Can I leave the Baracuda hooked up?

[sailork]

I was given a Baracuda G3. I can plug it into the skimmer that's farthest from the pump and it works fine. It doesn't clean the sides completely, but I don't mind brushing them once a week.

I'm wondering if I can leave it plugged into the skimmer all the time. I'm worried that the hose will come loose and the pump will lose prime while I'm not at home. Has anybody had a broken or seperated hose burn up a pump or cause some other problem?

I suspect if I left it plugged in all the time I'd have a much cleaner pool.. :D

[tbatti]

Actually, I'm glad to see that someone else is using a G3. I don't see it mentioned much in this forum. I bought one 18 months ago for my pool and am very happy with it. I leave it running all the time. The kids jump on it while swimming and I have never had a problem with it. No broken hoses, dis-connects or any problems that concerned me. What I have encountered is that the internal baffle wore out after 9-10 months. The manufacturer told me that it was due to excessive clorination. Probably true as I only recently started using Bens test kit and following the recommendations from this forum. Another thing that I noticed was that as the baffle got older (worn out?) it started to lose the ability to climb the walls. A new baffle and the G3 was back to climbing. Down side is that they are around $30.

[sailork]

Thanks for the reply. I was concerned about it because I'm either at work or asleep when the timer kicks in so I might not notice if there was a problem with the cleaner.