Hi all, my Zodiac TX35 just died on me. Water got into the motor area. Out of warranty.
Kind of sick of expensive pool cleaners that don't last, and having to take them in and out of the pool all the time.
If robots are still the preference I'll get another one.
What's everyone else using for a pool cleaner? Any bargains?
Thanks
Yeah, reading online it's happened to a bunch of people after a few years. I will check out the pentair. Do you leave yours in the pool?
You shouldn’t. But. I do. The cable and unit has discoloured from Chems and uv but is physically fine as far as I can tell
Yeah my Zodiac discoloured too but it was still working fine. I was wondering if the seal failed from being left in the water but who knows. Where did you get your Pentair/how much can I ask?
@jamestownfx: Pool and spa warehouse
It was about 1400 after discount. They regularly have anywhere from 10-15% off storewide.
I found their customer service quite good. I emailed them some pics of pool and described it and they suggested the model. They have a satisfaction guarantee.
(Some of above may have changed since I purchased so ymmv)
I second the Pentair Prowler 920. Purchased almost 3 years ago. Does a great job. Only critisim is the cable tangles.
Yes I have never been able to keep it untangled but not a huge drama
Where did you get yours from?
I'm going to go with the 920 😎
You should try suction cleaners. Much cheaper and works as well.
Suction cleaners are very easy to install; simply attach them to your skimmer box to get started. They are powered by the suction of your filtration pump, vacuuming the floor in a random pattern collecting debris and distributing it into the skim.
I could not for the life of me ever get my suction skimmers to work properly. They would either miss whole sections, favour deep end only, or frequently lose proper suction.
Totally agree. Tried weights, different length hoses, different speeds. Didn't matter, always sucked.
Dolphin Nautilus is my choice, but might be above the price op is looking for
Where did you buy yours from?
Not applicable here as I bought mine in the US from Amazon Warehouse deals, listed as Used - Good. It was pretty banged up, but I used it for a good 3 years before moving back here. Worked really well, used it a couple times a week.
The suction skimmers don't work well at all, and take forever.
My pool was surrounded by trees and always hard dirt and debris.
A different house, it was all concrete surrounds and almost didn't need to clean it.
As above suction cleaners are cheaper and work well.
We have the following in a rental property and it has survived three lots of tenants over a few years now without problems:
https://www.poolshop.com.au/collections/pool-cleaners/produc…
Philippe?
According to Product Review these are supposed to be good.
Was thinking of getting one, but $2k and still having to get it in/out of the pool a few times a week…….?
Yeah. I'm thinking about something like the Pentair Rebel - hopefully won't have the problems that the suction kreepy krawly ones have, but cheaper than a robot and hopefully lasts in the pool longer. Sigh.
We got one of these for our pool. The pool guy recommended this since we were being cheap and not going to get an eco pump and powered cleaner.
https://poolandspawarehouse.com.au/zodiac-baracuda-mx6-autom…
It goes pretty good except it doesn't get our steps.
I am considering this style of cleaner, so you are fairly happy with it?
I'm coming from the $99 ALDI one which incidentally looks exactly the same as other brands going for $350+ on other pool supplies websites. It's not great, but it mostly does the job. The previous ALDI model that had the hammer weight thing at the bottom produced much better results but needed more suction, so wouldn't operate while I had the solar heating enabled.
Yeah I'm quite happy with it. It does our rectangle pool with the keys aimed at the v filter box.
We had an onga hammerhead but pre pool renovations it just didn't work and just went around in circles. Couldn't find some list parts to try on the renovated pool so it could have worked.
What's everyone else using for a pool cleaner?
Spaghetti strainers are great pool cleaners. Just need to make your own longer handle.
I've got a Dolphin S200. Not cheap (around $2000) and only about 14 months old so far but it's been brilliant.
Just chuck it in the pool and drag it out after a couple of hours. Piece of cake. Obviously take it's filter out & give it a hose down after each dance.
I think Swimart sell a slightly cheaper knock-off version which I've heard is just as good.
My mates been doing pool maintenance for years, also recommends dolphin only.
Basic: S200
Fancy: M600
Not cheap but do the job well and very reliable
i have a zodiac MX6. it's very good (especially the little crap catching basket thing). however - i have a poinciana tree which is massive and drops twigs (about 15 cms long) constantly. the zodiac mechanism gets jammed constantly with them, so i have use the regular creepy crawly to get the twigs and then hook up the zodiac.
if you do not have twigs dropping into your pool then the zodiac is the way to go.
but if you have twigs then don't waste your money.
I have a Pentair Rebel 2 and it is great.
I leave it in the pool all the time, the only thing that it can't do is the steps/ledge.
Rectangle pool, 55.000 litres, two steps, concrete and tiles.
I've used three different suction cleaners for about ten years and will never ever go back to them. It took them 3 to 4 hours and at least 4 interventions from me to get them out of corners to clean my pool. All this time, the skimmer box didn't catch any new debris as the cleaner was connected to it.
My Astral RPX does a great job. Once or twice a week within 3 hours it's done. There's always some fine dust (mud) in the robot's filters which would have ended up in my pool filter with a suction cleaner. I run the pump and pool robot at the same time.
But, I'll never get an Astral product anymore. Their service is very bad and repairs are expensive. The next one will be a Dolphin or Pentair.
I believe some pentair are rebadged dolphin (or vice versa)
When I did have a pool (which was the worst investment I ever made) I found after much trial and error that a Hayward Navigator worked best and was the most reliable.
Maytronics Dolphin E 10
Water … got into a pool cleaner. Oof.
Went through two $500 units over a few years. Ultimately went with pentair prowler 920 and has been going good for 2-3 years.