are great. The robot fills about half the box, with extra space around it. I have three of these deck boxes, one this size and two larger ones. They have held up great being outside year-round, though our sun is less intense up here. You would lay the robot on it's side so as not to smash the roller flaps.
Lifetime 80 Gal. Heavy-Duty Outdoor Storage Deck Box-60059 - The Home Depot
Lifetime 80 Gal. Heavy-Duty Outdoor Storage Deck Box-60059 - The Home Depot
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,155
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
No robot does stairs well but mine gets on my 14" sunshelf and does an "ok" job about 50% of the time. Best bet is to brush those sections when you put in the robot. Also does your robot have cleaning modes? Mine can clean just the floor, just the waterline, or the floor and the walls/waterline. On the longest cycle, floor and wall mode it does a pretty good job in the 2 1/2 hour run and gets probably 95% of the pool clean. I am super happy with its performance. It has remote control also but it is clunky. I mostly use it to position the robot better for the automatic lift (out of the pool) system.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,155
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I ended up taking Mknauss' advice and just saving money with the Pentair Warrior Si. I definitely had some buyers remorse for a while and wished I'd gotten something with better pool mapping, but it does a fine job and I do see it running along the shelf every once in a while. I really don't know how much better the bot would have been if I'd spent twice as much, but this one seems good enough.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,155
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Quite frankly, the 9650 is overpriced. It is for "gadget" people as it integrates into Aqualink and has the wireless remote control. It is not worth 3x the price of other robots. As far as mapping, this is hard as robots tend to drift. Mine sometimes will float across the pool before it sinks again. Any mapping is out the window at that point. Even sinking back to the bottom after getting the edge cleaned moves it around enough to throw it off. The only real way for a robot to map a pool is if they came up with a robot that worked via a couple sensors embedded in the pool wall so it could triangulate where it is located. I don't think GPS is accurate enough alone to do this but perhaps. My John Deere tractor app is pretty accurate in the yard and uses GPS.