My Dolphin: Now I'm getting rid of it

About 12 days ago I shipped my Dolphin Dynamic back to SmartPool for servicing. It's been NOT cleaning the pool, leaving the shallow end untouched even after 8 hours. It's not climbing the walls, either, and in one direction it's only moving at 32fpm and the other 40fpm. It's supposed to move at 50fpm.

My water is clean, no algae, the walls and bottom aren't slimey or anything like that.

As per their directions, I removed the floats, added a weight, even ran it without a bag to no effect.

Now, of course, Smartpool is saying they cannot find anything wrong with it--in their tests it works "perfectly". Sorry if I'm skeptical.

Then they threw the wild one at me: "What's your pH?" says she "7.5". "Well, you need to lower it to 7.2"
7.2??? you have to adjust pH to 7.2 to get the cleaner to run? I told her it's not in the manual and it ran for nearly 2 years with pH at 7.5. Of course they also wanted to know if I laundered the bags in the washing machine. Yes, I said, so they don't have that as an excuse, either.

They are sending it back to their techs to test it again, but I gotta tell you all: I AM worried. I spent $1200 on this cleaner and if their response is to say there's nothing wrong with it and I need to continue to do bizarre things when it USED to work, I will withdraw my recommendation to all of you to purchase Dolphin products.

I find it truly odd that a cleaner that worked fine for years, with no visible signs of wear, now needs floats removed, a lead(!) weight added, and now a pH that is generally too low for normal usage.

I also generally dislike companies that always assume all problems are user error, even as you try all of their solutions and they don't work. I'm getting the feeling that they are trying to avoid actually doing ANYTHING to fix my machine.

But, we shall see. I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, I've un-retired my Polaris 165 and it's working fine. I put a handful of sheet cotton in the bag to act as a fine filter which works nicely. I do need to use my PoolBuster for a touch-up after, but the Polaris is doing OK. It's not nearly as effective as the Dolphin (when it's working), it doesn't brush the pool for me, and doesn't super-filter it either. But at least IT works!

Carl.

That is definitely a new one, how can a slight pH differential impact the speed of an electric motor? Did they explain or just state it as a "fact" ?

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Originally Posted by cleancloths

That is definitely a new one, how can a slight pH differential impact the speed of an electric motor? Did they explain or just state it as a "fact" ?

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She said above 7.2, the vinyl walls get slippery...BS as far as I'm concerned, especially when it's been between 7.3 and 7.6 EVERY time I ran it the last 2 years.

Yeah that's interesting about the ph, this is the second season for my dolphin and my ph is always around 7.6 in my vinyl pool and i can't get it to stop climbing the walls Ha!
I am very interested in how it turns out for you as i would like to get 4 or 5 years out of this investment before having to worry about serious repairs.
I wonder if wear on the rollers could effect this and not be visibly noticeable at least not enough where you would think about replacing them. I remember reading you should keep the rollers wet, not sure how to accomplish this as i put it in the shed after each use.

anyway wish you luck!


Randy

The only time I know of that walls get slippery with pH above 7.2 is when they're also turning green....

I can't believe they're giving you the runaround. Hopefully they can find the problem and fix it. My Polaris is out of commission right now (need new wheel set and hose, haven't had time to go get them), but the Poolbuster is spoiling me--what a great piece of equipment!!

Janet

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Originally Posted by aylad

The only time I know of that walls get slippery with pH above 7.2 is when they're also turning green....

I can't believe they're giving you the runaround. Hopefully they can find the problem and fix it. My Polaris is out of commission right now (need new wheel set and hose, haven't had time to go get them), but the Poolbuster is spoiling me--what a great piece of equipment!!

Janet

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Jan, I can't believe it either--I'm still waiting. They said call back this afternoon.

Meanwhile I'm now looking at AquaBot, Tiger Shark and Blue Diamond cleaners--in case Dolphin keeps going down this unfortunate road.

Meanwhile the Polaris 165 is doing a good job and the PoolBuster spoils me too! Since I replaced the motor/battery pack and got the finer filter it's been a real animal! It looked SO much like I was going to be wasting my money but it's really worked out well! I haven't pulled out the suction side vacuum in 2 years!

OK: Update....
SmartPool says they still can't find anything wrong, but.....
The motor's running "a little" slow so they are going to replace it (the motor has a 3 yr warranty, still active) and I should have it tomorrow (I'm not that far from Lakewood, NJ).

OK, if the motor has all the electronics in it I may be in business. "Slow motor". Yeah, I TOLD them it was slow--32fpm rather than 50fpm on the bottom. That means the pump is weaker too, which means it doesn't suck itself down to the floor, or to the walls, so it doesn't climb the walls. It all fits.

So...when it comes home I'll try it and let you know...

Maybe I'll be happy:) , maybe I'll be blue:(

(how did I calculate speed? My pool is 16' wide--I CLOCKED it with a stop-watch using the remote to direct it!)

Keeping my fingers crossed that the Dolphin is well........

Jan

Good luck with that! :( It sucks that such an expensive thing is giving such problems.

I just bought a Dolphin Diagnostic and it works pretty well. (Doesnt go as high on the walls as I'd like, but that can be adjusted from what I understand.)

I do, however, remember reading somthing in my manual about PH levels. (Not that your levels are unacceptable. Im sure 7.2-7.5 cant really matter that much, and they certainly arent treating you like a good customer. :( Good luck!

They could be worse. Maybe the fact that we have 17,000 members across the US, Canada and other sovereign nations (Hello across the Pond and Down Under! Olla!) helped?

I've been treated FAR worse...there's a particular company that makes audio systems for motorcycles based in Europe that is VERY expensive and treats customers like dirt....There's an American outdoor clothing company that's the same way....

Sorry about your Dolphin. I really hope it is repaired to your satisfaction because I have a Diagnostic. I'd like to know I can count on the customer service should I ever need them..

Blue diamond makes a less expensive Blue Pearl. I saw it on ebay but couldn't find out if the Blue Diamond people made it or not before I ordered the Dolphin. I emailed the Blue Diamond people and yes, it is theirs but it doesn't appear on their website. They directed me to another site www.pooldrstore.com/BluePearlpagenewsite.htm I have heard good things about the Blue Diamond, but the Pearl is new. Hopefully you won't need to look into a new one.

Now I am ROYALLY ticked off!

The Dolphin was returned yesterday from SmartPool where they allegedly found NOTHING wrong.

I guess they didn't look, or they have a 9'x9' pool. That's because in the first few minutes my Dolphin went to a couple of walls, climbed one, didn't climb the others, then went to the deep end hopper. This is a flat-bottomed rectangular area about 10.5'x14' that is 5.5' deep. It has ramps on all 4 sides.

The Dolphin then proceeded to patrol a 9'x7' box for the next 8 hours. It would go to the base of one ramp, then go back across, stop in the MIDDLE of the flat, and return.

All d*** night. I started it at 8:30, checked it at 11, at 1:35 (don't ask), 2:10 (ditto) and at 6:30, when it had stopped--guess where.

I guess Dolphin can now be counted as another take-your-money-and-run company. Put it with HTH, BioGard and Nature2. I can kiss $1250.-- good--bye. Like one of those cartoons of a bill with wings on it.

I will call them again today, and I will try to escalate it, but I can see I'm going to get nowhere. It's clear they have no intention of diagnosing or fixing it, but intend to use the "Bigger Sucker Theorem".

The "Bigger Sucker Theorem" is this: There's always another and a bigger sucker around the next corner so don't worry about the repercussions from the one you just conned.

The remedy is this:

In my PERSONAL and HUMBLE opinion, buying any Dolphin product is A MISTAKE! I will NEVER buy any Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I will NEVER recommend and Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I APOLOGIZE to anyone who bought a Dolphin product on my say-so. I say to anyone who is considering buying a Dolphin,
DON'T--BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD!

If you have a Dolphin and still have a window in which to return it, it is my opinion that you should try.

That is my personal opinion. It is not the policy of this forum and it is not opinion of this forum. It is not the opinion of the administration or of the other moderators. It is solely my own personal opinion and reflects my own experience and exasperation.

If, somehow, magically, against all logic, they reverse this and actually fix it, I will let you know. Even so, they will have STILL made me ship it to them twice and put me through all this nonsense.

Meantime, I still have my Polaris 165 and PoolBuster to take care of cleaning duties. Both those have given me trouble in the past, but in both cases, THOSE companies responded as I would expect and hope, and both units now function perfectly--without any run-around.

Carl

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear your Dolphin horror story. I just recieved mine and it's working great. I didn't get the Aquabot because
the Dolphin seemed a better machine, plus they were the original developer. I suggest you contact the manufecturere directly (maytronics.com). Don't forget to mention you belong to a 17000 member pool owners organization. I'd follow up with a call too. They are 7 hours ahead of EST.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by CarlD

Now I am ROYALLY ticked off!

The Dolphin was returned yesterday from SmartPool where they allegedly found NOTHING wrong.

I guess they didn't look, or they have a 9'x9' pool. That's because in the first few minutes my Dolphin went to a couple of walls, climbed one, didn't climb the others, then went to the deep end hopper. This is a flat-bottomed rectangular area about 10.5'x14' that is 5.5' deep. It has ramps on all 4 sides.

The Dolphin then proceeded to patrol a 9'x7' box for the next 8 hours. It would go to the base of one ramp, then go back across, stop in the MIDDLE of the flat, and return.

All d*** night. I started it at 8:30, checked it at 11, at 1:35 (don't ask), 2:10 (ditto) and at 6:30, when it had stopped--guess where.

I guess Dolphin can now be counted as another take-your-money-and-run company. Put it with HTH, BioGard and Nature2. I can kiss $1250.-- good--bye. Like one of those cartoons of a bill with wings on it.

I will call them again today, and I will try to escalate it, but I can see I'm going to get nowhere. It's clear they have no intention of diagnosing or fixing it, but intend to use the "Bigger Sucker Theorem".

The "Bigger Sucker Theorem" is this: There's always another and a bigger sucker around the next corner so don't worry about the repercussions from the one you just conned.

The remedy is this:

In my PERSONAL and HUMBLE opinion, buying any Dolphin product is A MISTAKE! I will NEVER buy any Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I will NEVER recommend and Dolphin or SmartPool product again. I APOLOGIZE to anyone who bought a Dolphin product on my say-so. I say to anyone who is considering buying a Dolphin,
DON'T--BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD!

If you have a Dolphin and still have a window in which to return it, it is my opinion that you should try.

That is my personal opinion. It is not the policy of this forum and it is not opinion of this forum. It is not the opinion of the administration or of the other moderators. It is solely my own personal opinion and reflects my own experience and exasperation.

If, somehow, magically, against all logic, they reverse this and actually fix it, I will let you know. Even so, they will have STILL made me ship it to them twice and put me through all this nonsense.

Meantime, I still have my Polaris 165 and PoolBuster to take care of cleaning duties. Both those have given me trouble in the past, but in both cases, THOSE companies responded as I would expect and hope, and both units now function perfectly--without any run-around.

Carl

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Carl sorry to hear of your problems. Just curious what is your water temp?

Thanks for the tip on Maytronics.com.

My water temp is just above freezing so it's banging into the ice chunks...

JUST KIDDING!;)

My water was 85 F when I put the Dolphin in. Dolphins are supposed to work in water above, I believe 55 and below something in the 90's.

If you can't use the Dolphin unless the water is 78.37 degrees, and the pH is 7.19745, then it's USELESS!!!!!

I agree.

Reason I ask is I just bought a Dolphin and have ran it 5-6 cycles. I am underwhelmed with its performance and the da** twisty power cord that retains a memory. I am in Florida and my water temps are in the low 90's so I thought that may have been a factor. Warm water = less bouyancy. I called tech support and they sent me a new float so that I could try it out. Not sure how I feel about using it because now I don't know if the unit is even working properly and the float may just be a band-aid fix. Out of the six cycles max it has covered is 90% and that was only once. The other times it would stay in the deep end 95%. Seems like it gets weighed down really fast from the fine mesh bag. When I remove the bag it's only brown from the dirt sediment, no leaves or anything, and it still occasionally weighs it down enough to not make it up the deep to shallow slope. Put the float on this am, didn't have time to put the mesh bag in as it's in the wash, but it seems to zip around a lot better and makes it up the slope/walls no problem. Now I don't know if I have a weak unit or just the water temp requires extra bouyancy. Confused and not too happy...

I just got my Dynamic yesterday and it seems to work the same as my 3 year old Diagnostic. Is it perfect? No, I don't think anything is but it gets >90% of the garbage in my pool. I also plan to get a Poolbuster for the steps, spillover spa and spot cleaning.

Fortunately for me I bought mine from Costco which has an astounding return policy. Hopefully I won't have to use it.

Carl, did you send the unit to an authorized service center or back to the manufacturer? It would be really nice if another member in your area could let you borrow their dolphin. Then you could at least have verification that it's your unit and not your pool ph or temp:rolleyes:.

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Originally Posted by cruzmisl

I just got my Dynamic yesterday and it seems to work the same as my 3 year old Diagnostic. Is it perfect? No, I don't think anything is but it gets >90% of the garbage in my pool. I also plan to get a Poolbuster for the steps, spillover spa and spot cleaning.

Fortunately for me I bought mine from Costco which has an astounding return policy. Hopefully I won't have to use it.

Carl, did you send the unit to an authorized service center or back to the manufacturer? It would be really nice if another member in your area could let you borrow their dolphin. Then you could at least have verification that it's your unit and not your pool ph or temp:rolleyes:.

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What EXACTLY is Costco's return policy, as I just bought one from them 10 days ago and am now worried based on Carl's experience.

Oh, I'd be THRILLED with +90% coverage. Right now I'm getting less than 20% coverage...complete waste.

I sent it to SmartPool, the authorized repair center.

Yeah, it'd be nice to try it in somebody else's pool, or somebody else trying their Dolphin in mine.

But it is my belief that these odd pH numbers they demand are merely a cover for other problems. Of what use is a pool vacuum that demands you adjust certain numbers to a VERY small range, that is outside of the normal range?

I don't like when EVERYTHING is "user error" and the manufacturer demands that you meet an outlandish, quixotic set of requirements and "that's what it's designed for!" I'm not wearing a tinfoil hat, scattering rosemary and marjoram at midnight under a gibbous moon to get the d*** pool cleaner working! I feel like I'm trying to get service from Groucho Marx! :mad:

I think my @#^$^% Dolphin Dynamic is about ready to go back to Costco!

It worked great the first two times I used it. I put it in the pool today after reading this thread and watched it immediately go to the bottom and then climb all the way up the wall. It scrubbed the waterline for about 8 feet then went clear across the pool to the waterline on the other side. But it quickly reveresed and went back down the wall across the pool and just to the edge at the bottom. Since then it has been working a path of about 10' back and forth back and forth barely moving sideways at all. That one section of the pool is very clean now ;) It has been running for one hour doing this section that is about 10' long and maybe 4' wide. So, I think tomorrow I will put it back in the box and take it to Costco.

So, What should I get in its place? Anyone have any experience with that Blue Pearl unit?

OK, I found the "FIX". If I shut the power off and then switch it back on the thing works great. But after an hour or so it gets hung again and needs a reboot. This is not acceptable for a $1,000+ appliance and it will go back tomorrow.

Hmm, that's too bad. I'm lucky, mine works well....

Costco will take anything back anytime as long as you have the bill.

Well, they (smartpool) gave me some additional instructions because I am very upset. I don't know if they will work--I'm testing again tonight.

I agree with you the unit should work regardless of temp, Ph, wind speed or moon phase. If their tips don't work (likely) I would demand to speak to a Supervisor or anyone that has the authority to fix or replace the unit. Keep climbing the ladder and be such a PITA they would rather replace it than put up with your phone calls. It worked fine before and now it doesn't so something is wrong.

Do you still recommend the Poolbuster? I want to buy one.

Good advice--I'm already following it.

Yes, I still think the PoolBuster is great. If you find, though, that battery life seems so-so, or the motor is weak---LET THEM KNOW BEFORE THE WARRANTY RUNS OUT! I wish I had--I was WAY too late so I had to buy the new battery/motor box--but for $79 my P/B was better than it had ever been--and most people never had a problem.

I had a unique problem with my Dophin the other night. We where out by the pool and heard a strange noise from the Dolphin at the water line. The cord had gotten pulled into the brush on one side. Shut it down and removed it from the pool. About 2ft of cord was stuck between the brush and Dolphin. Was in there pretty tight. Now I'm gun shy and keep checking it, which is not what I want to do.

Well, I have heard back from Maytronics in Israel, and I sent them some pictures of the Dolphin in the pool this morning, showing what it can easily do.

Folks, it's not my water--pH is 7.3, the water is clear.

Here is the Dolphin stuck in its racetrack, going back and forth...I took these this AM and sent them to Maytronics.

I pretty much see the Dolphin as a write-off at this time, unless Maytronic or Smartpool come up with something.

http://home.earthlink.net/~dashmanc/...mpAtLadder.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~dashmanc/...nOnRampTop.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~dashmanc/...tInDeepEnd.jpg

What happened to your handle floats? Putting them both on the corded side made a huge difference for me. Just an observation....

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Originally Posted by Tredge

What happened to your handle floats? Putting them both on the corded side made a huge difference for me. Just an observation....

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They are both off to reduce bouyancy.

Carl, that "race track" you describe is exactly the problem I am having with mine. The "solution" is to momentarily turn the power off and then power it back up. This reboots the unit and then it works fine. Not exactly a solution as it makes it a semi automatic cleaner, but it does correct the situation. I believe that they have a flaw in the logic they programmed into the unit. Mine is going to go back to Costco.

What is the pool buster your are talking about - is it another robot? What do you know about the Blue Pearl, I am thinking of buying one instead of the Dolphin.

Hmm, maybe you could put both floats to the cord side and also put a few ounces of the stick on wheel weights on the opposite side of the cord (inside the removeable housing) this would really float one side while the weight would pull down the other. This should make it climb the wall faster and may be able to get out of the current pattern.

Carl-as you may recall I also have the Dolphin....so far no problems at all with it.I think this is it's third year.

Here are some suggestions for you to try, although you probably have tried them all already.

I think you have the remote model,as I do.
If so,try to set it to remote, them use the joystick for a bit to move it around.
After you're done, use the remote again to reset all the parameters for the unit....and make sure climbing is turned on.

When you're done transmit that to the unit.You may want to put fresh batteries in the remote as well to be sure the unit receives the info.

Maybe it will help....I hope so.

Give it a shot and let us know. It's really too bad because when the unit works it does an amazing job of cleaning.Covers my whole 20x40 pool easily.

Good luck

Zane

I have an Aquabot turbo and have had it for 3 seasons now. It does a great job. I did have to send it back last year and have the motor replaced which was done quickly and returned back to me. I recommend them if you are considering another robotic cleaner.

From what I hear the Aquabot has the same lack of logic that the Dolphin has. They go in straight lines without making any turns until they run into something. I have packed my Dolphin up to go back to Costco and just ordered a Blue Pearl to replace it.

Well,
here's the latest. Using the Joystick it will climb some walls (in the shallow end) but not the ones for the deep end.

That was using the weight and the floats--it seems to need both but I AM worried about a lead weight. What can I paint it with to seal it?

Using the wall climbing, in the deep end, it seems to get stuck in a rut--normally, it climbs the wall, scrubs the waterline and MOVES, then hits another swath. Not doing that it gets stuck.

So I went back to joystick, moved it around and re-programmed for 2 hours and no wall climbing. Then I powered it down. I powered it up, into joystick mode, checked the programming and let it go. It SEEMS to be moving OK around the pool--but with no wall climbing, and on a 2 hr cycle rathr than 8 hours. Still, it's working better than before.

I also brushed my walls just to be sure--no help there.

So now I wait and see, but in ANY case, this thing is too d*** finicky and persnickety. What's the point of a robotic cleaner if you have to screw around with it so much? The idea is to make my life EASIER, not harder.

If it won't climb the walls, I have to brush--that's one of the things I WANTED the Dolphin for. Still I'm hoping it will work now. I STILL think there something screwy with the programming and that the drive mech isn't 100%.

Yesterday, I did not hear back from SmartPool. I guess they are hoping I will just go away. Some repair center!

An online dealer told me they are dropping the Dolphin line because of too many complaints about crap like this about it and SmartPool. I wasn't surprised....

At least the Polaris 165 is still working.

cleancloths, please report on the Blue Pearl. I went to the website and I thought it was hoakey(sp?) but hopefully the machine is better. Who makes that unit anyway?

I believe the Blue Pearl is Blue Diamond--maybe a cheaper model???

The website is hoaky looking but it is the one the Blue Diamond people sent me to. They also make the poolbuster that so many of you are fond of. I don't know why they don't put it on their own website. They would sell a lot more that way.

CarlD, have you sent a link to this thread to Maytronics? I bought my unit based on the recommendations on this forum and have not used it because my plaster is still only one week old. It will be going back as a return if they don't demonstrate that they actively care about customer issues and can resolve them.

Good luck. That's too much money to spend to end up with a slow underwater RC toy. I really hope this is just an anomaly they can address. It takes too much time researching these pool accessory purchases!!

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Originally Posted by poolbee

The website is hoaky looking but it is the one the Blue Diamond people sent me to. They also make the poolbuster that so many of you are fond of. I don't know why they don't put it on their own website. They would sell a lot more that way.

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I agree about the website, but I spent a bit of time on the phone with them and they seem quite good. It is a smaller version of the Blue Diamond and is new this year. They made it to sell at a lower price point. What they did was put in a smaller motor so they claim it will take 3 hrs rather than 1hr to clean. Also there is not automatic shut off, so they say most people just install a $15 timer on it. It comes with a full 2 year warrantee and a 14 no question money back guarantee. Also it uses a better approach to cleaning in that it will make random turns while moving rather than just moving in straight lines till it hits something or hits the waterline at the top of the wall.

As for Carl's problem mine is doing the same sort of stuff after only one week, so it is going back. To spend over $1,000 for a semi-automatic toy is a mistake.