in my experience, above ground vs. inground makes all the difference in the need for an automatic cleaner. i had an above ground for five years at my first house, and vacuuming once a week was sufficient to keep it nice and clean. then i moved to a house with an inground, and came to a startling revelation: with an above ground, leaves, pollen, flower petals, dirt, etc. either lands in the pool, or it does not land in the pool. with an inground, pretty much EVERYTHING eventually gets in the pool. i was vacuuming 4 times a week to keep it clean, and very quickly decided it was get an automatic, or live with a dirty bottom most of the time.