Riptide Pool Vacuum System

This is the NEW Riptide Vacuum System with the large Commercial Service Cart. The Riptide Vacuum works independently from your pools filtration system. It runs off of a 12 Volt  battery that is attached to the service cart. It has a powerful motor that sucks up leaves, dirt and debris into a bag on top of the vacuum.

There are similar products on the market and is there room for a third manufacturer of this type of vacuum? The manufacturer of the Riptide thinks so and this first model is pretty solid. Here are some key features on the vacuum.

The Vacuum has a 24” long vacuuming path. This makes it ideal for large sweeps on the bottom of the pool. The large head does make vacuuming steps and attached spas a little harder, but the shear power of the Riptide vacuum almost makes up for this. The motor is a 30 lb thrust motor and the Riptide casing is designed to hug the pool floor allowing it to have an excellent seal which allows it to pick up debris with ease. So the vacuum excels on the pool bottom and does decent on the steps and in spas. The Vacuum Head casing comes with a 10 year warranty,  which is excellent.

The bag on top is held on my a unique locking system. The vacuum head has a rim on it and the bags have a groove on them. Getting them on the first time can be difficult but after 2 or 3 times you will snap them on with ease. This locking system prevents the bags from blowing off the top of the vacuum. The Riptide comes with one 100 micron bag and you can order a 75 micron and a 400 micron bag.

 One thing I am still getting used to is the “Quick Snap Pole Coupler.” This attachment goes on your pool pole and stays on your pole to make attaching to he Riptide quick and easy. Included is one plastic fitting to be used with your leaf rake. You can share one with your brushes or purchase additional fittings. It is different and takes some getting used to.

The large service cart also takes some getting used to. It is on the heavy side but in my testing here in Southern California I didn't have any trouble with it. You can feel the weight of it when you are pulling it and it is hard to pull up steps if you have the 100AH battery on front and a back bin full of chemicals. On the plus side this cart holds just about everything you need. I suggest the large service cart for Commercial accounts or areas where all the yards have cement access and few steps. I also uses a 55 AH battery and it made the cart easier to pull as it shaves off almost 30 lbs.

The cart also features a cord reel which I actually like a lot. You just set the Riptide Cart with the cord reel facing the pool (cart sideways) and as you vacuum the cord will be feed out thru the cord reel. This also keeps the cord from kinking and tangling and it is very effective. Rolling up the cord is pretty easy also once you get the hang of it. It comes with 45 feet of cord and you can also order a model with 75 feet of cord.

The locking mechanism on the cart to the Transport Rack is where the Riptide really shines. I would say it is virtually impossible for the cart to come off the Transport Rack. The locking system is just that good. It is a solid locking system. And getting the service cart on and off the Transport Rack is really simple. Also a nice touch, there is a slot for a full size padlock.

The manufacturer sells direct from their website and they also offer  low financing of $93 per month for 24 months (9.9%). This is to make it easy on your budget and the monthly cost of the Riptide is about one average service account. To learn more you can visit their website:  https://www.riptidevac.com/

I will be testing the Riptide over the next few months and will post any updates here for you.

Keep your eyes out in July of 2017 for the Riptide SL. This will be a smaller or standard size cart which will be more versatile than the Commercial Service Cart. Here is a CAD rendering of the cart, it looks really good.

Visit my Website: https://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/riptide-vacuum-system