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Robotic Cleaners

Posted by David Penton on January 28, 2010 at 8:42pm in Pool Service Topics
I have a service client that is "anal" (to say the least) about a spotless pool.  We have been through virtually every automatic pool sweep on the market on his pool. 

We had great luck with the Aquabot Turbo T4RC and the client was very satisfied with it... when it was working.  The problems we had were (1) the warranty service is PATHETIC.  Parts have to come out of the East Coast, and would often take 4 - 6 WEEKS, and on more than 1 occasion the wrong parts were sent, and then we had to wait another 4-6 weeks.  The other problem (2) was longevity.  The sweep would work incredible for 6 - 7 months, and then would need repairs.  After the warranty period ended we would end up doing about $400 in repairs 2 - 3 times a year.  The client was OK with this for a while (about 3 years) because he was so satisfied with the performance of the unit when it was working.  The problem was that it would work for 6 months, and then be out for repairs for a month and a half.  We explored purchasing a second unit for the times when one was in the shop, and that option is still on the table.  So money is not a concern (though a $1,400 sweep is a lot of money in my opinion).

This is a normal pool (22,000 gal.) that gets used 12 months a year.  It is maintained at 92 degrees all year, and gets pretty regular use.  We installed a 2" conduit through the raised bond beam of the pool, and under the decking for the cable run for the robotic cleaner itself so there would be no trip hazard.  The sweep actually stays in the water virtually all the time.  It does get removed when there is a large party, but for the most part it is in the pool 360 days a year.  The on-site maintenance man turns on the sweep every morning for a couple hours, and then again before he leaves at the end of the day, so the sweep actually runs 2-4 hours every day. 

I am looking for a sweep that will do as good a job as this one does, but that is significantly more reliable.  Does anyone have any recommendations for something which works well, and has better longevity?  There is a 2" side suction port on this pool as well that we are not using; we installed an Intelliflo, and I would rather not use the suction cleaner on this system for a number of reasons (one of which is that the kids love to pull the sweep out when they swim, and I get tired of having to reset the pump, or install new pump seals all the time).

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Replies

  • David Penton January 30, 2010 at 1:42pm
    Is the 9300 a robotic cleaner?

    Does anyone know when it will be available?

    I had VERY bad luck with the Polaris ATV, so I hope it is not a reworking of that product... With my experience with the ATV I am also a bit "gun shy" about trying something new and unproven from Polaris, though I am still a big fan of the 280.
  • Lester Eric Brehm January 29, 2010 at 10:00am
    I have some Tigersharks that have been in use two seasons no problems so far .I used to sell the Dolphin , had motor problems within two years on about half of those units. With the robotics the biggest problem for me is the cleaner getting hung up on the drain. I'm going to try the Unicover by Polaris or the Smart Ring by Smart Pool.
  • David Penton January 29, 2010 at 9:02am
    If the Tigershark works, and parts are readily available the client is fine spending money keeping the sweep running.

    The problem was not necessarily with the expense of the repairs (though when the last repair was $600 and it was only 4 months after the previous one that did start us down this path). He was more irritated with the fact that repairs took so long. And the things that were going out weren't simply the tracks, brushes etc. they were the actual drive motors and other hard mechanical parts that SHOULDN'T go bad in such a short period of time.

    I can deal with the normally serviceable parts going bad. He realizes that his pool gets extermely heavy use, and understands that the maintenance schedule on his pool is dramatically higher than most normal pools.

    You are the second person to say that they have had good luck with the TigerShark cleaner...
  • Matt Cellura January 29, 2010 at 8:51am
    I agree. I have sold a few Tigersharks and have had no issues so far(again cross my fingers). I again go back to my point about the water temperature. I know it doesn't sound right and i can't explain it, but i am only going on my experience. I have had multiple pools with different temperatures, and the higher temperature pools tend to go through cleaners faster than the other ones. especially if the aggregate is rough.
  • David Penton January 29, 2010 at 8:46am
    This pool gets fine dust that blows in. We had a Polaris 280 in there for a while. The client was not happy with the performance of the bag type cleaner (though of all the cleaners we have had in there, this was his #2 choice). We have used multiple Barracuda Models, Kreepy, Polaris 280, and currently have a Navigator in there until we decide which route to go (The Navigator has been in there for 4 months and already the turbine & bearings have been replaced, and we are not running it too fast... this used to be my favorite sweep, not any more!). I have considered trying the Pool Cleaner 4 wheel Return side sweep with an actuator (no booster pump), but the equipment pad is VERY tight currently ( 5 pumps ) that plumbing will be a challenge. It's definitely do able, but I worry that after all that work, the client may not be satisfied with the overall performance.

    Because the equipment pad is so crammed already I have literally NO room to put a booster pump. The only possible option would be to add a stand, but that will involve MAJOR reconfiguring of the entire equipment pad (and a nightmare as well).

    I would love to find a robotic cleaner that works well. I have heard good things about the Tiger Shark, but I worry about the longevity of ANY Hayward product (see Navigator note above).
  • Matt Cellura January 29, 2010 at 7:56am
    I means to say Hayward Phantom and not navigator. the navigator is a suction side cleaner while the phantom is a pressure side and also skims the surface of the pool.
  • Matt Cellura January 29, 2010 at 5:55am
    Have you tried a booster pump cleaner? The fact that you have a 2 inch line already in the pool would allow you to do this. There would be minor plumbing modifications needed at the pad and a new booster pump would take filtered water and supply it to this line, but that would give you the best cleaning for your situation. There are many options available, but the 2 that i would recommend would be the Hayward Navigator or the Polaris 380. I have these installed on multiple pools and they work well, parts are easy to get, and the longevity of them is better than a Robotic cleaner.
    One of the issues that i think you are encountering with the robotic cleaner is the water temperature. I have noticed that on pools that keep a higher temperature the treads tend to wear down faster and the drive belts as well. I am fully aware of the issues with these and also with getting parts for them. That is why i would recommend a pressure side cleaner. It will not damage the pump at all, you are already all set up for it with the line in the pool, and if your customer has a controller on his pool, you can hook up either of these cleaners to it with an actuator valve so that it will automatically turn on at the appropriate times.
    If you have any questions about these type of cleaners or would like some more information, feel free to email me at matt@hastingswaterworks.com.
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