OT - Pool cleaning advice

[Seinfeld]

We just opened up our pool for the first time this week, and I'm trying to figure out where I really need to invest in order to keep it clean and to limit my involvement. Everyone's telling me about these robots, but man are there about a million options out there. We've got a medium sized 30' fiberglass, so I don't feel like I need anything super fancy, but I do want to get something that gets the job done.

Any advice on where to look? Also, any other tips that y'all have for keeping things looking good?

 

[ronpolk]

I have a Polaris. Works great. Really does limit my cleaning time. The Polaris has its own dedicated line, so depending on your pool plumbing that may or may not be an option for you.

 

[Lucky Dawg]

After spending my childhood cleaning our constantly green pool, I swore I’d never own one…and then I had kids. Spent a season or two fighting various problems and then found TroubleFreePool.com. Start with Pool School and the ABC’s of Pool Chemistry. I’ve had 8 seasons of crystal clear water without the first algae bloom, and guests ask regularly if it’s a saltwater pool (it’s not) because there’s no chlorine stench.

 

[ckDOG]

I have a Dolphin Triton robot and the device itself is great but I can't keep the 17ing power cable from kinking up.

 

[mcdawg22]

I have a Polaris. Works great. Really does limit my cleaning time. The Polaris has its own dedicated line, so depending on your pool plumbing that may or may not be an option for you.

This is me too. I know they have the electric ones too, but mine is attached to a dedicated jet and it uses negative pressure to suck up all the BS. Empty the bag about once a week.

 

[eckie1]

I have one of these, and it’s great for what I need it for. I do have the plumbing for a Polaris, but this is just as good as long as you scrub the sides and stairs to the bottom. And, for about $40 you could get the big blue hose and vacuum manually, as well.

https://a.co/d/4SKgNV4

also, these work great. Drop it in your filter and it’s good for several months: [https://a.co/d/aO5jcwo

 

[grinnindawg]

Ditto Lucky Dawg on the trouble free pool site.

If you have kids or kids in the neighborhood, get a safety fence.

If you are going to DIY the chemistry get a decent kit.
I'd get a salt system with a fiberglass pool.
Since I have a 42yo galvanized pool I use calhypo, stabilizer, and 20 mule team borax. And occasionally Polyquat 60. It can be a lifesaver when someone goes from lake/ocean to pool without washing their swimsuit.

I've had Kreepy Krauly's for years. They do fine. The Dolphin S200 we bought a couple of years ago is easier. Ended up buying local, but this website helped with the decision.

Dolphin Comparison Info

Pelican Shop's Dolphin Pool Cleaner Comparison Chart and Breakdown. This article breaks down the Dolphin pool cleaner products and includes a video comparison

pelicanshops1.com

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I have one of these, and it’s great for what I need it for. I do have the plumbing for a Polaris, but this is just as good as long as you scrub the sides and stairs to the bottom. And, for about $40 you could get the big blue hose and vacuum manually, as well.

https://a.co/d/4SKgNV4

also, these work great. Drop it in your filter and it’s good for several months: [https://a.co/d/aO5jcwo

I have one similar to this one. They last about a year and die. Mine is still going but the battery life gets worse and worse.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

This is me too. I know they have the electric ones too, but mine is attached to a dedicated jet and it uses negative pressure to suck up all the BS. Empty the bag about once a week.

I have a Polaris too that came with the pool when we bought the house and it does ok but it gets stuck all the time and tends to run in the same places over and over.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I built my pool in Texas about 8 years ago and nerded out on all this stuff. Most good pressure powered cleaning robots are going to require a booster pump and a dedicated line. That's the option I went with.

The best that doesn't need the booster pump is the Polaris Vac Sweep 360 but you're going to need to dedicate a supply to it. I used the 380 and ran it on a timer for 2 hours a day to keep my 40*20 gunite pool clean as it gets.

Otherwise I would go something battery powered from Amazon and count on chunking every year or two.

 

[eckie1]

I have one similar to this one. They last about a year and die. Mine is still going but the battery life gets worse and worse.

My first one did that after about 2 years. They sent me a replacement for a small fee. The ones that run through your filter are gonna be more reliable, but gonna cost 10-15 times more.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Urine is sterile & cleans everything.

 

[stateu1]

We have an electric dolphin now after replacing a couple those expensive *** booster pumps. It has worked great for several years now.

 

[Beretta.sixpack]

IF you have a lot of trees near your pool, or have a bigger pool, a robot is NOT the answer.....go with the bigger bag on a polaris....my house came with a 28K gallon in ground pool that previous homeowner had installed for his daughters who swam competitively, and I also have a forest north behind my house....I demoed a robot for fall leaves and I was constantly cleaning it out....in other words, the capacity to hold what it picks up is smaller than a standard polaris., and much more of a pain in the *** to clean out....if you are not in this criteria, then i could see a robot being beneficial.

 

[Dawgbite]

We’ve got a fiberglass pool and honestly they are the easiest of all the pools to maintain. They take less chemicals and a lot less work. We keep ours covered until all the little squiggly things finish falling off and cover it as soon as the first leaves start to fall. We tried a robot a few years back and honestly I could vacuum it faster myself than I could get the robot out , hook it up, unhook it and put it up. My advice, try it a year before you spend big bucks on a robot, 15-20 minutes once or twice a week. Use about a third of the chlorine that will be recommended and don’t let anyone wear a swimsuit that’s been in the ocean or the river.

 

[Dawgbite]

Another piece of advice, invest in a good safety cover that you can walk across like a trampoline. They might hold an elephant but they won’t hold a deer, those hoofs are sharp!

 

[thatsbaseball]

When we first got married we lived in a small (but nice) 18 unit apartment complex with a pool. I was offered a free apartment in exchange for managing the complex. I learned a lot about swimming pools and people and have had a bad attitude about both every since. **

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

When we first got married we lived in a small (but nice) 18 unit apartment complex with a pool. I was offered a free apartment in exchange for managing the complex. I learned a lot about swimming pools and people and have had a bad attitude about both ever since. **

I hate having a pool. It came with the house we bought but it’s been a money pit.

 

[Drebin]

I hate having a pool. It came with the house we bought but it’s been a money pit.

Same here. Every year I'm sinking money into the damn thing. Last year I had to replace the filter system. This year I had to buy a new booster pump and salt cell. It's getting close to time to replace the pool cover. One thing after another.

It's very low maintenance once I get it opened, though. Just add salt and my polaris keeps it clean.

 

[Dawgbite]

We put our pool in 25 years ago. Wife loves it but I could do without it. She’s begun to use it less and less. We travel a good bit since retiring and she asked me a few weeks ago what would happen if we just didn’t uncover the pool this summer. If we went a whole summer without it I’m guessing that the next summer it comes out of the ground and I’m looking for a bunch of fill dirt. Although there is nothing better than getting off a lawnmower on a hot day and stripping off and jumping in the pool with a beer.

 

[mcdawg22]

I built my pool in Texas about 8 years ago and nerded out on all this stuff. Most good pressure powered cleaning robots are going to require a booster pump and a dedicated line. That's the option I went with.

The best that doesn't need the booster pump is the Polaris Vac Sweep 360 but you're going to need to dedicate a supply to it. I used the 380 and ran it on a timer for 2 hours a day to keep my 40*20 gunite pool clean as it gets.

Otherwise I would go something battery powered from Amazon and count on chunking every year or two.

I have a 280 with a booster pump and if anyone goes with one a couple of tips to make sure it goes everywhere.

The jet in the back will move for some reason no matter how much you tighten it so sometimes you need to manually adjust it up down left right. It’s easy when the pool is warm because you can adjust in pool see how it runs, grab it and adjust accordingly. When it’s cold it’s a pain in the *** pulling it out and putting it back in and seeing if it’s running straight.

Clean the sweeper tail. Keeping it clean will allow it to sweep the floor better. You can tell it’s good when it swings back and forth a lot and shoots water out of the pool every now and then.

There is a screw in the back that adjust the jet verses the sweeper. Balancing that flow will make it more efficient.

Every now and then the float bulb leaks and gets water in it. When this happens the Polaris weighs too much and may not climb walls or get out of the deep end it’s cheap to replace.

I have a 20X40 with a 8 ft deep end and it reaches everywhere. The issue is during winter when the hoses get rigid and doesn’t want to pull straight.

 

[mcdawg22]

Urine is sterile & cleans everything.

When it first gets to pool season I always have to add Calcium and CYA which requires me to run my salt pool 24/7 for a few days. As a result it always produces a lot of chlorine typically a week before we have friends with kids come over for the first time. I tell the kids to pee in it a bunch because I need the chlorine knocked down.

 

[The Peeper]

I've got the best of both worlds, neighbors on each side of me have pools and I have gate keys to both. I always help out w/ maintenance when they are out of town so I pay some dues for the use of them. One of them gave me what I thought was good advice though, the Cliffs notes went something like:
"Having a pool is like having a sickly kid, they are always getting sick. Too much water causes one thing, too much sun causes another thing, hot temps cause something, leaves and pollen, etc etc etc. You are always trying to figure out whats going on and then investing to get it taken care of. As long as you know that before hand and accept it then you'll love it. "

 

[DecadeReb2]

I have a Dolphin Triton robot and the device itself is great but I can't keep the 17ing power cable from kinking up.

I don’t have that brand but have the same issue with the cord. Drying it in the sun helps.

 

[eckie1]

I’ve seen references to “pool season” quite a bit. I think a lot of y’all either live in MS or a neighboring state.

I don’t winterize mine at all. My pool guy advised against it. I just keep the pump going for a few hours a day and keep an eye on the PH levels. My only fear is a power outage when it’s freezing or below, but I know how to drain the equipment if I’m at home.

Just wondering if some of yall might want to consider doing the same. Pools ain’t cheap, but it’s my happy place a good 10 months out of the year. If it’s 60+ and the sun is out in December, I’m in as long as I can be.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I’ve seen references to “pool season” quite a bit. I think a lot of y’all either live in MS or a neighboring state.

I don’t winterize mine at all. My pool guy advised against it. I just keep the pump going for a few hours a day and keep an eye on the PH levels. My only fear is a power outage when it’s freezing or below, but I know how to drain the equipment if I’m at home.

Just wondering if some of yall might want to consider doing the same. Pools ain’t cheap, but it’s my happy place a good 10 months out of the year. If it’s 60+ and the sun is out in December, I’m in as long as I can be.

I have way too many trees around. The battle with leaves would drive me to drink.

 

[DerHntr]

Any advice on where to look?

Trust me. Don’t look in her nightstand.**

 

[eckie1]

I have way too many trees around. The battle with leaves would drive me to drink.

Touché. Not so much the problem here in DFW…

 

[mcdawg22]

I’ve seen references to “pool season” quite a bit. I think a lot of y’all either live in MS or a neighboring state.

I don’t winterize mine at all. My pool guy advised against it. I just keep the pump going for a few hours a day and keep an eye on the PH levels. My only fear is a power outage when it’s freezing or below, but I know how to drain the equipment if I’m at home.

Just wondering if some of yall might want to consider doing the same. Pools ain’t cheap, but it’s my happy place a good 10 months out of the year. If it’s 60+ and the sun is out in December, I’m in as long as I can be.

By pool season, I mean when I get in and actually pay attention to the non essential chemicals. I keep mine running all year and clear. All I check is chlorine levels with strips and run the filter 4 hours a day and Polaris 2. On way below freezing days I run 24 hours.

 

[stateu1]

I have way too many trees around. The battle with leaves would drive me to drink.

I feel ya.

 

[Seinfeld]

After spending my childhood cleaning our constantly green pool, I swore I’d never own one…and then I had kids. Spent a season or two fighting various problems and then found TroubleFreePool.com. Start with Pool School and the ABC’s of Pool Chemistry. I’ve had 8 seasons of crystal clear water without the first algae bloom, and guests ask regularly if it’s a saltwater pool (it’s not) because there’s no chlorine stench.

Thanks man. That website is really helpful

 

[L4Dawg]

We just opened up our pool for the first time this week, and I'm trying to figure out where I really need to invest in order to keep it clean and to limit my involvement. Everyone's telling me about these robots, but man are there about a million options out there. We've got a medium sized 30' fiberglass, so I don't feel like I need anything super fancy, but I do want to get something that gets the job done.

Any advice on where to look? Also, any other tips that y'all have for keeping things looking good?

A dump truck with some gavel and topsoil is the best bet. I have a relative that swears by that.