Dolphin Diagnostic Review

[nater]

I want to jump on the badwagon and defend my Dolphin, but as it ages the Honeymoon is coming to an end. Granted, I still love it, would repeat the purchase, and am in no hurry to scrap it. BUT, for the purposes of providing info for those who may browse this thread to make a purchase, I want to leave some feedback.

I have a regular Diagnostic, no remote that is 2.5 seasons old. It will spend 60% of its time cleaning the same area of the deep end of my 16x32 Vinyl IG. If I don't rinse the bag after every use and turn the handle to the opposite side, it will do this. Only when the impeller and bag are spotless will it cover the entire pool without doing this. Doesn't make sense to me, none of those things should matter, but its what I see happening. Maybe if I had the remote I could program it differently. As is stands now, I have to yank the cord and redirect it.

Still, sure beats manually vacuuming. I'd be interested to know if the Blue Pearl does the same thing as it ages.

[korinian]

Uhhhh.... I'd like to change my opinion . Apparently, this thread was the kiss of death for me. My Dolphin stopped working this week. It runs for about 10 minutes and stops. What’s odd is that I can still remotely “drive” the unit around the pool, but the propeller on the top is not spinning. I tried running the unit without a bag in it to satisfy their support people. The same thing happens. I called SmartPool to get an RMA and I’ll box it up and send it back this weekend. I’m having visions of CarlD’s Dolphin nightmare . We’ll see what happens.

[mbar]

My friend got talked into buying a Dolphin last year. This year it stopped working, took it back to the pool store, was told it was the power cord, and they could not open it because it void the warranty. She sent it back to them, and they told her it would cost $600.00 to fix it - it needs a new cord and box She is really mad, she knows it was getting power, so it needs just the cord - she is in the process of fighting with them right now. I wish I could have told her about the Dolphin before she bought it.

[CarlD]

The handle is more important than you think...it's a float so when the unit is on the wall it "walks" whichever way the handle is angled for that cycle--to the right or to the left. That's why it "untangles" the cord to switch it each cycle.

But the techs at SmartPool ALWAYS start by telling you that, and to set your pool chemistry to a ridiculous level, like pH at 7.1 and FC below 3, water temp over 65 but below 88 "or it won't work". Nonsense.

I wish Dolphin would replace SmartPool as their US rep with someone who could actually diagnose the thing.

If the impeller on top isn't spinning then a belt must be off the pulley or broken.

I'm now in my second season using the Blue Diamond and while it has its idiosyncracies, I find it much more effective. I just have to pull the ladder out before I start. The bags filter just as well as the Dolphin's but are a single thin layer and much easier to clean--you don't have to launder them.

[brent.roberts]

I got my Dolphin with remote, unfortunately, just before reading of Carl's problems. It worked great for a few weeks, then started just going back and forth across the pool bottom. I change the program, changed the wall I put the base on so the cord went through the jets in different places, shut it off and restarted it, cleaned it fiendishly, even tried it without the bag.

Sometime it was great, sometimes it just screwed around going back and forth.
That was season 1.

Season 2 started of the same way but soon deteriorated. The clutch that drives one side started slipping or not engaging so it would go in circles. Then it died completely. I send two emails about getting it repaired with no response.

It was great when it worked but it's just too expensive to repeat the purchase every 18 months.

They don't deserve the business either.

Next year I'll be shopping for another make.

Anyone out there got one that has worked for 3 or 4 seasons ???

[Dosperado]

They don't deserve the business either.

Next year I'll be shopping for another make.

Anyone out there got one that has worked for 3 or 4 seasons ???

Not to raise the dead thread, but I did get 4+ seasons with my Dolphin before it started taking lazy left turns due to many teeth wearing off the drive side track, which I replaced (should have just swapped them, Doh!) and made it another season before it started to just randomly quit after between 0 and 10 minutes for some reason. Took it apart (tracks & pulleys) no jams, impellers clear.
I assume the motor is overheating, or the power supply, and it's shutting down, but I doubt it's worth replacing since Maytronics is such a ripoff. I want to get another Dolphin since I have a complete set of spare parts, but hate to give them my business due to profit-hungry repair policy...

I do admit I leave it in the pool when I don't have time to clean the bag (no need to launder it btw, just lay it flat and hose it down, flip, repeat.) which increases wear and tare, but they are so rigid with parts and support....

\DOS

[brent.roberts]

I'm glad someone out there had luck with their's. Mine was great the first season. Started going crazy early in the second season.

Several emails to the distributor to get it fixed never got an answer.

Never again.