Pool cleaner experience?


 
Jay D in Jersey

Jay D in Jersey

TVWBB Wizard
Anyone have experience with robotic pool cleaners?
Have been using a Polaris 360 for the last 12 years...pressure side sharing the filter pump with a waterfall feature. It does a great job cleaning but requires constant up keep...hoses, gear rebuilds, tires, bearings, bags.
I decided enough with the maintenance of the thing and bought one of these rechargeable Chinese made cleaners of which there are many go pick from on Amazon...I went with the Ofuzzi Winny Cyber 😁...whatever!
Our pool is small...12'x25' with a gradual slope shallow 3'-deep 5.5'
This is at our beach house and we just had it completely replastered, new coping, waterfall...this past Fall. I'm hoping this thing us up to the task of 2-3 hours every other day. Curious if anyone has tried them.20230313_130348_HDR.jpg20221107_100151.jpg
 
LMichaels said:
My son in law has one. Not sure the brand. I know he loves it. Makes his work load a lot less
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I looked at pages of them and went with that one based on reviews and price as well as supposedly good customer support/service.
It will have paid for itself if it lasts 2-3 seasons. It's roughly half the cost of a Polaris 360. I'll keep the Polaris but I figure for $250, it's worth a shot.
Another big plus is no hose which makes it easier to clean and swim at the same time.
 
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Edit. Just saw it is rechargeable, so it's cordless.




Be cautious with the power cord. If anyone else is handling the robot make certain they understand risk of electricution.

GFCI is a must have.

If an extension cord has to be used, make certain that it is physically impossible to pull the cord into the 6 foot safety distance from the edge of the pool.

Some electric robots are not built to be left in the pool so having a place to store it is helpful.
 
DanHoo said:
Edit. Just saw it is rechargeable, so it's cordless.




Be cautious with the power cord. If anyone else is handling the robot make certain they understand risk of electricution.

GFCI is a must have.

If an extension cord has to be used, make certain that it is physically impossible to pull the cord into the 6 foot safety distance from the edge of the pool.

Some electric robots are not built to be left in the pool so having a place to store it is helpful.
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Yes. Rechargeable with a substantial Lion battery pack. I have a GFCI outlet out near the
pool, so this thing will live outside from late April to mid-October. Allegedly reaches full charge in 2-3 hours and runs 3-4 hours until the charge runs low and then parks itself near a side of the pool. You pull it out with the attached cord and handle or you gaff it with the included pool pole hook. It works on an entirely different design than a Polaris. I know the vacuums you're thinking of. Nautilus is one. That idea always scared me a bit with long cord and plug.
 
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I had the kind that works off of the vacuum hose and emptied into the skimmer basket. It sort of worked okay for several years and then it just required paying constant attention to it or it would just stop randomly in the pool. It just got easier to vacuum it the old fashioned way with the pole. If this works well Jay, do an update this summer on it for us.
 
Steve Hoch said:
I had the kind that works off of the vacuum hose and emptied into the skimmer basket. It sort of worked okay for several years and then it just required paying constant attention to it or it would just stop randomly in the pool. It just got easier to vacuum it the old fashioned way with the pole. If this works well Jay, do an update this summer on it for us.
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Yeah the Polaris 360 works of a hose but it's on the return side outlet on the pool wall. The return pressure is powerfull and it drives a small turbine and transmission that turns the four wheels and suction is created by Venturi jets at the bottom that sucks debris, sand, etc... up a tube and into a mesh bag. It works great when it's working but keeping it working is a PIA. There are quite a few things that can go wrong and usually do. Quality parts are not cheap for it either.


polaris-360-oct132.png
 
When our Polaris like the one pictured above finally gave up the ghost, my dad bought an older version of this: https://www.polarispool.com/en/products/pool-cleaners/robotic-pool-cleaners/polaris-p965iq

I don’t think ours has any smartphone integration, but it looks very similar to the one in the link. Just plug into a GFCI outlet, and put it away when it’s done cleaning. It’s been the primary pool cleaner for quite a few years now and is still going strong. No more dealing with all the headaches inherent with a built-in system.

As Dan said above, care must be taken that the base/power cord does not end up in the pool, so leaving it completely unattended isn’t ideal.
 
I had a Polaris pressure side cleaner with a booster pump and timer in our pool. Had to replace the unit and booster pump once within 10 years. Could just leave it in the pool and forget it most of the time except filter cleaning. With a rechargeable unit, it will have to be pulled daily to recharge. Also, the Polaris climbed the pool walls really well. I would check that capability out too. Battery power has come a long way but a battery can be very expensive to replace assuming it is available, and run time may be an issue to clean entire pool. Sure is cheap compared to Polaris.
 
JSaus said:
I had a Polaris pressure side cleaner with a booster pump and timer in our pool. Had to replace the unit and booster pump once within 10 years. Could just leave it in the pool and forget it most of the time except filter cleaning. With a rechargeable unit, it will have to be pulled daily to recharge. Also, the Polaris climbed the pool walls really well. I would check that capability out too. Battery power has come a long way but a battery can be very expensive to replace assuming it is available, and run time may be an issue to clean entire pool. Sure is cheap compared to Polaris.
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Yeah, I realize this thing wont have the juice to climb the walls or work the steps but I'm ok spending 10 minutes every other day to brush them and let this thing clean it off the bottom..
 
I have a Polaris since day one probably 11 years it does need stuff from time to time but I would not call it overly expensive to maintain. My pool goes to a depth of 9 feet at one end so it works pretty hard. To be honest you own a pool there is not much that is cheap to maintain it.

I have salt water and in ATL no need to drain your pool in the winter so the Polaris is basically working 52 weeks a year.
 
DanHoo said:
Pool: noun.

Hole in ground supported by varying combinations of metal, concrete, plastic, vinyl and regularly filled with money.
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Thats a good one need a new heater this spring and never used it for anything but the hot tub. 4500 bucks pool 12 years old no parts for the existing heater anymore. The only plus and not much is they are more efficient and about 1/2 the size of what I have now. However built mine for about 40k included all the pavers that surround the pool, once the pandemic hit the pool builders had to much business. If you wanted a pool built wait 5 mos to get inline if your lucky and basically double the cost. Wife has a friend who is a realtor and this speaks to my neighborhood can't comment on others. Sell the house the pool she figures and depends on the buyer add 70k to the house maybe more if someone who wants the pool does not want to wait 5 mos to get started and have their backyard a construction site for another 2-3 months.

A pool is not for everyone but we have gotten our money and enjoyment out of it as well as my kids and this year teaching my grandaughter to swim.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Thats a good one need a new heater this spring and never used it for anything but the hot tub. 4500 bucks pool 12 years old no parts for the existing heater anymore. The only plus and not much is they are more efficient and about 1/2 the size of what I have now. However built mine for about 40k included all the pavers that surround the pool, once the pandemic hit the pool builders had to much business. If you wanted a pool built wait 5 mos to get inline if your lucky and basically double the cost. Wife has a friend who is a realtor and this speaks to my neighborhood can't comment on others. Sell the house the pool she figures and depends on the buyer add 70k to the house maybe more if someone who wants the pool does not want to wait 5 mos to get started and have their backyard a construction site for another 2-3 months.

A pool is not for everyone but we have gotten our money and enjoyment out of it as well as my kids and this year teaching my grandaughter to swim.
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I never thought there was the amount of maintenance that people think...especially on those house hunting shows. Having an oversized filter helps...the Polaris helps and I'm hoping this Chinese robot cleaner is as effective as the Polaris was when it wasn't lingering in a corner.
Ours was here when we bought the place 13 years ago and we just had it replastered with hew coping and a new waterfall last fall. Ssme filter, second or third pump and I stopped with the heater after the third one. They suck and if you can't take the water temperature from Memorial Day to mid October in Southern NJ don't jump in.
 
Jay your climate is probably not helping you either. I hope that unit works out for you IMO the thought of a unit like that makes no sense to me. What happens if the unit gets breached or whatever battery croaks leaking who knows what into your pool you need to recharge it so you need power and I don't think it will be anywhere as effective as a Polaris that would IMO be impossible as it will have no where near the power the Polaris has and of course the Polaris needs no recharging there is a reason its more money. You own a pool it is what it is there is no cheap way out and please not trying to discourage you from trying that unit but I think its a really bad idea.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Jay your climate is probably not helping you either. I hope that unit works out for you IMO the thought of a unit like that makes no sense to me. What happens if the unit gets breached or whatever battery croaks leaking who knows what into your pool you need to recharge it so you need power and I don't think it will be anywhere as effective as a Polaris that would IMO be impossible as it will have no where near the power the Polaris has and of course the Polaris needs no recharging there is a reason its more money. You own a pool it is what it is there is no cheap way out and please not trying to discourage you from trying that unit but I think its a really bad idea.
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I know the no cheap way out part quite well. The replaster, new coping and waterfall was $25K all in. The old plaster was sound and in good shape structurally but badly mottled and the red/brown old school coping was dated looking. The pool restoration completely updated and improved the look of the back yard.
I'm keeping the Polaris...it's only five years old. There are no trees nearby so leaves are not an issue. I'm not concerned about the battery housing. The thing is sturdy and well built from what can see. It's an experiment...if I get 2-3 years and it does a reasonably good job, it will have paid for itself. If it's a failure, my next move will be a dedicated pump for the Polaris.
 
3 weeks in use and this little gadget does it's job very well. As effective as the Polaris but completely different design...and no bothersome hoses!
Suction is quite powerful and it has a wider track with a small brush on the bottom. It's perfect for daily use. Runs 2.5 hrs on a 4 hr charge. Jury is still out on longevity.
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