So this just happened....
- Thread starter JoyfulNoise
- Start date
Yeah, just sat there and eventually shut itself off. Has done it once more in the 4 or 5 times I've run it.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
My Dolphin Nautilus is on the Fed Ex truck for delivery today! In honor of my very first pool cleaner, a Wanda from Hayward for my first pool, a 24 ft round AGP, all pool cleaners are forever named Wanda for me. I now have a different house and my first in ground pool, but its still Wanda! She and I go way back! 
Those Hayward cleaners, for such a reasonable price really did a nice job! And the kids who might be over swimming, just loved helping me set Wanda up for her turn to swim at the end of the day. Many tears about getting out of the pool we’re quieted by engaging the child in helping Wanda go for her swim.
My new Dolphin Nautilus though blows Wanda out of the water! Wow, am I impressed with the beautiful job it does! Best money I ever spent on pool equipment!
I guess my big take away is some sort of automatic cleaner, be it a Wanda for an AGP or the Nautilus for the IGP I now have is a life changing investment. I can’t imagine brushing and vacuuming by hand ever again.
My new Dolphin Nautilus though blows Wanda out of the water! Wow, am I impressed with the beautiful job it does! Best money I ever spent on pool equipment!
I guess my big take away is some sort of automatic cleaner, be it a Wanda for an AGP or the Nautilus for the IGP I now have is a life changing investment. I can’t imagine brushing and vacuuming by hand ever again.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
***Maintenance Update***
So Mr. T has done his duty for the last 4 seasons and it was time to give him a new pair of shoes. I went with Marina's Pool, Spa & Patio for the parts and here is what I got -
New front and rear brushes, new treads, new rubber seals, and new ultra fine filter panels. I have to say that taking apart the S-series robots is super-simple - all you need is a phillips head screwdriver. I started by taking off the top cover plate and diverter assembly and then removing the motor. Taking out the motor makes it easier to manipulate the treads and rollers.
This is side-by-side of the old and new treads -
And here are the black rubber bottom seals side-by-side -
Finally all put back together with new parts -
Tomorrow Mr. T goes back into the pool for it's maiden run with it's new gear. High centering on the main drains has been an issue lately (most of this season) and I think it has a lot to do with the treads being so worn out. When I bought the robot, the tech at the shop said I would need new treads in 2 seasons and to be on the look out for poor performance as the plaster/pebble pools really degrade the rubber components (cheese grater effect). Well, I got 4 seasons so I count that as good.
So Mr. T has done his duty for the last 4 seasons and it was time to give him a new pair of shoes. I went with Marina's Pool, Spa & Patio for the parts and here is what I got -
New front and rear brushes, new treads, new rubber seals, and new ultra fine filter panels. I have to say that taking apart the S-series robots is super-simple - all you need is a phillips head screwdriver. I started by taking off the top cover plate and diverter assembly and then removing the motor. Taking out the motor makes it easier to manipulate the treads and rollers.
This is side-by-side of the old and new treads -
And here are the black rubber bottom seals side-by-side -
Finally all put back together with new parts -
Tomorrow Mr. T goes back into the pool for it's maiden run with it's new gear. High centering on the main drains has been an issue lately (most of this season) and I think it has a lot to do with the treads being so worn out. When I bought the robot, the tech at the shop said I would need new treads in 2 seasons and to be on the look out for poor performance as the plaster/pebble pools really degrade the rubber components (cheese grater effect). Well, I got 4 seasons so I count that as good.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Understanding Cord Disintegration
Dolphin cords are made of a rubber clad multiconductor. The blue rubber cladding, over time, seems to degrade and gets tacky. This is completely normal for a rubber material submerged in chlorinated water and exposed to heat and UV. Look at these pictures -
Notice the difference in the cord - there is a part that is almost exclusively on the deck all the time (the dirty looking part of the cord that is otherwise uncompromised) and the part that is in the water all the time which is rough, white, tacky and chalky (you can rub the rubber off the cord with your hands). But it's not just about what is submerged in water or not; look at these photos -
Notice how the part of the cord that is under water BUT NOT exposed to sunlight, still looks and feels brand new. You can see it dramatically around the rubber grommet where the cord enters the robot. So it is clear that it takes several factors - water, chlorine, and UV - to cause the cord to degrade. And this is to be expected as rubber materials easily undergo hydrolysis and breakdown when exposed to a strong oxidizer and water.
A practical take away from this is the following - removing the robot from the pool when not in use will likely improve the longevity of the cord. I do typically take my robot out and, unlike a lot of robot owners, I have almost no issues with cord tangle or cord splitting open.
Dolphin cords are made of a rubber clad multiconductor. The blue rubber cladding, over time, seems to degrade and gets tacky. This is completely normal for a rubber material submerged in chlorinated water and exposed to heat and UV. Look at these pictures -
Notice the difference in the cord - there is a part that is almost exclusively on the deck all the time (the dirty looking part of the cord that is otherwise uncompromised) and the part that is in the water all the time which is rough, white, tacky and chalky (you can rub the rubber off the cord with your hands). But it's not just about what is submerged in water or not; look at these photos -
Notice how the part of the cord that is under water BUT NOT exposed to sunlight, still looks and feels brand new. You can see it dramatically around the rubber grommet where the cord enters the robot. So it is clear that it takes several factors - water, chlorine, and UV - to cause the cord to degrade. And this is to be expected as rubber materials easily undergo hydrolysis and breakdown when exposed to a strong oxidizer and water.
A practical take away from this is the following - removing the robot from the pool when not in use will likely improve the longevity of the cord. I do typically take my robot out and, unlike a lot of robot owners, I have almost no issues with cord tangle or cord splitting open.
Matt,
Thanks for the great write up..
Something I'll be doing in a year or so..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks for the great write up..
Something I'll be doing in a year or so..
Thanks,
Jim R.
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
So take it out of the pool... and store it out of the sun. Right, gotcha!
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Matt,
Thanks for the great write up..
Something I'll be doing in a year or so..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Parts without discount ran about $250 but the filter panels were $100. So if you don’t need them, then don’t get them. There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to fully disassemble these robots as well as do your own cord replacement. I decided against doing a new cord or a swivel cord because my original one is just fine even after 4 seasons. I’m not sufficiently impressed with the swivel cords to drop the cash on that upgrade so if I ever do need a cord, I’ll stick with the regular OEM replacement.
Something else to add to Matt’s findings is.... Because we have intense sun here in AZ due to our proximity to the sun, (see pic) the cords (or anything) that is exposed to it, will degrade more rapidly then other places in the country.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Agreed.
I pretty much buy new garden hoses every 12-18 months or so. Anything left outside in the sun in Arizona is pretty much toast after one summer. I picked up one of the kids plastic toys left outside and it literally disintegrated in my hand.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Update - Starting to have issues .... ok, the wife's been telling me I've had "issues" for years, but this isn't about me, it's about my robot.
Story - At the end of the season I noticed that I had an intermittent start issue one or two times where I'd push the button and no joy. I'd check the App and it would say "NO MODE". Power supply seems fine. Cable is original and showing it's age (white and crusty). I would unseat the connector and reseat it, unplug and plug in again and it would go back to working. Well, today I tried using the bot, dumped it into the pool (it had been ashore for several weeks) and tried starting it up. Got the no-joy no-go and the App telling me "NO MODE". Pulled the bot out, let it rest, unpowered it, yada, yada, yada, and plugged it all in again. Then I left it out on the deck upside down and did a dry motor test (turn the power supply on and see if the impeller spins up and treads move). Passed it's power on test. Did not return it to the pool but decided to manually vacuum instead .... glad I still have all my old manual vacuuming parts.
Any-who .... I think I'm reaching a point of service on the BOT. Not sure what all the errors add up to, but I think a lot of times this is solved with complete motor and cable replacement ... bummer because the motor assembly, IF YOU CAN FIND ONE, is clocking in at $450 and a standard non-swivel cable with connectors is $100 .... YIKES, $550 plus tax and shipping to get a fix.
Marina's is out of everything aside from buying a new robot. I'm a bit torn about it all as I'd prefer to keep what I have going. I suppose my next move is to let Mr. T dry out and then do a radical open brain surgery to see what condition the cable connection and motor assembly is in. There's some YouTube content from people that have opened up the motors so I'll have to watch a few of those.
Anyone with any better ideas or experience please feel free to chime in ...
Story - At the end of the season I noticed that I had an intermittent start issue one or two times where I'd push the button and no joy. I'd check the App and it would say "NO MODE". Power supply seems fine. Cable is original and showing it's age (white and crusty). I would unseat the connector and reseat it, unplug and plug in again and it would go back to working. Well, today I tried using the bot, dumped it into the pool (it had been ashore for several weeks) and tried starting it up. Got the no-joy no-go and the App telling me "NO MODE". Pulled the bot out, let it rest, unpowered it, yada, yada, yada, and plugged it all in again. Then I left it out on the deck upside down and did a dry motor test (turn the power supply on and see if the impeller spins up and treads move). Passed it's power on test. Did not return it to the pool but decided to manually vacuum instead .... glad I still have all my old manual vacuuming parts.
Any-who .... I think I'm reaching a point of service on the BOT. Not sure what all the errors add up to, but I think a lot of times this is solved with complete motor and cable replacement ... bummer because the motor assembly, IF YOU CAN FIND ONE, is clocking in at $450 and a standard non-swivel cable with connectors is $100 .... YIKES, $550 plus tax and shipping to get a fix.
Marina's is out of everything aside from buying a new robot. I'm a bit torn about it all as I'd prefer to keep what I have going. I suppose my next move is to let Mr. T dry out and then do a radical open brain surgery to see what condition the cable connection and motor assembly is in. There's some YouTube content from people that have opened up the motors so I'll have to watch a few of those.
Anyone with any better ideas or experience please feel free to chime in ...
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,128
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,128
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Oh no Matt! Tell me it ain't so He's only 5 and seems like just yesterday he showed up at the doorstep! "No Mode" doesn't sound like a motor problem. Maybe intermittent cable issue or board issue? InyoPools tech support maybe?
Chris
Chris
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Yeah, it is a bummer. 5 years doesn't seem like a lot but I knew going in to this that these bots can cost a lot to repair. I'm not totally convinced its a motor issue although they are known to go bad. I think the front up approach will be to put it on the bench, take the motor out of the robot and pull the cable at the connector to the motor to see what shape it is in. Everything I have seen online seems to indicate that the connector can go bad easily if any water gets at the contacts. It's a pretty tight seal but it's not impossible to imagine water making its way to the contacts, causing corrosion and then interrupting power/signal. If it does look like it's in need of replacement, I'll get a new cable as that seems to be in stock at Marina's. I think I'll stick with the NON-SWIVEL version though as I really never had an issue with the cord tangling up.
I'll update as I get to it. For now, it's winter and so pool maintenance is pretty minimal. I've got about another 2 months before I'll need to start being more regular with maintenance so there's time to fiddle around. Manual vacuuming takes about 20mins if I go slow so it's not the end of the world.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I should also inspect for chew/bite marks. Meringue doesn't usually go near my pool stuff, but she is a bit crazy ...
Disconnect the cable at both ends and do a continuity test same wire/conductor end to end and also check if any are crossed somewhere in the wire by checking from one end, point to point. I've found on the polaris robotic 9000 series twice as the cable got real twisted up to the point where the insulation cracked off between the wires within the cable and they were crossed/shorted out. I'll look to see if I still have a picture of it somewhere.
Attachments
- May 23, 2015
- 24,379
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Wow! Nice picture. And good advice!!
Yeah, I’ll pull the cable and see what it looks like. I have a DVM and a separate continuity tracer. I suspect the cable is the most likely source. I had noticed this last season that it had gotten really twisted up at times so I wonder if there may be cracks in the underlying wiring.
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