Robotic Cleaner Recommendation for New Pool Build

Hello all,

We’re just about ready to start our pool build and I’m looking for a little help with an automatic pool cleaner. So far, I have looked into three different cleaners. All have very good reviews on various boards on the internet, and I'm hoping someone here will have experience with any of them or maybe a recommendation for another.

Our builder is recommending the Pentair Kreepy Krauly 830, but the big drawback for me is the weight, 45lbs. Can’t imagine trying to pull that out of the water with it being full. But, from what I’ve read, it’s one of the best.

The second cleaner I’ve looked into would be the Maytronics Dolphin Supreme M5. Much better in weight, 21lbs, but I’m finding it a little more difficult to locate. It compares well to the Kreepy.

The third I’m considering is the Polaris Sport 9550. Wow. Cool looking , but reviews aren’t as good as the other two. Lightest of the 3 but I’m not sure I want to worry about it “turtling” as I’ve read on a few reviews. “Turtling” meaning flipping over on it’s back. But it looks really awesome.

Two flow about 4233 gph with the Polaris a few more gallons than the others…but close enough to call it even. All claim to be able to climb and clean at the waterline and are tangle proof.

Any input would be welcome. If anyone has another recommendation, I would love that too. We’re not putting a pressure side pump in to save on cost and energy, and I’m not really thrilled with suction side cleanser as we’ve had one on a previous pool we’ve owned many moons ago.

Thank you for any comments.

Check out ThePoolCleaner. I own the suction side but they also make a pressure side which doesn't require much in the way of flow rate to operate so a booster is not required.

Mark: sorry to hijack... But could you take a look at this: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...470#post129470 Thanks

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Originally Posted by mas985

Check out ThePoolCleaner. I own the suction side but they also make a pressure side which doesn't require much in the way of flow rate to operate so a booster is not required.

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Thanks for the suggestion, Mark. Reviews on ThePoolCleaner are very good. My biggest concern with this is that I don’t think we’ll be running the pump long enough to get a thorough cleaning. According to the builder, we will be running the VS pump for about an hour and a half a day. The volume of the pool is approximate 16k gals.

We haven’t pulled the trigger on a cleaner just yet so I will keep this in mind. If we do go with this cleaner, we’ll need the suction side model also as we will not be putting in a dedicated pressure side connection. The price is much nicer than the robotics I've mentioned. :)

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Originally Posted by Toybuilder

Thanks for the suggestion, Mark. Reviews on ThePoolCleaner are very good. My biggest concern with this is that I don’t think we’ll be running the pump long enough to get a thorough cleaning. According to the builder, we will be running the VS pump for about an hour and a half a day. The volume of the pool is approximate 16k gals.

We haven’t pulled the trigger on a cleaner just yet so I will keep this in mind. If we do go with this cleaner, we’ll need the suction side model also as we will not be putting in a dedicated pressure side connection. The price is much nicer than the robotics I've mentioned. :)

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1.5 hr run time seems awfully short to keep the pool clean.

I was thinking the same thing!

Mark's the pump run-time guy for sure so hopefully he will confirm.

There are people that run shorter than that so it isn't impossible. You can read the run time study in my signature and they found that there was no improvement in water quality beyond 2 hours of run time. Going beyond that is mostly about skimming and bottom cleaning with a cleaner that dictates run time and even that isn't necessary since that is mostly aesthetics.

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Originally Posted by JimK

1.5 hr run time seems awfully short to keep the pool clean.

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Sorry everyone. That was the suggestion for the run time of a robotic cleaner from the builder. In review of his quote, the run time for our pool will be approximately 3 hours. My bad. The brain is still on holiday mode apparently.

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Originally Posted by Toybuilder

Sorry everyone. That was the suggestion for the run time of a robotic cleaner from the builder. In review of his quote, the run time for our pool will be approximately 3 hours. My bad. The brain is still on holiday mode apparently.

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Ah......thanks for the clarification. :)

Sorry I don't have any feedback for you on robotic cleaners. I have no experience with those.

We've started! Woohoo! Here's a link to the photo post.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...536#post129536

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Originally Posted by Toybuilder

We've started! Woohoo! Here's a link to the photo post.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...536#post129536

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Yea!

Did you decide on a cleaner?

I'm looking forward to see more pics as it progresses. :)

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Originally Posted by JimK

Yea!

Did you decide on a cleaner?

I'm looking forward to see more pics as it progresses. :)

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Unfortunately, no. :(

Now I've added the Tiger Shark RC9955GR into the mix. Who knew this would be so hard. These are not cheap and I don't want to get something that won't do the job. Everyone has some kind of complaint. But then, they all have great reviews. Ugh. I have about 3 months to decide, but I know it's going to come down to flipping a coin.

May I suggest cleaning your pool manually, that way it's quicker and you won't miss bits and that saves on the cost of a robot and the extra electricity to run it. Pool Blaster Max with the extra fine bag in it will do the job in the quickest time by virtue of no hoses etc to get out/put away again.
Unfortunately people disagree about what really works in a pool but running the pump on low speed 24/7 means leaves that hit the surface are deposited in the skimmer before they get waterlogged and sink (that's why you need a robot) the downside of this technique is you have to empty your skimmer more frequently. I sold my robot 3 season ago as it wasn't needed, was too slow to clean the whole pool and missed bits.

If you can't resist the urge to spend on a robot buy one with remote steering then you can guide it to the spots it misses. Any one who actually believes these things learn your pool is deluded.

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Originally Posted by Teapot

May I suggest cleaning your pool manually, that way it's quicker and you won't miss bits and that saves on the cost of a robot and the extra electricity to run it. Pool Blaster Max with the extra fine bag in it will do the job in the quickest time by virtue of no hoses etc to get out/put away again.
Unfortunately people disagree about what really works in a pool but running the pump on low speed 24/7 means leaves that hit the surface are deposited in the skimmer before they get waterlogged and sink (that's why you need a robot) the downside of this technique is you have to empty your skimmer more frequently. I sold my robot 3 season ago as it wasn't needed, was too slow to clean the whole pool and missed bits.

If you can't resist the urge to spend on a robot buy one with remote steering then you can guide it to the spots it misses. Any one who actually believes these things learn your pool is deluded.

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Thanks for the suggestion Teapot. But with everyone’s hectic schedule, we’re getting a robotic cleaner purely out of convenience. If I could be out there every day or every other day, believe me, I would. I find it very relaxing and satisfying when I cleaned our old pool manually. I just don’t have the time like I used to.

Hi Toybuilder, I completely understand, let me explain some more.
Karen our pool cleaner and veteran of many house cleans is like everyone else short on time but has high standards for her work. We bought a pool robot to assist Karen, however she reported to us that the time used to connect the power pay out the lead and set the bot in motion whilst she goes off to another job is the same as the hose of the manual cleaner. about 4 hours later she returns to un plug the robot which then needs to cool down for 10 minutes in the water before removing and then clean out the bag put on the caddy cart and store is just the same amount as the manual hose but the bot has still missed bits after 4 hours so manual intervention was still needed. Robot was sold!

I run my pool pump 24/7 so anything that enters the pool and floats goes in the skimmers except for dirt following rain storms as that sinks. Because of the return jet arrangement the dirt doesn't sink immediately but usually moves into solution and can also get filtered that which doesn't is vacuumed out with the Pool Blaster Max with the fine bag fitted. this little battery powered cleaner is a great tool and cleaning is around 40 minutes total. No cables, no power supplies, no hoses. For us at least the quickest way from start to finish. If I were to have a criticism of the pool blaster it would be on a larger pool the battery life is not enough and if it's a really dirty pool a manual vac will cope better.

Well, I'm now looking at the Dolphin Oasis Z5 and it's counterpart the Supreme M5. From what I've been able to gather, they're similar to each other. The difference being the M5 has a third bottom brush and the Z5 only has 2. I've read that the remotes are slightly different also. Can a third brush be worth the added expense, about $300 more?

Also, the M5 is only sold in stores ad the Z5 is sold online. Not sure why Maytronics does that.

I'm planning on visiting a local pool store this weekend to see an M5 in person and ask questions. Hopefully, I'll get some good answers and not get suckered. :D

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Originally Posted by Toybuilder

Well, I'm now looking at the Dolphin Oasis Z5 and it's counterpart the Supreme M5. From what I've been able to gather, they're similar to each other. The difference being the M5 has a third bottom brush and the Z5 only has 2. I've read that the remotes are slightly different also. Can a third brush be worth the added expense, about $300 more?

Also, the M5 is only sold in stores ad the Z5 is sold online. Not sure why Maytronics does that.

I'm planning on visiting a local pool store this weekend to see an M5 in person and ask questions. Hopefully, I'll get some good answers and not get suckered. :D

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Back from our “adventure” of visiting a couple of pool stores, and I’m reminded of how pushy they can be.

According to them, the M5 with the 3rd brush is “much better” since the Z5 only has 2, which, I guess makes sense. The remote is exactly the same, as far as I can tell, from doing my own research as the stores had no clue what came with the Z5. I am going to email Maytronics with the remote question to confirm.

What I thought was interesting was one store pointed out that purchasing the cleaner online would void the warranty. Then he pointed to the (M5) box that has a label on it stating that, and had a great big grin on his face. I guess he just didn’t understand that the Z5 was sold online only and not in stores, and the warranty of 3 years will be honored. Then he went into a big speech about how he’s been in the pool business for a million years and that we only need to run our pump for blah, blah, blah, length of time (without even asking about the size of pool we were building), and that suction side cleaners may be better. I cut him off as quickly as I could, and we politely made our exit. Before we left, he wrote his name on a business card and put his title below it, “GM”. Said to come back when we’re ready and he can get us a great deal…which was about $400 more than the first store we visited.

So, from what I have gathered, the only difference is the number of brushes. Everything else is the same even the price, according to one store. I had my wife pick up the robot, and she did it with little effort.

Bottom line – We’re probably going with the M5 if it truly is the same price as the Z5. We’ll just have to pay tax.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Toybuilder

Back from our “adventure” of visiting a couple of pool stores, and I’m reminded of how pushy they can be.

According to them, the M5 with the 3rd brush is “much better” since the Z5 only has 2, which, I guess makes sense. The remote is exactly the same, as far as I can tell, from doing my own research as the stores had no clue what came with the Z5. I am going to email Maytronics with the remote question to confirm.

What I thought was interesting was one store pointed out that purchasing the cleaner online would void the warranty. Then he pointed to the (M5) box that has a label on it stating that, and had a great big grin on his face. I guess he just didn’t understand that the Z5 was sold online only and not in stores, and the warranty of 3 years will be honored. Then he went into a big speech about how he’s been in the pool business for a million years and that we only need to run our pump for blah, blah, blah, length of time (without even asking about the size of pool we were building), and that suction side cleaners may be better. I cut him off as quickly as I could, and we politely made our exit. Before we left, he wrote his name on a business card and put his title below it, “GM”. Said to come back when we’re ready and he can get us a great deal…which was about $400 more than the first store we visited.

So, from what I have gathered, the only difference is the number of brushes. Everything else is the same even the price, according to one store. I had my wife pick up the robot, and she did it with little effort.

Bottom line – We’re probably going with the M5 if it truly is the same price as the Z5. We’ll just have to pay tax.

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Looks like the Z5 is $1200. How much are they quoting for the M5?

http://epicpoolsupply.com/dolphin-oa...ol-cleaner.php

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Originally Posted by JimK

Looks like the Z5 is $1200. How much are they quoting for the M5?

http://epicpoolsupply.com/dolphin-oa...ol-cleaner.php

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The quote from the first store was $1199, but she said a $100 rebate will be coming out the first of April so it'll only be $1099. The "GM" quoted $1599 but was willing to give us a "deal" at $1499. No mention of a rebate.

If you do purchase the Z5 from Epic I put in a coupon code, dolphin100, that knocked the price down another $50. I think it still works as I tried it a couple of nights ago.

Pulled the trigger on the robotic cleaner today. The price was exactly as quoted and Maytronics is offering a $100 rebate. Now I just need the pool to be finished so I can take it for a test run...after the plaster cures.

http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/...psoisv0xnn.jpg

Sweet! So jealous!

Nice! I look forward to reading about how it performs. :)

Good choice, I got the M4 Supreme Last year and I really like it. I had been using different pump type cleaner such as Kreepy Krawly and others over 30 years and the robot is the best.
My shop sells it and service it with parts. It was around $1000 Can after rebate last year.
No issue last year and it runs fine again this year. Im impressed with this cleaner. It will pickup leaves until it gets full and stop. It takes about 5 min to empty and clean and I trow it in for another round.