We are designing and planning a new pool at our house and trying to determine which cleaning system is best. What do you recommend robotic or in-floor cleaning systems? I don't think I want to have the hose and robot laying around, but not sure if I want to pay for the upgrade in-floor system?

We have the in floor cleaning system and it works great. It's nice not having the robot but I don't know what the upgrade cost is because the pool was already in when we bought the house.

We met with 5 pool builders this summer. It was a mixed bag on the pump drive vs. the robot. The up front cost is basically the same because the old school Polaris needs a dedicated pump.

One thing that WAS common across the board, the in-floor cleaning systems are inconsistent in terms of reliability and customer satisfaction.

We went with the robot.

I have the in floor and it's OK. It does a decent job of pulling in some of the debris close to it, but the pool still requires a once or twice a week cleaning with the robot vacuum to get everything else. In floor cleaners also won't take care of your walls, so you'd still need to brush the walls, steps, and ledges once a week. So they aren't the magical pool cleans itself and now requires no maintenance system many builders make them out to be.

We had a pool put in at our last house with a Paramount PCC 2000 in floor system. There were 3 small spots that sand would accumulate, but it was easy enough to brush towards the main drain. Other than the 3 small spots, the pool always looked freshly vacuumed. I would do it again if I were to build a pool.

We also had a motorized covers for the pool and spa. One of our kids couldn't swim when we put the pool in, so I liked the covers for that reason. I wouldn't do the covers again other than for safety because they're defintely not convenient. They accumulate dirt and leaves on top and need to be cleaned off when they're opened. They heat the water to uncomfortable levels in the summer. They require adjustment every few years to keep from binding, and I had to replace the vinyl after 5 years as it faded and looked nasty.

Edit: I should add that the in-floor cleaning system needs to be designed by someone very familiar with the system. I think the performance of the system is only as good as the design and install.

We've had a Dolphin corded unit for 3 years. Does a great job. However, the corded started eroding a bit in the saltwater. I'd still buy it again over the crappy Polaris bag model.

Maytronics has since come out with cordless models as well. That might be your answer if you don't want to mess with a cord.

We install a handful of Paramount brand floor cleaning systems. I do think they work better than a Polaris, provided that they have the proper runtime programmed. The minimum runtime recommended by Paramount is five hours. But larger pools typically need 8 to 10 hours to properly clean the pool.

Another benefit is when heating the pool, you can heat the water from the floor instead of relying on the returns to distribute water, and then the main drain to pull it down. Same goes for dosing your chemicals.

Texker said:

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We've had a Dolphin corded unit for 3 years. Does a great job. However, the corded started eroding a bit in the sal****er. I'd still buy it again over the crappy Polaris bag model.

Maytronics has since come out with cordless models as well. That might be your answer if you don't want to mess with a cord.

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Same here. I have a Dolphin S300 and it's been great. The cord had twisted and started to erode (3 years continuously in the water. I swapped it out and we are good to go.

Maytronics is quite popular in the aftermarket.

Polaris finally came out with their own robot called the Freedom.

I give my customers the option of the Quattro, Alpha iQ+, or Freedom. We always run a sweep line regardless though.

I upgraded from a bagged suction vac to a Polaris iQ+ robot and have been pretty happy with it. I bought a second filter cartridge which was pretty pricey IMHO ($100). The biggest issues I run into are 1) it needs a 2nd cord swivel/anti-tangle at the control station as currently with a single swivel at the unit the cord tends to get tangled any way eventually. 2) occasionally the wifi signal drops/disconnects and needs to be re-established.

The main selling point for me was the ability to direct the robot to spot clean certain areas using the smartphone app as we have an irregular shaped pool and the deep end always ends up trapping dirt in 2 specific areas. (poor design possibly).



I'd love to build a new pool (funded by others) with PebbelTec and an in floor cleaning system.

https://marinapoolspaandpatio.com/ FTW if you go robotic.

I have a hot, young, bikini-clad girl from my pool service clean my pool. What is this robot and in ground system of which you speak?

Burrus86 said:

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I have a hot, young, bikini-clad girl from my pool service clean my pool. What is this robot and in ground system of which you speak?

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Is said pool service in North Houston? Always appreciate top quality work!