Swimming Pool Tips and Reviews

This is the Aquabot Xtreme robotic cleaner. The Xtreme is a retail pool store cleaner only and is not sold online. If you are a pool service professional you can also purchase this for your customer at your local wholesale distributor. This is a pretty cool little robot and it is very user friendly. The timer has a simple 4 hour run time so you just plug it in and turn it on. It is compact and lightweight and works exceptionally well. It will only climb partially up the walls which is fine if you have a shallow pool. It spends a lot of time on the bottom and the G-Tooth™ Track system allows it to navigate steps like they are not even there. It will also roll on the wall sideways as if it is rolling on the pool floor. Again, it is not designed to go all the way up the walls and clean the waterline. But it is very effective for what is does. I like how it will pause and pivot to change direction, allowing it to get full coverage of the pool. It also pumps 70 gallons per

This is the all NEW SkimDoctor 2.0 by Totally New Technologies. The SkimDoctor 2.0 is a vast improvement over the SkimDoctor 1.0 which was also a great product. Basically what the SkimDoctor 2.0 does is creates  a vortex in the skimmer which pulls debris in from further out and at a faster rate. I've had several SkimDoctor 1.0 version on my pool route and they work great. The SkimDoctor 2.0 corrects two of the shortcomings of the SkimDoctor 1.0. The first is the fact that if you had a high HP pump (1.5 hp or higher) - the SkimDoctor 1.0 would work too well. The vortex it created was so great that it would cause the pump to lose it's prime on occasions. The SkimDoctor 2.0 rectifies this issue by having not one gate but two gates. I tried it in a 2 HP pump pool and it worked great when left fully open. You can still adjust it down to a very small opening for variable speed pumps running on low speed, so no worries there. The second shortcoming was that the top of the Skim

In this article I highlight some of the benefits of owning a robotic pool cleaner. The latest generation of Robotic Pool Cleaners are more efficient, more reliable and the price point has now dropped to a level where they are an affordable option. My opinion of Robotic Cleaners has changed over the recent years and now I would suggest them along  with Suction Cleaners and Pressure Cleaners. One reason is that robotic cleaners are more reliable and the manufacturers signify this by offering up to a three year limited warranty, some offer a two year bumper to bumper warranty if purchased from a retail pool store. The overall design of robotic cleaners has improved so the motors, belts and drives all are longer lasting. Cord or cable tangling used to be a big issue with robotic cleaners. It is very annoying to have to untangle the cord every hour and the engineers of these cleaners have heard your cries. Now many models come with cord swivels or alternate ways to prevent tangling.

The Aquabot Turbo T2 is one of Aquabot's Flagship cleaners. The Aquabot Turbo T2 is loaded with features and is a top choice among robotic cleaners. The Turbo T2 also now comes with a caddy. The Turbo T2 comes with 60 feet of cable and a power control that can be set from 1-7 hours or set to continuous run. It cleans the floors, walls and the water line. It filters down to 2 microns which is better than most pool filters. The Turbo T2 is a very maneuverable cleaner and cleans the pool with a pre-programmed pattern where it cleans the bottom all the way across and then moves up one wall to the water line. This pattern will effectively clean your entire pool within a couple of hours. It is a fairly light cleaner coming in at 19 lbs but the included caddy help tremendously. It is a simple caddy/buggy but effective in transporting the cleaner to your poolside. getting the cleaner in and out is not too bad either as the cleaner is compact and has a large easy to grab handle on t

In this article I give you an overview of the Robotic Pool Cleaners by Aquabot. Aquabot is the leading manufacturer of robotic cleaners and they make a variety of different models.  Since there is such a range of products I decided to do an overview video as well as individual videos on each model. I hope this video will give you an overall introduction to their product line. The features of each cleaner vary and their product line is very versatile to fit different pool owners needs. They make several models for above ground pools which is unique to the industry. They make many for in-ground pools with various features like a caddy, swivel for the cable, long cables and wall climbing ability. Aquabot is made by Aqua Products, a US based company located in New Jersey. They made the first robotic pool cleaner in 1982.  So they have been making robotic cleaners for a very long time. The sheer variety of robotic models that they offer makes them the leader in the industry. Some ar

This is the new Hayward TriVac 500 Pressure Side Cleaner. The TriVac 500 requires a dedicated 3/4 hp booster pump with a separate return line plumbed in to operate.  The TriVac 500 is a pretty original and effective pressure cleaner. If you already have an existing pressure cleaner the TriVac 500 will fit perfectly into the the threaded wall fitting so it is easy to change out your old pressure cleaner with the TriVac 500. It uses the same exact 1 1/2" threaded fitting with the two clips to hold the hose in to the wall as the other brand of pressure cleaners. Very convenient. I will go over some of the unique features of the TriVac 500. First, it covers the entire pool -floors, walls up to the water line and it can clean the step areas also. It moves very rapidly on the pool bottom. The clips in the video are not speed up so you can see how it will clean your pool in less time than other pressure side cleaners. It features a unique floating debris bag on back so no more pr

The Hayward AquaNaut 450 is the third cleaner in the AquaNaut Product line for the US market. Already on the market here in the US are the Aquanaut 200 (A two wheeled cleaner) and the AquaNaut 400 (Another four wheeled cleaner). They also sell a two wheel version of this cleaner in the European market called the AquaNaut 250. The Aquanaut 250 is not available in the US market.  The AquaNaut 450 is a four wheel cleaner based off of the AquaNaut 400. But internally it has the Cam of the AquaNaut 200. Simply put it will have the stability of the AquaNaut 400 but the turn cycle of the AquaNaut 200. So it will go shorter distances between turning in the pool. This makes it the perfect blend of both the AquaNaut 200 and 400. All of the other features are the same between the AquaNaut cleaners so you are still getting the patented V-Flex turbine, the patented Super Hump Tires and the reliability that these cleaners are known for. The V-Flex Turbine bends when the water enters the mou

The V-Flex Upgrade Kit will convert your old PoolVac or Navigator into the a PoolVac V-Flex or Navigator V-Flex cleaner. The V-Flex turbine is superior to the standard fixed turbine and this upgrade kit is an affordable way to update your still working older cleaner. One of the biggest drawbacks with these cleaners is that the A-Frame and Turbine would wear out often. Then your cleaner would be a nice pool ornament sitting on the bottom.  The A-Frame in the V-Flex Turbine in this upgrade kit will solve that problem. The A-Frame is now has no bearings and works off of a very strong large bearing that sits on the Turbine. So this part should last a very long time. The V-Flex Turbine is designed to pick up larger debris than the old fixed turbine. So the cleaner will operate in the pool without getting jammed with debris. The Upgrade kit is fairly easy to install and all you need are three tools: A Phillips Screwdriver A Standard Flat Screwdriver A 1/4 Socket Wrench I

This is the NEW PoolVac V-Flex by Hayward. The PoolVac V-Flex is a big upgrade from the standard PoolVac model. The V-Flex Turbine is a flexible turbine; the vanes collapse as water passes through the mouth of the cleaner allowing it to pick up larger debris. It is a noticeable difference from the old fixed turbine. Along with the upgraded V-Flex turbine the A-Frame has also been redesigned with a larger and longer lasting bearing that will give this part a much better lifespan. If your familiar with the old PoolVac, then you probably know that this part used to wear out frequently. This design chang e is significant because it fixes two of the main issues with the PoolVac, those being, the parts wear out fast, and small debris jams the cleaner. The old fixed turbine would just get jammed too often on debris. The V-Flex turbine won't have this issue. I say in the video that the V-Flex turbine opens to allow larger debris to pass thru but technically the water passing thru wi

This is the NEW Navigator V-Flex by Hayward. The Navigator V-Flex is a substantial upgrade from the standard Navigator model. The V-Flex Turbine is a flexible turbine; the vanes collapse as water passes through the mouth of the cleaner allowing it to pick up larger debris. Along with the upgraded V-Flex turbine the A-Frame has also been beefed up with a larger longer lasting bearing and a redesign that will give this part a much better lifespan. If your familiar with the old Navigator you know about swapping out the A-Frame and Turbine often as it wears down. This design change is significant because it fixes two of the main issues with the Navigator, those being, the parts wear out fast, and small debris jams the cleaner. The old fixed turbine would just get jammed too often on debris. The V-Flex turbine won't have this issue. I say in the video that the V-Flex turbine opens to allow larger debris to pass thru but technically the water passing thru will collapse the turbin