Well shucks...3 yrs later and the S200 might be shot

[l1ltaral1l]

I have been deep diving on older threads on the joys of robot motors failing in a relatively short life span. @JoyfulNoise had a super helpful thread, and see all the water in the motor housing made me want to cry a little bit. After reading older threads, I haven't been caring for my robot properly. It stays in the pool quite often, especially at opening. I now know this is wrong, and Should have taken it out and let it dry whenever possible. @djw had a comment about lubing some parts, which my husband is going to try today. But I think it will be shot. I bought it in Oct 2019, and used it for our 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons.

BUTTTT, before I jump to conclusions....here is a video. Thoughts? I did email Marina (where I bought it) a few days ago, but didn't hear back (and honestly forgot to follow up).

ETA: I did check the impeller and cleaned it of some dog hair, but it is still acting funky.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You can pull it and look for obstructions in the usual places but, generally speaking, once the motor starts doing funky things, it’s on death’s door. It stinks for sure, but not much you can do about it. If you have to stick with a robot cleaner, then all you can do is buy the cheapest one you possibly can that gets your pool clean and hope for the best.

 

[l1ltaral1l]

You can pull it and look for obstructions in the usual places but, generally speaking, once the motor starts doing funky things, it’s on death’s door. It stinks for sure, but not much you can do about it. If you have to stick with a robot cleaner, then all you can do is buy the cheapest one you possible can and hope for the best.

Yup, it's def doing funky things. UGH. I loved this robot so much!

 

[Jimrahbe]

1,

It appears that your robot is running through its self tests then stops, meaning it failed something.

I suggest that you go look at the impeller and see if there is string or hair under it. You actually have to take the impeller off and look under it.

Simple to do with a Philips screwdriver.

Let us know what you find.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If you do need to buy a new robot then going forward you need to reconsider the use of the cleaner. I suggest only putting it in the pool when the pool needs cleaning and then remove it and clean/rinse it thoroughly after use. Keep it in a cool(ish) and shaded spot near the pool and only run it as-needed. For the initial warranty period, don’t touch anything on it, make Maytronics fix whatever needs repair. Then, after the warranty is up, I would suggest annual maintenance where the robot is torn down once a season and the motor assembly is opened up and all sealing o-rings are lubed. Changing the moisture absorbent pad (they’re cheap, you can buy dozens on Amazon for a few bucks) would also be a good idea. Preventative maintenance plus not leaving it submerged all the time will likely extend its useful life quite a bit.

 

[l1ltaral1l]

1,

It appears that your robot is running through its self tests then stops, meaning it failed something.

I suggest that you go look at the impeller and see if there is string or hair under it. You actually have to take the impeller off and look under it.

Simple to do with a Philips screwdriver.

Let us know what you find.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Oops, I forgot to mention that we did check the impeller. There was a bit of dog hair in it, but we removed it.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You can pull the robot from the water, take the filter basket out, put the robot up on wood blocks and turn it on with the cover open. Listen as it runs through its self test -

You should hear the impeller motor spin through three distinct spin speeds.

The tracks should move forward and backwards smoothly with no clicks or strain.

The wheel hubs should freely rotate and there should be no “walk” (translational motion while turning) in the wheel hubs.

You’ll need to pop off the side panel covers to fully see the track wheels moving.

 

[DogtownTX]

If you determine it's a bad drive motor, it can be replaced fairly easily. Sourcing them can be tricky sometimes, but I found a guy selling them on eBay. Mine did what yours was doing, running through the test cycle before shutting down. Replacing the drive motor put it back in working order. Was far cheaper than a new robot but of course your at the mercy of it happening again as the design of the motor doesn't appear to have changed. I also stopped leaving mine in the pool so much to hopefully stretch the lifespan.

This was the seller I bought from last year: GOLD GREEN METAL | eBay Stores