Robots look awesome.. but really needed?

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Dabrodas

Well-known member
May 12, 2021
107
Florida
Pool Size
13000
Surface
Plaster
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Hey guys! New pool owner and have been using a pool service for about a year now. After having to install my own pump and research a ton, I’m planning on giving the pool service the boot and doing this myself.

14k Gallon pool, screen enclosure, Florida, Hayward SWG and Tristar 900. Pool also has a dedicated vacuum port. I have 0 vacuum hardware.

The pool seems to stay very clean (when not in pollen season) Very little debris and the once a week vacuum from the pool service seems to do the trick just fine. I’m having an internal debate as to what I would need when I venture off alone. Once a week to manually get the hose out and vacuum doesn’t seem awful, but I definitely hate hoses.

Robots look neat, but seem like overkill for a screened in pool. Automatic suction look good too, but I would still want to remove the hoses after it’s done the job.

Almost like a handheld, battery, manual vacuum might be best...like a cheap hammerhead?

Any arguments either way? I’m looking to be convinced...
 
I like my Watertech Pool Blaster cordless vac. No annoying hoses, once a week for an hour and I’m done.

That said: I live in Wisconsin. I’m doing this 4 months out of the year. That’s like 16 times. If I was in Florida and had to do this 52 times per year, I’d probably want a robot.
 
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Thanks! I’m still not ruling out manually vacuuming. I did notice that I have a dedicated suction line today. That suction line has female threads at the pool wall.
Is this common? Most pool vacuum hoses all seemed to be press fit style, not threaded inserts?
 
A vacuum port in the pool sidewall should have a port cover installed to help prevent possible injury. Something similar to this:

Amazon.com: Hayward W400BWHP White Free Rotation Vacuum Lock Safety Wall Fitting Replacement for Hayward Navigator Pool Cleaners : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com: Hayward W400BWHP White Free Rotation Vacuum Lock Safety Wall Fitting Replacement for Hayward Navigator Pool Cleaners : Patio, Lawn & Garden
www.amazon.com
Not an endorsement of Amazon or this particular item - just used for reference.

A good robot will do a better job cleaning your pool then you can imagine. And it will only take you a few minutes each time. After manually vacuuming a few times you will be looking for something better.
 
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proavia said:
A vacuum port in the pool sidewall should have a port cover installed to help prevent possible injury. Something similar to this:

Amazon.com: Hayward W400BWHP White Free Rotation Vacuum Lock Safety Wall Fitting Replacement for Hayward Navigator Pool Cleaners : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com: Hayward W400BWHP White Free Rotation Vacuum Lock Safety Wall Fitting Replacement for Hayward Navigator Pool Cleaners : Patio, Lawn & Garden
www.amazon.com
Not an endorsement of Amazon or this particular item - just used for reference.

A good robot will do a better job cleaning your pool then you can imagine. And it will only take you a few minutes each time. After manually vacuuming a few times you will be looking for something better.
Click to expand...
Ah thanks! So the threads are for the cover.. in that link, is it smooth inside that cover, such that a press in hose would just push into?
 
I used a cordless vac (pool blaster) last year and upgraded to a robot thuis year. I'm so glad I did. I didn't like having to get in the water to vacuum (especially at the deep end). The vacuum wasn't long enough to do it from the deck
 
Prickly said:
I used a cordless vac (pool blaster) last year and upgraded to a robot thuis year. I'm so glad I did. I didn't like having to get in the water to vacuum (especially at the deep end). The vacuum wasn't long enough to do it from the deck
Click to expand...
Pool size is definitely something to consider. I can vacuum my 24 round pool without getting in. If it’s nice, I’ll get in anyway for a better look, but it’s not necessary. If I couldn’t reach everything from outside the pool that would make it much less desirable.
 

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Some of us actually don't remember where our vacuum hose is buried that's how infrequently it gets used due to the convenience of the robotic cleaner. My whale brush gets used once a season and that's opening day after being idle all winter. After that "Jane" my polaris P9550 knows what to do. It all boils down to more quality pool time as the same consideration went into the SWCG.
 
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You could take that mentality with anything.... cars, appliances, sporting goods. I could be wrong, but is there a rash of people on the site here (like a sizeable percentage) that are experiencing their robots break within 2 years? Out of those that have, how many of those were cases where it wasn't something that was easily fixable by replacing parts at home or by a service place?

Sounds like your best option may be to manually vacuum you pool until you get sick of doing so (if you do). You're out no money that way, just some of your time.
 
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magiteck said:
I like my Watertech Pool Blaster cordless vac. No annoying hoses, once a week for an hour and I’m done.

That said: I live in Wisconsin. I’m doing this 4 months out of the year. That’s like 16 times. If I was in Florida and had to do this 52 times per year, I’d probably want a robot.
Click to expand...
I'm not too far from you (Chicago) but a once-a-week approach would never work for me. We're surrounded by trees and get a lot of stuff in the pool. I went the manual vacuum route for a while when we purchased our home. The previous owner was 70 and did it all himself. Manual vacuuming got pretty old pretty fast. Have had a robot for 7+years and would buy another in a heartbeat if my current one died. Pool stays spotless and I get more stuff done.
 
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My pool has a clear bottom. Then about every 3 or 4 days ( it runs every night ) I check expecting to see an empty basket. But it's usually 1/2 full with fine dirt and a few leaves.
It like vacuuming your floor vs sweeping it :)
 
Running my new robot cleaner for the first time right now. I have dead algae on the bottom of the pool from opening and it is stirring it up pretty good. I think this is is a plus and minus.

Plus, that makes it potential for the filter to filter it out (it can't filter the bottom of the pool!). Bad means that the pool water looks worse than before the robot cleaner started due to the cloudy nature of the water. My chemistry is perfect right now so I am confident that the robot cleaning and the filter filtering will eventually do this. We are a week or two away from swimming weather here in MIchigan (tomorrow is supposed to be 90, but the water temp is still too cool right now).

For the record I have a brand new Dolphin Nautilus Plus. My first robot cleaner.
 
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