Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

When you do a Google search for any pool problem or swimming pool related issue, chances are you will find a post listed from a swimming pool forum in the search tag line. Either that or you will be directed to my YouTube channel ;) So you may wonder if the post is accurate since it is from a swimming pool forum and not the manufacturer or a pool company. Here are the most popular forums that you will run into when you search for a pool solution: www.troublefreepool.com community.poolcenter.com www.poolforum.com www.poolspaforum.com ths.gardenweb.com And there are a few smaller forums also on the web. So the question is can you trust the advice given out on these various forums? From hitting several of these over the years I have found that for the most part the advice is accurate. Maybe not 100% of the time but pretty close. Each of these forums has moderators that verify posts and there are many long time members that are qualified to answer or clarify a specific post or...

Zodiac T3 This is Zodiac's newest bouncing type cleaner the T3. It is rumored to be the cleaner to replace the G3. If you own a T5 I feel for you. That cleaner is poorly made and should not have been even marketed. It gave Zodiac a black eye along with their X7. But the T3 is going to redeem Zodiac. It is actually a very good cleaner. It has the new small diaphragm that the T5 & X7 have, which is the only good part in those cleaners. The new diaphragm picks up debris very well. The T3 is a very small cleaner. Very compact. It only has a handful of parts which is a good thing. It is also surprisingly heavy and well balanced but moves around the pool at a very fast pace. The only drawback is the locking style hoses which makes it impossible to hook up a regular vacuum head and spot vacuum the pool. But the T3 is a huge improvement over the T5 &  X7 and the price point is very good.

Zodiac Wahoo Here is another cleaner you may not have seen anywhere before. It is made by Zodiac and is primarily marketed for the owners of  above ground pools.  Many pool guys will use it in a regular inground pool and I an guilty of that. If you do decide to use it in a regular inground pool be aware of some limitations. The back spur weight is just hard plastic so if it gets hung up in the step area it can rub and wear right through in a matter of weeks. That part is like $50 or 1/3 the price of the cleaner. So be careful. Usually a free form pool will have steps at an angle and this will be bad for the Wahoo. A square pool with steps all the way across is fine in most cases. If you have an above ground pool then go for this cleaner. It is priced around $150 and the parts are surprisingly very long lasting. The footpad, bottom disk and diaphragm will last you a good two to three years. There is no generic footpad for this cleaner and that part is about $60 so after thr...

Hayward Navigator, Pool vac Okay, If you own one of these hold onto the rock you are about to throw at me. True you are changing parts in this like some made scientist every year or so. And true there are a lot of parts in this cleaner. But they actually work very good when everything is working. It wouldn't be my first choice so that is why it has landed at number eight. If you bought one or inherited one from the house you just bought, don't worry - you can get many good years out of it. The first two years are actually good years - like the first two years of most marriages ;). But yes, have the schematics handy after that. It does pick up dirt, dust and algae dust very well and can handle some fair size debris too. It is technically a very good cleaner with one major drawback: It is a parts hog. Out off all the cleaners on the market, this one uses the most parts. But the parts are easy to change (relatively) and if you decide to keep your Navigator/Pool Vac you can be...

Polaris 360 Here is the Polaris 360, it is a Pressure Side Cleaner but does not require a booster pump. It runs off your existing return lines as long as they are 1.5" threaded return lines and not stub return lines. You can connect it to a stub pipe type return line but it wouldn't be cost effective as the adapters are expensive. So if you have 1.5" threaded return lines you are good to go. You would connect it to the most central return line and then add a restictor jet insert (comes with the cleaner) in one or two of the other return lines. I find that you will often need a 1.5" threaded plug in some cases (not included) to completely close of a return line. You will also need to have sufficient return pressure so a good 1-2 hp pump is a must.So with that said this cleaner is great if your pool has a lot of large debris all of the time. It will work almost as well as the booster pump version. The drawbacks are: since you are restricting and using the return je...

Zodiac G2 Zodiac makes many of these diaphragm bouncing cleaners and they also have a habit of discontinuing their cleaners and launching newer versions. The G4 is one that they discontinued  and I heard rumors that the G3 is soon to be history. But the G2 according to the Zodiac rep is in their 2014 catalog still and that is good because the G2 (orginally the Pacer) is the best of the bouncing cleaners that Zodiac makes. It is lightweight, the parts are durable and all are replaceable which means that this cleaner is long lasting. It also works great right when you drop it in with no real adjustments needed. It picks up any large debris as long as it is pliable. The only part you will be replacing often and the only actual moving part is the diaphragm. The good news is that there are many good generic parts for this cleaner, including the diaphragm which sells for $30 for the factory part but ca be had for $10 generic. I think that is one reason Zodiac keeps changing their cle...

Solar Powered Surface Cleaner You might not have heard about the Solar Breeze if you browse most pool sites in search of your next pool cleaner. It is catching on in the pool industry. Don't overlook this cleaner as it is a great alternative to having hoses and cords in your pool all day. The Solar Breeze is a solar powered robotic surface cleaner that is a self contained unit. What you see in the picture is the complete cleaner. It will keep the top of your pool looking so crystal clear that you will be amazed. It will also get most of the debris and dirt before it falls to the pool bottom only requiring you to spot vacuum every once in a while. But the way it leaves the surface needs to be seen to believe. It is intelligent so it is designed not to get stuck in your pool and reverses also at programmed intervals. It has a battery that is charged by the Sun so it runs almost constantly in your pool, even a few hours after the Sun goes down. The debris tray is about twice the...

Kreepy Classic The Kreepy Krauly Classic has been around pretty much forever. If you are a pool guy or in the industry you remember the old white model with parts that were screwed on like some Frankenstein Monster. But it worked and the current version works great also. It picks up large size debris - I think it picks up the largest debris compared to all the other suction cleaners. But it has a couple of drawbacks over the Poolvergnuegen: It is a pretty loud cleaner and the parts wear out more. It also takes a bit of patience to get it adjusted just right for your pool. But this cleaner cleans like crazy. It goes up the walls and covers the entire pool. That is why Pentair has sold over 3 million of these cleaners.It also goes on sale quite a bit at the larger chain pool store so the price point is usually pretty good.

"The Pool Cleaner" In third place is a suction side cleaner, the Poolvergnuegen "The Pool Cleaner" 2 Wheel version (white & blue) and the 2 Wheel "Limited Edition" that comes in grey and black.You can hook this cleaner up to any pool with a skimmer or side port. It is by far the most durable suction side cleaner. I have about 12 of these on my route and I gotta tell you I have total confidence when I sell one of these. They are near the top price bracket for a suction side cleaner but worth every penny. The design is flawless as this cleaner never gets stuck in a corner or on the step area. It turns itself in the pool every 10-12 feet so it will cover the entire pool in one run cycle (4-6 hours) while the pool is on. It picks up large debris also like large oak tree acorns as well as dirt and dust. The only part that needs changing in the first two years are the rubber tires. If you change them when they get down to the wear mark you will not h...

In close second is the Pentair Kreepy Krualy Legend cleaner. This updated model fixes many of the issues that plagued the older Letro Legend model. It runs of of the identical drive shaft as the Polaris 280. It is also a Pressure Side Cleaner that requires a 3/4 hp booster pump with a dedicated return line plumbed in to your pool. I like it because this new design makes the Legend much more durable, it is faster in your pool than the Polaris 280 and the four wheels gives it better coverage of the pool. The debris bag is also larger than the Polaris 280. If you look at the schematics it looks like a clone of the Polaris 280 but with some improvements. Like the Polaris 280 you will just be changing parts and the unit will in all accounts never need to be repurchased. It may move up to number one once it is tested over the next few years. The Polaris 280 still has a longer track record. A good buy for sure.

POLARIS 280 The best cleaner for 2013 is still the Polaris 280. It is a Pressure Side cleaner as it runs off the return line vs. running off of the pool suction line. It is a 30 year old design that is still the best. The only drawback is that you would need to have your pool constructed or remodeled to include a dedicated return line connected to a separate 3/4 hp booster pump. If you don't have that set-up then you cannot install a Polaris 280. It is a simple design with a drive shaft that spins the wheels. It picks up large debris and dirt and is very durable and long lasting. It only needs to run two hours a day to clean the entire pool. You will just change parts over the years it is in the pool and pretty much will never need to purchase the complete unit again. I have several of these still running on my route, two are the Polaris 180 models which pre-date the 280 model. Great cleaner.

Here is a look at a small market salt system. They have actually been producing their salt systems just as long as Pentair and Hayward if not longer. But it's hard to compete with the marketing might of the big companies. This is an excellent system that comes with at least a two year warranty and a company that has been in business for over 30 years. You probably never heard of them or their salt system. The good thing about the smaller companies is that they spend more time on quality control since usually the only product they manufacturer is their salt systems. So you will get a quality product since they are focused on one product only. I am not against getting a Pentair or Hayward salt system but don't overlook the little guys in the industry when you are deciding which way to go.

When it comes to salt water systems there are a lot to choose from. You have the three major brands, Pentair, Hayward and Jandy - plus a lot of smaller lesser known companies. So who in fact makes the best salt water pool system?  That is debatable but from my experience the number one system right now is the Pentaier Intellichlor IC40 Pentair IC40 (rated for 40,000 gallons. What makes it the best is the reliability of the system and the way it is designed. The cell itself is composed of pretty much all the electronics and sensors so when the cell goes bad after a few years and you replace it with a new one - you are getting practically a complete new system every time. It is very reliable also and I haven't seen many errors with the system. It will also tell you when the cell life is getting near the end. So this is number one in my book. I have about 10 or more of these on my route. The only drawback is that unless it is connected to an automated Pentair control panel th...