My Dolphin: Now I'm getting rid of it

[CarlD]

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!!!!!

[rak70]

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...

[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.

[cleancloths]

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.

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.

[CarlD]

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!

[cleancloths]

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?

[cleancloths]

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.

[cruzmisl]

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

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

[CarlD]

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.