I am looking at a robotic pool cleaner instead of replacing my pressure sided pool cleaner(pump and cleaner are in its last legs).

Anybody have brand and model recommendations or any words of wisdom when considering this?

Thanks

I got a Dophin Nautilis about 2 months ago to replace my old Polaris and I love it. The Polaris just picks up debris (leaves, etc) but the robot picks up dirt.

Because of the way I put the cord, it won't reach a bench and small piece of the wall on the far side and I can see a major difference between what the robot cleans and doesn't clean. I can easily adjust my layout so it reaches everything.

I made the switch about 2 years ago from pressure side cleaner to a robot. Wish I had done it sooner.

I bought the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus. Keeps the pool cleaner than the Polaris ever did.

I have a Dolphin S300 and it works great.

+1 on the ccPlus

Dolphin S200 or S300 (S200 with bluetooth). Call Marina Pool and Spa in Colorado and they can give you the lowest price over the phone, free shipping.

https://marinapoolspaandpatio.com/


All the Dolphin models are the same basic designs, just different names and color schemes based on what retail outlet it is sold under (online, versus pool store, versus pool builder)

+1 on the Dolphin S200 and going through Marina Pool and Spa. The S200 doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it does a good job at cleaning your floors, walls, and waterline. Very pleased with the robot, and Marina Pool and Spa was knowledgeable and fast on the shipping. I think you have to call to get a list of their product line and pricing. Ask for Margaret and she can get you setup.

Stupid question but how do the robotic cleaners work far as power? Do you leave these in the pool 24/7? I assume they plug in to an electric outlet? No pool work required?

I have a suction side pool cleaner and it is OLD. Still works but OLD and thinking about replacing....

Yes, the robots come with a AC to DC converter, that also serves as the control box (start button, etc), so you plug it into a GFI outlet somewhere on your patio, then you have a DC power line laying on your deck to the robot in the water.

The line that comes in contact with water is low voltage DC, so it is safe for pool use.

You can set them to run everyday, every other day, or every three days, so you leave it in the pool. The repeat schedule only goes for 7 days to force you to clean out the basket, but you can leave it in your pool apart from emptying it out for however long you want.

Some people don't like having the line lay across their deck all the time, but if you have kids, there is junk strewn across the deck all the time anyway.

Ok. That makes sense. I like that especially later this summer when we are using the pool more. Pulling out our suction cleaner and hose is an ordeal and requires a lot of space. We plan to mainly do it when we have guests over b/c of how annoying it is. If we had this it seems much easier and less space required...

I don't think there's that much space savings. The tube for suction type is definitely bigger and more cumbersome than the robot power cord, but the robot is a bit heavier than the suction type cleaner.

I am not worried about weight....what I struggle with is where to put all the tubing etc when i pull it out. It seems like i can just wrap up the cord and then all i am storing is the "robot" and not the robot + 12 - 15 feet of cord...

We pull ours out after use. Now that the winds have died down and the neighbor's leaves aren't falling as much we only run it 2-3 times per week.

That sounds nice. I obviously "leave season" i would leave it in almost 24/7 but rarely swimming during that time anyways.

I would like to run my cleaner Tues - Fri and then just leave it out for weekend and put it back in Monday after get home from work.

I am now wanting to buy one and its the last thing i need to do haha...

Is the Pentair stuff the same? When looking up dolphin I see Pentair by dolphin as well.

I leave mine in all the time. No issues at over a year now. I'd get the S200 over the S300. I have the S300 and it was a waste of additional $.

I have the Polaris 9550 and love it.

We have a Pentair Racer and it has been trouble free and seems to do a nice job

I don't know if all the Pentair robots are made by Dolphin, but the Pentair Warrior SE is a rebranded Dolphin S200. Even says powered by Dolphin on the case. Also Pentair has a rebate on a few of their robots, Warrior included.

https://www.pentair.com/en/knowledge-base/pool-spa-equipment/pentair-product-rebates.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=r2i-pool-rebate-2020&utm_content=all-solutions&utm_term=brand:tier1&gclid=CjwKCAjwkun1BRAIEiwA2mJRWT6vapYVoKqvE3fvSMPzXsafosBsKBVDoyHOvWOZ5M5vjlQ-B17HjxoCoEYQAvD_BwE

The s300 comes with a caddy that mounts the control box, has a hook for hanging the cable, and sets the robot so that the brushes don't get compressed. Then you can wheel it all out of the way to a corner, or your garage.

Actually I have an extra caddy still in the plastic wrap as I had to do a warranty swap right out of the box and they just sent me a whole new unit with a new caddy. I would be willing to let it go to a good Ag to clear up space in my garage.

As far as leaf season. If you have a ton of leaves in the fall like I did, it will struggle with getting clogged up. But it is a champ the rest of the year when there are not giant piles of leave in the bottom of the pool. Marina Pool will give you a free upgrade to the coarse/fine basket combo. I routinely dump mud out of my robot because the filter is fine enough to trap dirt. Definitely wasn't getting that with the Polaris.

This is on my list to order ASAP.

nvm

Another happy dolphin nautilus user. I'll add that I'm pleased to see a product MADE TO LAST and not with crap components. Mine is going on four years now with no issues except replacing screens. I also keep it stored when not in use

As said above, it gets out very fine dirt and sand. It does great with leaves and other debris but not during the live oak leaf drop (too many for any machine) so I use a battery powered leaf vacuum for the month of march

Another fan of the Dolphin Naulist CC+ or whatever it is.

We had a pool service company for a few years, and then thought about replacing the Polaris pump. At the cost of this thing, it's less than half a year of pool service so I figure it'll be easy to get ahead cost wise.

Also like it's cleaning ability, too bad you can't program it to add chemicals.

Thanks for response.

We just moved to this house and went through one "leaf season". It honestly didnt seem too bad. We have no trees over our pool and just 1 relatively close. Most of our leaves are blown in from neighbors. It will probably fade at some point but I enjoy cleaning the pool so we dont tend to get a ton of leaves at the bottom.

Do you mind giving a range of what you paid using Marina Pool? I am still probably a little ways away from pulling the trigger on this but i am extremely intrigued and wish i could somehow find $1,000 or so laying around...

It was about $850 for the S300, no tax, free shipping. The S200 I think is about $700 or $750

Not bad. Was expecting $1K or just over. Thanks!

Yes, I paid $699 (no tax, and free shipping) for my Pentair Warrior SE (aka S200), and then with the Pentair rebate that knocked it down to $649.

Looking at the info I received from Marina Pool and Spas this past November the Nautilus CC was $579 and the Nautilus CC+ was $749. Note, I don't know if those prices are still valid so you should probably give them a call one you get closer to pulling the trigger.

Yes, it will be closer to $1k if you shop around online for the S200 equivalent. You'll have to call marina on the phone to get the lowest price.

Ok i will keep that in mind. Thanks again!

With the S300 you are essentially paying for a S200 with a caddie. The Bluetooth Controller connection is manual. You basically drive it. There's not programming or timer capability other than the 3 buttons, half/full cycle, 2-3 times a week and a power button.

I have a dolphin Premier and love it. I've had one issue thats really my fault in the past year. I left the control box outside in the rain. Normally not an issue but I had a busted downspout that basically submerged the controller in water for a few hours. I called up Dolphin and the replaced it under warranty via over night shipping. Told me to just toss the old one and that was it.

My Polaris 280 is over 20 years old and still going strong! Just need to keep a few things on-hand like wheel bearings, bags, a few wheel / tire assemblies, and the main drive axle that wears out.

I have a Dolphin M400 and it was $1200, so it was on the higher end. It works great and I use it to clean my spa also. Typically, it only needs to run for about 30 minutes in the spa, but it leaves it clean. After I finish the spa, I toss it in the pool and let it do its thing. This cleaner works great and you can see the dirt it picks up when you wash off the filter.

It comes with a caddy, so I just roll up the cord and then store everything in a big deck box after I clean it. I don't have a lot of leaves, so I only have to run once a week or after a big rain storm.

I will say, that there is a drawback. My Dolphin quit working after 3+ years. I traced the problem back to the swivel cord and replaced it. It was easy to do, but cost me almost $300 for the cord.

Also, the dirt/leaves capacity is pretty big. I loaned it to my neighbor after a hurricane and he ran the robot twice to clean up. It would have been a pain to scoop it out by hand with a leaf rake. He just set it and forget it.

As others have stated already...

I got the Pentair Warrior SE (aka Dolphin S200) a few months ago. Basic model is all I needed. ($699) I didn't care to spend $100 more for the next one up just for the caddie. Works great. The price was too low already to use the rebate. Also bought it from Marina Pool. I searched for hours trying to find the best deal. Call Margaret, she'll help you out.

Margaret Mills
Marina Pool, Spa & Patio
7777 West Jewell Avenue
Lakewood, Colorado 80232
303-985-0077