Leaf canister with suction side cleaner

[djdonte]

Got a MX8 Elite and I am pretty happy with it. Great bang for the buck and it really keeps my pool looking nice. I have a ton of trees in my backyard, and this thing sucks up the little that the skimmer doesn't get. Only problem is I have to empty the pump strainer almost every day. Also a lot of the stuff that falls to the bottom are these small things that actually get past the basket as well as pollen.

The cleaner is hooked to one of my two skimmers, but will hopefully be running on a dedicated port at some point. When I ran just skimmers, I used socks in the baskets and it substantially extended cartridge cleaning intervals. The pump strainer wont take a sock. The Zodiac leaf canister is not set up in a way to take a sock either, but there is a Hayward one with a basket that looks like it will. I was considering getting that canister and using adapters to install it in the Zodiac hose. What do you guys think? Any feedback on the leaf canister?

 

[Richard320]

I think it's a great idea.

I have no firsthand experience with canisters, though.

 

[Arizonarob]

I have the Hayward canister you’re thinking of using, and it does hold a hairnet no problem.

 

[djdonte]

What cleaner are you using it with? Also does it matter where on the hose you put it?

 

[Arizonarob]

I have the Hayward aquanaut 200.

This is the one I have. Leaf canister.

You want to install it close to the skimmer or suction side port.

 

[Oly]

I used a large in line filter canister when I used the Rebel suction side cleaner and it worked great at trapping debris. I don't miss having to frequently clean the trap and seeing it in the pool 24/7.

 

[ZcottD]

I have a MX8 Elite and a Hayward W530 canister to go with it, plan to replace the mesh insert with hairnets whenever it fails, the way the lid closes it should be veary easy to secure the hairnets.

I had to buy a Hayward AXV092 connector and a Zodiac/Barracuda R0533300 adapter to make to fin in the MX8 hoses.

I love the whole setup. Since I bought it I have not had to vacuum once, actually throwing away my manual vac hose this year since its crumby. All I do is brush my steps and like the cleaner go. If the pool isn't heavily dirty, the canister is large enough that the cleaner can run until the pool is clean.

 

[djdonte]

Thanks for the input. I ended up ordering the Zodiac branded canister. With all the adapters plus the cheaper canister it was going to be close to the same price. Also most of the other canisters besides zodiac had pretty so-so reviews on amazon as far as durability and longevity. I wont be able to use the hairnet but (soon) I will have two skimmers with hairnets so I am hoping the skimmers will get the bulk of the light stuff before it drifts down and I will just have to deal with the filters catching whatever fine particles the MX8 picks up. Also now I will have two mesh screens, one in the canister, one in the pump strainer, before the filter.

 

[scdaren]

I have the Hayward canister you’re thinking of using, and it does hold a hairnet no problem.

Thanks for this post... I have the same W560 leaf canister I use with my Rebel. I've always used the hairnets in my skimmer, not sure why it never occurred to me to try them in the leaf canister too. Cheers!

 

[ZcottD]

Thanks for the input. I ended up ordering the Zodiac branded canister. With all the adapters plus the cheaper canister it was going to be close to the same price. Also most of the other canisters besides zodiac had pretty so-so reviews on amazon as far as durability and longevity. I wont be able to use the hairnet but (soon) I will have two skimmers with hairnets so I am hoping the skimmers will get the bulk of the light stuff before it drifts down and I will just have to deal with the filters catching whatever fine particles the MX8 picks up. Also now I will have two mesh screens, one in the canister, one in the pump strainer, before the filter.

I'd be interested to know how you end up liking that canister. It looked cool and I almost chose that myself, but I was worried about it sitting sideways and pulling in air, and about making a mess when emptying it.

 

[scdaren]

I'd be interested to know how you end up liking that canister. It looked cool and I almost chose that myself, but I was worried about it sitting sideways and pulling in air, and about making a mess when emptying it.

Which one, the W560? I think mine works great, though I've never used any other to compare. No issues with it sucking air. I did make a mess the first few times opening it up to empty, then I figured out the technique and now it's no problem. Now if I could only get my Rebel to stop getting clogged with little leaves...

 

[djdonte]

I think he is talking about he Zodiac canister. I should have it Monday so I will report back.

I will say I am surprised on how little the MX8 Elite clogs. It only clogged once on me so far, but it was after a storm and I really should have netted the pool out first. The impeller fins pivot as they turn towards the vacuum hose, preventing it from jamming due to stuff leaves. There is also a small restrictor plate you can remove for larger debris. The manual says to remove it temporarily but does not say why it shouldn't be left off. Its a really great design. The rebuild kits look expensive so we will see how it fairs as far as maintenance. I've only had it a month or so, but I leave it in the pool full time and it keeps it spotless.

My father has an older Hayward Navigator that I tried out and all it did was get clogged over and over on small leaves. The impeller is a solid piece that jams easy.

 

[ZcottD]

Ya I meant the Zodiac one, edited my post to clear it up too late.

This is gonna be my 3rd season with my MX8 Elite, haven't replaced anything yet, tracks still look good, and I removed the restrictor piece and haven't put it back on. I take mine out when its done its job and once dry I get it out of the sun. Rebuild kits don't seem that bad to me. $90-115, and you can get the tracks separate if thats all you need. Considering it retails for $515 or so I think thats fair.

 

[Arizonarob]

Which one, the W560? I think mine works great, though I've never used any other to compare. No issues with it sucking air. I did make a mess the first few times opening it up to empty, then I figured out the technique and now it's no problem. Now if I could only get my Rebel to stop getting clogged with little leaves...

So, to have full disclosure, I have two of them. When I’m ready to switch them out, the pump is off, and then I play the game of keeping everything under water during the exchange.

I always fill it 3/4 full of water, 1/4 air, so it floats on the surface. The sun beating down on it every day will evaporate the water, which keeps it floating. ( In my experience, floating the canister, is better then letting it sink, because the hoses get less tangled up)

But having the container(with hairnets) keeps me from having to clean the filter cartridges as much as some are experiencing.

 

[djdonte]

I got the zodiac canister installed. It looks slick and floats upright. It for sure catches everything that my pump basket did and the some. I can unhook everything underwater to empty the basket so no need to reprime the pump.

Only thing is the top is very wobbly on the body. It worries me, when getting all the air out during reassembly it comes out of there as well so I’m worried about air leaks, but bringing it out of the water while it’s running doesn’t seem to do anything. Maybe it’s made like that and seals under suction? Just seems like it should be on there better than that. Was thinking of putting a post on here and/or calling zodiac.

 

[djdonte]

Yeah nvm it seals up tight under suction. The bottom flapper valve will leak if you turn it upside down so if it doesn’t stay upright I suppose it could be problem but so far so good. From what I understand, the check valve is there in case the canister gets so full that the flow from the cleaner is restricted. It will suck water from the bottom before the pump starves.

 

[ZcottD]

When you go to empty it, you dont find much debris falling out the bottom once its unhooked from the line and loses pressure?

 

[djdonte]

No none at all. It all stays in the canister then you take it out of the pool to wherever you want to clean it. When you remove the mesh basket from the canister it has a seal on the bottom that pretty much scrapes everything from it.

 

[DanF]

I have the Hayward aquanaut 200.

This is the one I have. Leaf canister.

You want to install it close to the skimmer or suction side port.

Rob - Do you need to be in the pool to remove the Hayward W560 canister for cleaning? I have some shrubs near my suction side port which might make access difficult, if I install it close to the port. Any downside of installing it a few hose lengths away?

 

[Arizonarob]

Rob - Do you need to be in the pool to remove the Hayward W560 canister for cleaning? I have some shrubs near my suction side port which might make access difficult, if I install it close to the port. Any downside of installing it a few hose lengths away?

Dan, I have 2 canisters, so I do a quick swap out from outside the pool. You could try putting the canister 2 lengths away and see if it causes any problems.