Robot Recommendations?

[Eric_yang]

I’ve owned an active30i Dolphin for almost two years. It definitely works better than the 20-year old technology such as Polaris 280 etc.
The issue with the newer technology is on the reliability. My active30i dead once after 14 months of service, as the 8V or 12V driving motor was dead. I ran the cleaner 1.5hour x 365 day. Never pulled it out of the water except for cleaning it. I shipped the dead robot at a cost of $80 to be repaired at the service center in TX, under the warranty. I don’t know how much does it cost without the warranty.

Replacing the motor was fairly simple as I trouble shooted a bit myself. The motor by itself was small, like a 4” long 1” dia cylinder. I searched online but cannot find any replacement part available.

You may want to consider active 20/30 instead of the i trim, as the wireless communication sucks and unstable. Controlling the robot is very hard. The robot running schedule may lost due to power out, as my pool side GFCI trips about once per month. I end up with more frequently hitting the buttons on the power module instead of using the phone control and schedule. To me the control over phone is completely useless.

 

[RDF50]

I found this thread very helpful. I just ordered the S300 from Marina Pools.

 

[MasterTemp]

Polaris p825 would work

 

[skydoc]

We have had our pool for one season. The pool came with the Aquabot MRT 1000 robot. It does an adequate job picking up leaves and dirt but it misses a lot on the pool floor and it gets hung up in a few areas with vinyl irregularities in the cove. This robot is propelled by water jetted either out the front or rear. The wheels are free spinning. I have also had to scrub the walls and floor occasionally because of some slime.
This started me on the mind boggling journey into the world of pool cleaning robots. I am leaning heavily toward the M400. According to the manufacturer, the 3 year warranty (changed from full to limited) is void if purchased online.
I read many positive and glowing posts on this forum regarding Marina Pools, so I called them. I found them to be very knowledgeable, friendly, and with an excellent price. Margaret even advised me to delay my purchase because of rebates in May. Though, I did find her explanation as to how they can sell online with an intact warranty a little vague.
The discussion about service was also a little confusing since she stated that any local dealer, if designated a repair facility, had to work on it. I would understand that local dealers would only service what they sold. Hence the efforts by Maytronics

 

[skydoc]

Somehow the forum updated while I was posting and cut off some of my post, so I'll just pick up from where I was stopped......Hence the efforts by Maytronics to discourage sales of certain models online.
I did find a local dealer, about an hour away, with a price $200 higher than Marina's. It might be worth it to establish a relationship with a dealer, who can repair, because these complex machines will eventually break down and I don't want to mail a 19 lbs beast to the other side of the country (or where ever the service center is located.

Dan

 

[MannyT]

I also purchased with a local dealer for the same reason. It would be easier to service when needed even though it was about $200 more.

 

[usnacnd]

I have a similar pool and bought a Dolphin M400 this spring I think it was $1000 with the caddy and shipping. It does a really good job and there are a lot of other on this forum that you can lean on for advice with operation, maintenance and service.

Does it let debris come out of the bottom when you pull it out of the pool? Does it get both the deep end and shallow end of the pool? I tried one and it dumped out gunk when pulling it out of the pool and it also stayed in the deep end of our L shaped pool for the most part. THanks

 

[Geebot]

Does it let debris come out of the bottom when you pull it out of the pool? Does it get both the deep end and shallow end of the pool? I tried one and it dumped out gunk when pulling it out of the pool and it also stayed in the deep end of our L shaped pool for the most part. THanks

I have the S300 which has a fabric flap at the bottom port (similar to a heart valve in function), it allows for debris to enter the basket while the suction is active but closes once the cycle ends. It prevents leaves and larger pieces of debris from re-entering the pool when you extract it (some miniscule flecks of dirt may still escape, but it's far improved from my older Dolphin model which had a spring-loaded door). The robot covers my floor and walls pretty thoroughly. On occasion it may miss a spot but I then re-start a new cycle. Never a big issue. The other thing with the S300 vs the M400 is weight; the S300 is about 16 lbs empty while the M400 adds another 8 lbs.

 

[Redbager23]

Any updates on what robot to get and from where? Looking for an easy to use basket and caddy. TIA!