View Full Version : Auto cleaners..I just don't get it...
steveinaz
05-25-2007, 01:06 PM
I'm not sure I understand the appeal of auto-cleaners. I spend about 30 minutes each Saturday with a good 'ol vacuum head and pole. No Kreepy-Krauly hanging out of the pool, getting caught on stuff, missing areas...etc. Then there is the initial expense/repair parts.
I don't get it? Do these devices really save you any time/effort?
ellry99
05-25-2007, 10:34 PM
Yes, I think so. I have a polaris 380 and it really cleans well, and I don't have to spend anytime manually cleaning the pool, ever. It really helps when there is a bad storm and we get alot of debris in the pool, in an hour or two the pool is sparkling clean.
leejp
05-25-2007, 10:42 PM
I'm not sure I understand the appeal of auto-cleaners. I spend about 30 minutes each Saturday with a good 'ol vacuum head and pole. No Kreepy-Krauly hanging out of the pool, getting caught on stuff, missing areas...etc. Then there is the initial expense/repair parts.
I don't get it? Do these devices really save you any time/effort?
How leafy is your pool?
tenax
05-26-2007, 12:14 AM
to me, it's kind of like snowblowers..aside from when it's really really cold, why not just get some exercise and shovel by hand..at least with the cold, it's a better excuse than using an auto pool vac on a warm summer day:) i think the appeal is simple..reduce pool maintenance to an absolute minimum..now, i could argue on the other side vs shoveling snow that i put a lot more time even without vacuuming into maintaining my pool then shoveling snow every winter:) what i don't get is why pool vacs cost so much money(well i do, but it's not right) and why so many people who spend 1500 to 3000 bucks on a pool vac have problems with them..it's criminal.
cleancloths
05-26-2007, 08:01 AM
How do you manually brush the bottom of the pool?
Once you brush - where does the stuff you brush go - thats right - in your pool water. My Blue Pearl has something like a 10 micron filter bag that takes all that crap out of the pool water. It polishes the water to a greater extent than my DE filter.
joenj
05-26-2007, 08:07 AM
What I like about pressure cleaners is that nothing goes into your filter...no need to backwash. Should keep my chemicals stable since I am not adding fill water.
Joe
cruzmisl
05-26-2007, 08:35 AM
If I vacuumed once a week I would have a ton of stuff in my pool......lucky you.
I live in the woods, have a white fiberglass pool - my aquabot is a lifesaver, or should I say timesaver:) I would have to vacuum everyday & twice on Sundays;)
CarlD
05-26-2007, 06:22 PM
If you have a pool of any size, an auto cleaner is set-and-forget. Vacuuming is generally hard, sweaty work, so we let a machine do it. Maybe you can do it faster, maybe not. The machine doesn't get sweaty.
The robotics (Aquabot, Dolphin, DirtDevil, Blue Diamond, etc.) climb and brush the walls. I haven't brushed my pool's walls in 3 years--the robot does it.
waterbear
05-26-2007, 10:21 PM
Since I got Zodiac Mars HP pressure side cleaner I have not had to vacuum my pool, I only have to brush the top step and the swimledge since the cleaner can't get to them, and my filter is staying much cleaner since the crud in the pool is being picked up by the Mars! It's cut down on pool maintenence a lot and I can enjoy what little time I have IN the water instead of cleaning the pool! Now if they would just develop a pool cleaner that can empty it's own dirt collection bin I would be set!:D (I do have to empty the cleaner weekly. I am amzed at how much stuff it picks up. When I was manually vacuuming I only did it about every 3 weeks because that's how long it took for the pool to look dirty. When I see how much stuff the Mars picks up in a weeks time I am amazed!)
steveinaz
05-27-2007, 09:40 AM
I guess we are lucky in that there are few leaves (we live in s. Arizona desert), and our pool is not large. Saturday vacuumimg is usually all I have to do, unless we get a serious dust devil that sweeps thru the yard.
BigStein
05-27-2007, 03:20 PM
I am sure auto-cleaners are great. But since I don't want to spend the money, I vacuum, generally every time I swim. Since I vacuum often there isn't usually much debris to pick up (but I like it as clean as possible before I jump in), and it is about a 10 minute job. I consider this kind of maintanence fun, although maybe that will fade since we have had our pool for less than a year. And I certainly don't consider it hard work, but if I should happen to break a sweat then the first dive in becomes all the more refreshing.
tenax
05-27-2007, 04:10 PM
it's kind of like kids and chores.."neato" to do the first few times..then it becomes another damn chore on the list:) i thought it was fun and cool the first couple of seasons..by startup of season 3 and having to empty my basket from the winter crap about 25 times while vacuuming..fun was not the word on my mind. now, i've got a leaf net and can say that the amount of setup has reduced considerably..but i'm still not having fun..ok, maybe it was fun for 5 minutes..maybe i'm a good candidate for an auto vac:)
aquarium
05-27-2007, 05:42 PM
If your pool is already set up with a pressure port, it doesn't have to cost a lot to install a cleaner:
http://cgi.ebay.com/POLARIS-VAC-SWEEP-180-POOL-CLEANER-N-R_W0QQitemZ270123171247QQihZ017QQcategoryZ66782QQr dZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I have ours set to run a couple of hours each evening and it keeps the bottom clean of debris. I wouldn't ever want to go manual.
nater
05-27-2007, 05:51 PM
Benefits for me:
1). Time saver/multitasker. I can mow, sleep, work, cook, drink, etc while the robot cleans the pool.
2). Super clean water. If I throw the robot into my pool when its "clean", the filter bag will still make a cloudy mess of the 5 gallon rinse bucket at the end of the cycle.
3). Completeness of job. I get tired, bored, rushed, etc and miss spots with the vacuum. The robot doesn't. He lives to clean the pool ;)
Are you missing out on any great zen experience by not having one? No. Are you saving some money by not having one? Yes.
Would I buy another one? Absolutely!
NWMNMom
05-28-2007, 12:14 AM
I do not want my pool to become a chore and there IS a difference between maintanance and a chore. We also live in the woods, and even with the cover on we still have debri that needs to be cleaned up. I have too much to do and so little time, plain and simple, it saves me time that I can be doing something else.
It's sorta like a cell phone. You don't think you need one until you have one and then you can't live without one.
KurtV
05-30-2007, 02:50 PM
I'm not sure I understand the appeal of auto-cleaners. I spend about 30 minutes each Saturday with a good 'ol vacuum head and pole. No Kreepy-Krauly hanging out of the pool, getting caught on stuff, missing areas...etc. Then there is the initial expense/repair parts.
I don't get it? Do these devices really save you any time/effort?
I agree. It's like indoor plumbing. Was boiling a few pots of water for your Saturday bath really that much work? Likewise, saving a few precious steps to the outhouse; especially when you consider the thousand of dollars it costs to plumb the average house.
How 'bout 'lectricity? Isn't that just a tad bit overrated? I mean, was something wrong with whale oil lamps and candles?
Ditto cars, trains, planes, and ships. What, your legs are broken?
(My tongue is planted firmly in my cheek. I know pool cleaners aren't quite on par with running water and flush toilets on the luxury/convenience/necessity continuum.)
No Need
07-06-2007, 10:58 PM
I love my Barracuda G4! I don't ever have to sweep my pool. The water stays crystal clear with out any thought whats so ever. The salt system is working perfectly, I only need to add some acid once a week.
Pool cleaners that work right, are well worth the money.JMHO :)
My aquabot is being repaired:eek: I miss it soooo much:( I will always have a pool cleaner;)
korinian
07-09-2007, 08:32 AM
I'm not sure I understand the appeal of auto-cleaners. I spend about 30 minutes each Saturday with a good 'ol vacuum head and pole. No Kreepy-Krauly hanging out of the pool, getting caught on stuff, missing areas...etc. Then there is the initial expense/repair parts.
I don't get it? Do these devices really save you any time/effort?
It looks like your pool is 10,000 gallons, and it takes you 30 mins to clean it. Mine is 50,000... do the math and that's 2 and half hours of pole work. I can put the cleaner in the pool and forget about it. A few hours later, take it out and I'm done.