My Dolphin: Now I'm getting rid of it

I heard a lot of good things here about the Dolphin so I got one about 2 weeks ago. Initially it was in a rut about 10' long ... back and forth, like Carl's

I sent an email to the folks I bought it from ([poolsupplydeals.com). No response whatsoever.

So I diddled. I am impressed that this thing has abosolutely minimal intelligence and sensing capability. At first I thought putting in the length of the pool and telling it to climb walls woudl really do something. The cycle seems to be the same whether it is going across the width or the length.

I did find that
1) by moving the handles to the extreeme ends of the slots, not in the semi-circular cut outs that look like they are made for the handle ... made the unit hang at a different angle when it hit the surface and that caused it to travel along the waterline and cover different areas.
2) it will not work at all well with the cover on
3) it "seems" to wander around better with the cord entering the water at end of the pool rather than the side.
4)the amount of debris in the bag affects the flow through the unit that affects its ability to push itself agains a wall and climb.
5)on the long cycles it seemed to get in the rut more than on a 2 or 3 hour cycle, that I now start once in the morning and once in the evening.
6)it is not nearly as intelligent and programmable as the advertising would lead you to believe.
7)the yellow trim makes me think the dumb thing should be declared legally blonde.
8) depsite all the above, it is working well enough now that I have not vacuumed since I put it in and that's the only good news ... but that was, after all the purpose of the expense.

Lessons learned
1) I'll never order another item from poolsupplydeals.com regardless of price.
2) I will try another brand when this one dies.

Don't feel too bad Carl ... lots of folks said these were the greatest thing since sliced bread.
PS part of my business is building CNC machine tools with programmable interfaces, and other than the lenght of time this thing runs until it reverses,
I find it hard to beleive there is much of a program in there.

The folks that make the Dolphin need a good class action lawsuit against them for false advertising. First, there is no way the damn thing can "learn" your pool. I don't think it has any memory chips, but that is just an opinion. How could it learn anyway. If the water level changed slightly it would have to relearn. If you put it in the pool in a different place each time it would have no way of knowing where it was and would think it was a different pool.

Also, they claim in their ads and on their box that the unit includes a free extra filter bag. While maybe techincally true, it is not what you would expect rather a cheap paper disposable bag. This is pattently a case of gross disception if not outright lying. I would never buy another product made by that company and would suggest that others think twice. I just wish others bought it from a place that would take it back.

Carl

I was watching my Dolphin tonight and turned off the wall climbing. It covered a much smaller area of the pool.

You've been watching yours a lot more than I've seen mine but it seems that the only real progress to new turn is when it hits the surface and craps along the waterline.

The amount of time it spends there seems to be tied to the size of the pool you tell it you have. I think it calculates the time to cross it and adds some for water level cleaning and crabbing along the edge to new territory.

If your unit will climb the walls to the surface, try going up one size on the set up mode and see what happens.

I can try that but I think 40' IS the biggest size--I'll have to check the programming.

It would help an awful lot if the remote had a "re-learn" button that would wipe the memory and let it re-learn the pool.

Yeah sure, learn, that dumb chunck of plastic.

What annoys me is that the instructions do not tell you what mode the thing should be in to program. Power off, hardly. Power on, maybe. Power on and in the pool, maybe.

The directions are absolutely minumal. Darned shame. So close to being really good.

As you say it works well when it works. I think mine is saving me a couple hours a week of vacuuming and brushing.

Hope it helps

I do know that you program it in the water, powered on.

Yeah, it's a shame. I am eMailing back and forth to Maytronics in Israel.

Oh, and they tell me that they can provide brass weights rather than lead. WHY DON'T THEY DO THAT AS A RULE???????

At least it's working in crippled mode--no climbing, short cycle. Next I'll try to get it working in a longer cycle.

I'm worried too. I had a big problem with my new Dolphin right out of the box. Maybe we should pull all these Dolphin stories together in this thread.

SmartPool told me to send it off to a repair depot in the Detroit area. Haven't gotten it back yet.

Since I charged this purchase on my Visa and haven't yet paid for it, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just send the unit back to Leslie's or SmartPool and contest the charge with Visa. Does that work?

There ought to be someplace on the internet that can link this thread to potential victims of these companies. This is a high ticket product and its too bad that we, their customers (victims), have so little leverage.

Thanks in advance of any and all advice.

-Jim

First let me start off by saying I have owned and tried , the Polaris 380, Polaris 360,Polaris 340, Baracuda G3, Letro Legend, Letro Platnium Truck, Aquabot plus wireless remote, all these were bought and then returned or sold on Ebay .I now have a Blue Diamond remote AND a Hayward Phantom.I drive over 6 hours for work each day and WILL NOT vacuum my pool after a whole day of work, so I own the 2 best pool cleaners (in my humble opinion)If you want a pressure cleaner go with the Phantom , if you're looking for robotic go with a Blue diamond .I am on my third season with the Blue Diamond , I got it at Frontgate for $1100 brand new , I saw it on their website, wanted to get it but the $1600 price tag was a little too much for me , one day I go on the website and one of their geniuses swapped the prices of the remote model to $1100 and the regular model to $1600 !!!! I jumped for joy, placed my order , and sure enough they shipped it out and charged me $1100, couple of days later they realized their mistake and swapped the prices back to their correct amounts.My boss, who uses my pool decide this year to give me a pool present , he gets me a Dolphin Dynamic remote , I figured what the hell, let me try it , if it's good I'll sell the Blue Diamond on Ebay , probably get my $1100 for it as they are going now for $1600 new and I also gain a 3 year warranty on the Dolphin , i throw in the Dynamic and it's a total waste of time, !! goes back and forth over the same line for 2 hours ! I call customer service , they tell me to set the cleaning time to 8 hours as my pool is 25 x 40 .tried that and then it went over the same line for 8 hours !!I sold it on Ebay, and kept the cash .The Blue pearl is a less expensive model but I'm sure it's fine, you can order them from Frontgate and they have (just double check for yourself before you buy) a 90 day money back guarantee, use it for the summer and see if you like it .The Dolphin's were the original robotic pool cleaner , looks like their American rep for them, copied the cleaner and opened Aquabot, Watertech which makes the Blue Diamond is the son of the owner of Aquabot . in fact the Blue Diamond warranty registration card goes to Aquabot service department !! The Dolphins do not have a "random" mode in my case they kept hitting one of the ladders in the deep end then back down across the pool and hitting the other deep end ladder .the Blkue Diamonds will go in a pattern , then turn suddenly goin a total opposite direction, it does this every couple of minutes and therefore covers my whole pool spotlessly , 25 x 40 , 30, 000 gallons in an HOUR ! Aquabot has a new 2006 model the T4 remote which is a nice cleaner as well and has the same programming as the Blue Diamond , something the Dolphins are seriously lacking .

Please do not post the same post in multiple threads. We just end up deleting one of them, much as I personally appreciate your insights on this topic.

Sorry arld, I just wanted to help the people looking at both topics .

I too am interested in the Blue Diamond/Aquabot Turbo T4. I have been a Dolphin user for the last 3 years but if it's better I'd buy one. It doesn't look well thought out though. The cart looks cheaper, the power supply has a big antenna on it and no joystick on the remote are just a few of the things I noticed. I'd also like to see a video of how it changes direction. I look forward to more reviews.

Well,
I've given up. Too many people are experiencing too many problems and I'm tired of the BS (Barnyard Slush) from Smart Pool and Maytronics. Maytronics, in Israel, has TRIED to help, but what they haven't done is tell Smart Pool "Stop screwing around. Fix this guy's machine, even if he has to pay for stuff besides the motor."

Too many people are reporting Dolphins, even new ones going back and forth and not climbing walls.

I'm too darn tired of "It must be your water--lower your pH to 7.0-7.2" What??????? Everything's wrong except that all of a sudden it stopped working.

So today I decided to order a Blue Diamond with remote control. I'm done with Dolphin and their unwillingness to REALLY help.

I think I'll put it up on eBay and try to unload it. Waste of money.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, DO NOT BUY ANY DOLPHIN PRODUCTS. THEY DO NOT SEEM RELIABLE AND THEIR SERVICE SEEMS TO BE DESIGNED TO DISCOURAGE YOU FROM USING IT!

I need to re-title this thread so I'll do it by merging. I'm done with Dolphin and I'm going to get rid of my Dolphin Dynamic. The US rep, Smart Pool, claims there's nothing wrong. The Maytronics rep can't figure it out--and told me to contact Smart Pool.

But it won't clean my pool properly.

Good-bye Dolphin!

Carl, where did you get your Blue Diamond? How much was it? When is delivery scheduled?

Surely a full report will be written after the 1st hour of cleaning:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cruzmisl

Carl, where did you get your Blue Diamond? How much was it? When is delivery scheduled?

Surely a full report will be written after the 1st hour of cleaning:)

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Pool Doctor--the same people who support Pool Buster. With Remote and delivery $1499 (and they're tossing in an extra filter bag). A lot cheaper than the list $1899!

If someone can host pics or video I'd be happy to take some tomorrow of the Blue Diamond in action

Cool!

You can attach pics to a post--see the Manage Attachments button below when you are writing a reply. Just be sure to make them fairly small or they won't be accepted.

Ok Carl,
As long as the weather holds up here in NJ tomorrow , I'll post some pics .I just threw it in before and it cleaned the whole deep end in 20 minutes .My main drain broke 3 years ago so instead of fixing it for $10,000.I opted for this cleaner to clean up all the junk that collects there.

I'm with you Rescue! I'm in NJ as well and we are HOPING the T'storm predictions are wrong!

Rescue, I can host the pics and video for you. Send them via Email and I'll get them up asap. After tomorrow though I won't have access until Saturday.

Carl, could you post a link to Pool Doctor?
Couldn't find it with google.
PM it to me if you feel its not appropriate to post it.
Thanks
Zane

You'll have the video/pics by tommorow ! I should have done them tonight when the pool was filthy after last night's severe thunderstorms and shown how good a job it does.I must say I have not had a problem with the cleaner in the last 2 seasons or this one yet .I did forget and left the power supply out this past whole winter and it developed a little rust on it , nothing major and totally my fault , as well as the antenna breaking off the power supply, I called water Tech and they told me send them the whole power supply and they will replace the antenna or buy a new one for $20 , and they'l ship it to me, wasn't to happy with the options but went with the $20 way and had it the next morning via FedEx .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hzz

Carl, could you post a link to Pool Doctor?
Couldn't find it with google.
PM it to me if you feel its not appropriate to post it.
Thanks
Zane

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Here it is:
http://www.pooldrstore.com/index.htm

I'm not recommending the Blue Diamond yet-I'm merely buying it and I'll test it for the 14 trial period. I won't recommend a robotic cleaner again until I've used it for three years without a problem. Or at least I will always add a caveat.

Meantime, I have gotten Maytronics' attention finally to how serious this is. They are upset, seriously upset, which is wise. I wouldn't be so upset myself if I hadn't sent the unit to SmartPool and had it sent back saying NOTHING was wrong.

Carl or anyone else,

If you are interested: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=250003346333& If this doesn't work the seller is superaqauaman or search for Aquabot Viva

This is the clone of the Blue Diamond Remote Control. This auction is for a scratch and dent model with a full warranty. I did the "make an offer" thingy and he bit for $1100. That's a DAMN good deal considering you can't touch a Blue Diamond Remote Control for less than like $1500ish in my fanatic price shopping.

Cant wait to play with my new toy and I'll post my review when I get it and find the time to use it.

Thanks, but I don't think so.

I've already ordered mine, and gray market purchases frequently won't have the warranty honored by the manufacturer. I got a VERY good price on it anyway.

For those of you with dolphins with problems, I'd contact Maytronics directly. You'll have to eMail them. If the service guy for them says "OK", I'll post his name and eMail at Maytronics.

Interesting thread. As an owner of an Aquabot and Pool Rover Plus in the past, I always wondered if I would have done better with a Dolphin or Tigershark, etc. The Tigershark intrigued me because of the filter cartridge sounded easier to deal with than a filter bag, but haven't ever read from someone who has used both to compare.

As for the "computer" controlled steerign, I am also very skeptical. As far as I can tell from the aquabot, all it really does it go back and forth, and relies upon the weight of the handle to move sideways at the waterline before, going down in a different area. Then, as it fills up with crap in the filter bag, it spends more time cleaning the bottom of pool due to added weight. I see no sign of anythign sophisticated. Anyhting that disrupts its movemetn on water line, like steps or certain corners can disrupt its "plan." That said, when it didn't get stuck, it did have a better chance of coverign pool than my pool rover plus, which apparently can't handle an oval pool.

If you read the advertizing on all these units the BS becomes self evident.

The travel speed of a Dolphin is supposed to be 50 feet per minute.
a 16 x 32 pool would work out to less than 50 feet long including slope up and down, and end walls.

The width inclujding sides would be about 24 feet.

If the cleaned area was only 1 foot wide, allowing a generous amount of overlap on each pass, the surface should be cleaned in less than half an hour.

1 length of 50 feet at 50 FPM takes 1 minute
24 lenghts = 24 minutes.

So why does the average model come out of the box with a 6 hour cycle and the programmable units have settings up to 8 hours ????

It would seem they have absolutely minimal intelligence and rely on random patters with about as much programming and learning as a Kreepy Krawly.

Guess I should chime in here with a defence of the dolphin. I have both the dolphin and the aquabot turbo.The aquabot is going on 7 years old...I bought the dolphin expecting the aquabot to die but so far it has survived all my abuse.

My dolphin is still going strong, into it's third year now.It cleans my 20x40 pool overnight easily,without missing any spots.

Maybe I have just been lucky so far. The blue diamond looks interesting...it will probably be my next cleaner if and when I need one and providing Carl gives it a good review.

Hey, "Defense" isn't the issue.

I would DEARLY love to never have started this thread because my Dolphin was STILL doing a bang-up job. But it's not. It's messing up after just under 2 years.

I would really, really like to NOT have to be buying ANOTHER cleaner, when this one should run forever. Barring that, I wish I had gotten appropriate support from Smart Pool. I haven't. I sent it to them once and they didn't do or find anything.

I hope your Dolphin runs forever. I'm not being sarcastic either. I hope that my communications directly with Maytronics will light a fire under Smart Pool's saddle and get them doing the job of customer support better.

What's a pool buster??

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Originally Posted by KirstenHW

What's a pool buster??

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It's just like a Dust Buster only underwater. Rechargable and goes on the end of a standard pole.

Awesome!! I was just thinking yesterday how I need something just like that for the crushed rock particles left over from redoing the pavers around the pool edge. They are everywhere. Can this thing be hand held under water too -- like I could dive into the deep end and use it? And where do you recommend getting one? Sorry - I know its a tangent to this thread.

hzz, as an owner of both an Aquabot Turbo and Dolphin, any great preference between 2?

CarlD, I'm still very curious about Maytronic's position on this. Are they still doing nothing to resolve this problem and leaving it to their contracted service company? Are you going to continue to post updates on what is being done, if anything, to resolve the problem?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jimwnola

hzz, as an owner of both an Aquabot Turbo and Dolphin, any great preference between 2?

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Good question.
Here are some of the differences between the two:

Aquabot-lighter, works well even in cold water,which is great for when the pool is just opened, cord easier to manage(doesn't tangle)
Had some climbing issues at the beginning but I was sent climbing rings which solved the problem

Dolphin-heavier of the two.....a factor for my wife when she has to remove it from the pool,cleans the pool much faster than the Aquabot, has the remote feature(which is why I bought it), has a caddy that is not well made but is better than nothing,does not work at all in cold water

I have a soft spot for the Aquabot.....I throw it in the pool right when I remove the cover....water is sometimes as cold as 40 degrees,pool is full of worms, and the Aquabot just keeps cleaning...it is a real workhorse.

Hope this helps

Zane

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jabre

CarlD, I'm still very curious about Maytronic's position on this. Are they still doing nothing to resolve this problem and leaving it to their contracted service company? Are you going to continue to post updates on what is being done, if anything, to resolve the problem?

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Maytronics has said they will prod Smart Pool to do something. We shall see.

In the meantime I expect the Blue Diamond to arrive today or tomorrow and if it lives up to half the hype, the Dolphin is going up for sale.

After all, Smart Pool says there's NOTHING wrong with it and it has no visible signs of wear...:cool:

(must be me. pH of 7.5 instead of 7.2 makes it my fault. If only I had worn a tinfoil hat and started it at midnight under a gibbous moon...Do I sound jaded and cynical????:confused: )

The entire problem with your dolphin is your fault.

You have your tongue in the wrong side of your cheek when you start the dolphin and you need to stand on your left foot and push the button with your right pinkie.

===========

After some thought I sent off an email to Maytronics as well and challenged them to log into the forum and become proactive. I just plunked down $ 1000 for the dump lump of plastic.

I don't expect a real eureka on how to make it work. I do beleive it is over hyped in the advertizing.

But I would love to have it work for a couple year like yours did. By then there will be some available that will figure out where they are in a pool and how to set up a reasonable pattern and clean a pool in an hour or so instead of taking a whole night.

Fingers crossed. I hope the new toy gives you better results.

Since mine is still working I assume it must be because I am in Canada.

Does anything work in New Jersey?

Good luck with the Blue Diamond. Looking forward to your review of it.

Carl

when you sent the unit back to SmartPool, did you send the cleaner AND the power supply ????

The symptom sounds to me like a partial failure of the power supply. The slow speed makes me think the power supply has lost a / some transistors / rectifiers and is simply not putting enough voltage out to the motor. With a single motor driving the whole thing, the speed would be slow and the water flow would be slow. Without the water flow the cleaner would not generate enough thrust to get traction to climb the walls ?? Sound like your situation.

I'd love to dig into mine to see how it's put together. My day job is running a machine tool business and we analize and repair AC and DC servo drives on the CNC machines. This should not be a major issue to sort it out. SmartPool should be up to speed on this and be able to fix it in about an hour flat.

Right now not much is working in New Jersey--the Gov. shut down the state to force the leg. to finally balance the budget. The casino operators are FURIOUS, but helping Don Trump and Harrah's get richer isn't high on my agenda.

The hardest thing, though, is reading that Camp Marcella, a camp for blind kids, has to shut down. We used to live within walking distance of Camp Marcella--and it's a real special place.

Of course I sent back the power supply and the remote to Smart Pool. I KNOW it's working perfectly--after all you plug it in and the motor runs....Right?;)

Gotta run--sad duty this morning--the husband of a lady in my office dropped dead on the 4th--he was only 50 years old (my age) and it was totally unexpected. So I'm off to the funeral.