Which cleaner works best with Pebble Tec or rough surface? Polaris 380 problematic

[Tami55]

Pebble Tec and Pebble Sheen pool owners, please advise. My trusty Polaris 380 is having issues since I updated my plaster to Pebble Sheen. The rough surface is wearing all the parts of my cleaner that rub against the pebbly surface. The all-purpose bags are most problematic in the short term since large wear holes form along the front of the bag where it grinds against the sides and steps, trying to climb or walk along the vertical surfaces. I think that other parts will wear out too easily, like the wheels, the tail and even the body.

Have you had this experience with your cleaner? Is there a better option, maybe a robotic cleaner or the heavy duty Polaris? We need a cleaner that will pick up leaves and acorns from an overhanging oak, as well as fine silt.

Alternatively, would you recommend some adjustments to the head float or the 360 degrees directional thrust jet? Or repairing the bags or finding cheap replacements until we get this figured out? Thanks for your input.

 

[pooldv]

I'm very happy with my Doheny's Discovery and it works great in our pebblesheen pool. We have LOTS of trees. More about my cleaner in my pool thread, link in sig. Also more here, Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club

 

[Tami55]

Okay, thanks. I looked at your link about robot, but also noticed in your "2012 build and pics" that you originally had a Polaris 380. Did you have similar wear problems with it? Just curious. My Polaris was somewhat reliable for years until I replaced my plaster with pebble. Now I need to recalibrate, rethink or replace. I am new to the robot idea, but yours sounds promising.

 

[pooldv]

That was a Pentair Legend II pressure cleaner. Is it also a Polaris 380? I don't know. I didn't particularly notice any wear, it just didn't work very well and did weird stuff. Like float around, get stuck, tip over, the bag was a pain to empty. But, I didn't really inspect it much or try to fix it. I mostly just yelled at it.

Yes, I was new to robots last fall too. Now it is on my list of mandatory pool equipment. If Gilligan ever walks out I'll order another one by close of business.

 

[Patrick_B]

I know we all sound like zealots about our bots, but once you have a good one, you'll see why. Its just the best way to go if you really want a clean pool.

 

[Tami55]

You guys about have me convinced, I have watched the Polaris doing its random thing, getting stuck on the stairs for seemingly hours, spraying my windows and my friends. Now I just need to research robots. I think some can be controlled with your phone, right?

 

[pooldv]

For the S series cleaners the S300i, active30i, Triton Plus are the ones with Bluetooth capability.

 

[consoleman]

pooldv,
Do you just leaved yours plugged in? I currently have a polaris and want to order the discovery then found out it runs on electricity and not a booster pump. My polaris is currenly running on a timer. How do you have your discovery set up?

 

[pooldv]

Yes, it is plugged in. It stays plugged in all week for the most part. Set to run daily. Sometimes we take it out on the weekend, sometimes not. He's pretty easy and just does what we tell him.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

See my post here - So this just happened....

My S300i is/was new this April and I ditched my Kreepy Krawly sandshark for the S300i. COULDN'T. BE. HAPPIER!!

With the S300i, you get all the functionality of the unit, Bluetooth App controls and the "integrated" coarse and fine filter basket. With all the other S models, the filter basket you get only has fine or coarse inserts and so you have to swap them in and out. The "i" is an all-in-one package. One can always get something like an S200 or S300 and then separately purchase the coarse filter screen insert, but that's an additional $50.

And, I'm probably one of the few that say this, you definitely want a caddy. I love my Dolphin caddy and it makes it really easy to roll the bot around and store the bot without worrying about the rollers getting flattened or the cord getting all tangled up.

 

[consoleman]

Thanks pooldv and joyful noise. I just need to find a new cover for my wall outlet so that it doesnt stay open while i leave the robot plugged in.

I found one priced for 720 but it didnt say whether it was the s200 s300i. When I called doheny their customer service and tech support didnt seem to have any knowledge of the product and couldn't help me.

I have to say thats a huge disappointment for me. I guess my leslies manager is on top of her game when it comes to equipment.

 

[Tami55]

Thanks, JoyfulNoise and pooldv for your advice. I need a robot to clean and brush my pool floor, walls and tile line. Can the robot handle a shallow shelf? Will it get stuck on it or will it fall back in the water when it gets to the shallow shelf or the top step? I have many seating benches and steps (i.e. obstructions) in my pool. I will post some photos when I figure out how to do so. Also, I get a lot of debris from overhanging oak and evergreen wisteria and pine needles too. How well does the robot pick up many leaves and acorns in the winter?
I'm thinking the robot would be used all during the swim season May- September (pool temp is higher and mustard algae always trying to form in 82+ water temperature), and the Polaris 380 pressure-side cleaner October through April to pick up plant debris. I am adjusting the polaris float at the rear of the body and the bag wear MAY be improving, time will tell.

I am also planning to add boric acid to get my borate level from 0 to 50.

BTW, I think the mustard algae came from my fill water in February after Pebble Tec replaster - NW Houston has to use surface water instead of well water now, so I have been fighting algae ever since going on surface water. I just SLAMMed my pool a few days ago and I am keeping my FC above 5.0, my CYA is at 40-50. Using TF-100 test kit and liquid chlorine, trying to tame the beast!!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks, JoyfulNoise and pooldv for your advice. I need a robot to clean and brush my pool floor, walls and tile line. Can the robot handle a shallow shelf? Will it get stuck on it or will it fall back in the water when it gets to the shallow shelf or the top step? I have many seating benches and steps (i.e. obstructions) in my pool. I will post some photos when I figure out how to do so. Also, I get a lot of debris from overhanging oak and evergreen wisteria and pine needles too. How well does the robot pick up many leaves and acorns in the winter?
I'm thinking the robot would be used all during the swim season May- September (pool temp is higher and mustard algae always trying to form in 82+ water temperature), and the Polaris 380 pressure-side cleaner October through April to pick up plant debris. I am adjusting the polaris float at the rear of the body and the bag wear MAY be improving, time will tell.

I am also planning to add boric acid to get my borate level from 0 to 50.

BTW, I think the mustard algae came from my fill water in February after Pebble Tec replaster - NW Houston has to use surface water instead of well water now, so I have been fighting algae ever since going on surface water. I just SLAMMed my pool a few days ago and I am keeping my FC above 5.0, my CYA is at 40-50. Using TF-100 test kit and liquid chlorine, trying to tame the beast!!

There is no robot that will do shelfs or steps 100% perfect, they are just too narrow. Now sometimes when my S300i is doing the tile line, it will cross over my sunshelf and then drop down and land on the shelf, but it won't stay on it to clean it because no robot knows the difference between a pool shelf and a pool floor.

As for the trees .... chainsaw. Sorry, but I had one single mesquite tree near my pool for two seasons. Then my neighbor cut it down (it was on his yard). The difference in cleanliness was night & day. Trees near pools are just a mess so, if you can't or won't cut them down, then just heavily prune them to grow away from the pool. The S300i has a very large basket and has an "integrated" coarse and fine filter basket (the coarse filter screen is an insert that sits in front of the ultra-fine filters). So it can handle a lot of debris without clogging up. Many of the lower numbered units give you the option of only the coarse or fine filter screen, but not both. You can easily buy the parts to make an "integrated" filter, but then why not just buy the S300i unit to begin with and save the hassle...anyway, up to you.

 

[Tami55]

There is no robot that will do shelfs or steps 100% perfect, they are just too narrow. Now sometimes when my S300i is doing the tile line, it will cross over my sunshelf and then drop down and land on the shelf, but it won't stay on it to clean it because no robot knows the difference between a pool shelf and a pool floor.

As for the trees .... chainsaw. Sorry, but I had one single mesquite tree near my pool for two seasons. Then my neighbor cut it down (it was on his yard). The difference in cleanliness was night & day. Trees near pools are just a mess so, if you can't or won't cut them down, then just heavily prune them to grow away from the pool. The S300i has a very large basket and has an "integrated" coarse and fine filter basket (the coarse filter screen is an insert that sits in front of the ultra-fine filters). So it can handle a lot of debris without clogging up. Many of the lower numbered units give you the option of only the coarse or fine filter screen, but not both. You can easily buy the parts to make an "integrated" filter, but then why not just buy the S300i unit to begin with and save the hassle...anyway, up to you.

Thanks for the "chainsaw" advice, but due to a medical condition, I need my pool to stay somewhat cool and shady through the Houston summer, so I love the benefits and we tolerate the mess from my unpruned overhanging oak shade tree and my massive overhanging Evergreen Wisteria, which drops flower petals all summer and leaves and seed pods the rest of the year. I also get morning gazebo shade and early evening house and umbrella shade. So chain saw is not an option for me (I'm sure when I'm gone, survivors will do the tree in)! Call me crazy

The S300i sound like the robot for me, I will continue to check on & read reviews. Again, I will post photos when I figure out how to do it. Much thanks for your time.

 

[consoleman]

Anyone know the difference between the discovery s200 and the doheny discovery robots?

edit:
So I found out that the discovery is a rebranded s200. Here is a post from another thread:


Treat the Doheny Discovery just like it is an S200, because it is. All warranty work is done through Maytronics network of authorized repair shops. The only indicator that it is a Discovery is the added on sticker on the box and a sticker on the robot itself. Every other bit of paperwork, including warranty card, refers to as a Maytronics Dolphin robot.

The LED is just a blue blinking light on the front of the robot that indicates it is in the middle of its 2 hour cycle.

 

[pooldv]

More here, Doheny's Discovery, S200, Active20, Triton owners club