Solar Skimmers - worth it or not?

[ToddInGA]

Being in South Georgia, and in a fairly heavily wooded subdivision, I have quite a bit of debris falling into the pool. Lots of long-needle pine needles and lots of leaves. This time of year, get lots of pollen falling in, too. I have a Polaris Quattro that cleans the bottom, and does a pretty good job. Is it worth it to get a solar/robotic skimmer like the SolarBreeze NX2 to help with catching as much on top prior to it sinking or not? Pool has two skimmers, one at each end of the lap lanes.

 

[ajw22]

Initial Impressions of the Solar Breeze NX2

Hey guys- After I realized the pool in my recently purchased home only had one not-so-effective skimmer, I decided to take the plunge on the Solar Breeze NX2. It just arrived today and I was pretty impressed after seeing its skimming ability. I did have some questions on how it would operate in...

www.troublefreepool.com

Solar Breeze finally gave up

After almost 3 years my Solar Breeze NX finally gave up. It looks like there is a sale on the NX2. $50 off and an extra year warranty. With the extra year the credit card gives me that should make a 3 year warranty which seems to be the life span. The pool already looks terrible without it...

www.troublefreepool.com

New Solar-Breeze questions

I got my new Solar-Breeze off the Kickstarter today. I popped it into the pool, switched it to on and off it went! It looks very well-built. It must have great battery storage because it is running into the night. However, I'm not sure it's working right. Reverse doesn't really work. The...

www.troublefreepool.com

@Katodude may have some thoughts

 

[Katodude]

So I have two skimmers as well. However, due to some bad design work on my remodel I dont have weir doors (That is for another thread). So the only good skimming I have is my Solar Breeze. Its a good news, bad news scenario.

It does good work, it skims the pool very well. I hate anything in my pool so even if my skimmers worked better I would have a Solar Breeze.

Now because it is in the pool 24/7/365 it does have a tendency to fail. This is my 3rd unit. My one year old NX2 just had a wheel go out. It is under warranty and the service from the company is exceptional. They are cross shipping me a unit as we chat.

If you buy one, negotiate the extra year warranty in it, and make sure you buy it with a credit card that give you another year. I just dont think any unit will last 3 years without the need of a repair.

That being said, knowing its limitations I will most likely always own one but that is my preference. Happy to answer any specific questions.

 

[ToddInGA]

So I have two skimmers as well. However, due to some bad design work on my remodel I dont have weir doors (That is for another thread). So the only good skimming I have is my Solar Breeze. Its a good news, bad news scenario.

It does good work, it skims the pool very well. I hate anything in my pool so even if my skimmers worked better I would have a Solar Breeze.

Now because it is in the pool 24/7/365 it does have a tendency to fail. This is my 3rd unit. My one year old NX2 just had a wheel go out. It is under warranty and the service from the company is exceptional. They are cross shipping me a unit as we chat.

If you buy one, negotiate the extra year warranty in it, and make sure you buy it with a credit card that give you another year. I just dont think any unit will last 3 years without the need of a repair.

That being said, knowing its limitations I will most likely always own one but that is my preference. Happy to answer any specific questions.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Katodude]

So the landscaper came yesterday and now the pool is full of grass clippings. I just dont realize how much I miss my Solar Breeze until it gone. Took over 15 minutes with a net to clean the pool, and put the M500 in where there is much more than normal amounts of debris. The new Solar Breeze gets here Tuesday.

 

[jfreeman]

@Katodude, how does the credit card give you an extra year of warranty? Is that a perk specific to one credit card you have, or a common perk among many cards? Is the extra year covered by the manufacturer or by the card issuer?

 

[Katodude]

So the SolarBreeze has been back about a week and thank goodness. The force is back in balance now. Their customer service was extraordinary.

To answer the question the extra year of warranty comes from the credit card. It is a perk specific to my card (Amex) but many other cards have them as well. I would check with your card issuer. Amex has generally been very good to deal with around their perks.

 

[Jimrahbe]

However, due to some bad design work on my remodel I dont have weir doors (

Dude,

You do know you can just add a universal weir door held in place by spring pressure.. Skimmers just do not work without the weir door.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Katodude]

Dude,

You do know you can just add a universal weir door held in place by spring pressure.. Skimmers just do not work without the weir door.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Well just ordered a universal from Amazon. It was on $10 so worth another try.

 

[Katodude]

I got the weir door, and it was a little too wide. Trimmed off the edges a little bit. Put a new sock on the basket, and installed it. So far it looks like it works as it is supposed to.

However, in typical fashion the moment I installed it the fierce winds we have been having died down and there is almost nothing in the pool that needs skimming. So it will be a while before I notice if it makes a big difference.

Now I just need to order another slightly smaller one for the second skimmer and I should be all set.

 

[BowserB]

I got the weir door, and it was a little too wide. Trimmed off the edges a little bit. Put a new sock on the basket, and installed it. So far it looks like it works as it is supposed to.
However, in typical fashion the moment I installed it the fierce winds we have been having died down and there is almost nothing in the pool that needs skimming. So it will be a while before I notice if it makes a big difference.
Now I just need to order another slightly smaller one for the second skimmer and I should be all set.

Katodude, a question please. Every few months I start looking at these machines again, as the Wax Myrtles next to the pool give me stuff to fill the skimmer socks and a lot more ("evergreen" apparently means in this case that instead of dropping their leaves in the fall, they rain skinny leaves into the pool year 'round!) Your wind comment makes me wonder. We have prevailing wind out of the south, enough that the skimmer on the north end of the pool collects two to three times what the other on the southeast end does, and when I'm scooping with a net, most of my work is at the north end. Does the Solar Breeze have sufficient motivating power to overcome the wind?

In case anyone else is curious and searching, so far I have found these models of solar powered skimmers: Skim Devil, Solar Breeze NX2, SolaSkimmer, Skim King, and Skim Bot. A number have reviews on YouTube, but they're are all reviews of brand new units being demonstrated for the video. What I've not found so far is one with reviews that say, "Wow! This thing works, and it has gone on working year after year. A great value!" I'm not completely surprised, of course. In terms of plastic, rubber, and metal parts, plus electric motors and batteries, a swimming pool in the sun us a pretty hostile environment. Add chlorine and sometimes salt to the sun, and it's a surprise if anything other than sand and Portland Cement survives.

 

[Katodude]

So I live in south Florida where there is always a breeze. Sometime it is a very strong breeze. The Solar Breeze handles if fairly well. It does get pushed around a little in a strong wind but it still manages to get around. According to the weather channel the wind is blowing 21mph right now (I dont really believe it is that strong), and it is handling that just fine.

So you are right they are not very long lived. This is my 3rd one. And I just had this one replaced under warranty. The service was excellent. I bought this one with a 2 year warranty and with the credit card I should get another year (actually maybe two, I need to reread those terms). If I get 4 years out of it I will be tickled.

It is also fairly expensive, so if you are deciding between a dolphin robot or a solar breeze then get the robot. If you want a supplement to your skimmers and the $550 or is not a burden, then get the Solar Breeze.

I recently fixed my two skimmers by adding a universal weir door and they now operate much better. The Solar Breeze is like having an extra skimmer. In fact it regularly collects much more than my two skimmers combined. It also keeps working while my pool pump is turned off (probably the major reason it collects more). This time of year it runs through the night on the charge it gets during the day.

I will always own one, I just hate stuff in my pool. Just like I will always own a high end dolphin Robot. As I sit here writing this I am wondering why I have not changed out my single speed pool pump to a variable speed. I love my pool that much that I want the best for it.

Unless someone tries one of the competitors and says they are absolutely amazing then it will continue to be SolarBreezes for me.

 

[Katodude]

You know I actually believe the weather channel now, it is blowing pretty hard out there, at least 20mph and the SolarBreeze does not seem to care. It keeps going back and forth.

 

[jfreeman]

My weir door is just a little too wide, too. How did you trim the sides? I'm afraid I'll just scratch the sides and end up making it wider.

 

[Katodude]

If you have a dremel or some sort of grinding device that works best to trim a little off the sides. The plastic is very soft and grinds very easily. A small file will even work well.