pool cleaners

[Farm boy]

our house came with a pool complete with the regular push along pool vacum cleaner:(
my wife is sugesting we get a barracuda or similar:eek: are they any better or a waste of money
greg

[Zed]

we had one and I sold it. they coil up in circles and get all wrapped up on themselves. they put CONSTANT pressure on your pipes and if there is an air leak in the system it excacerbates it. If you leave them connected you never get to skim the surface. the hoses comes in 1.5 (?)M lengths for lotsa $ and if you leave them out they craze and become brittle. better off by hand. I use a small head with a 12 m hose from bunnies. the pool gets a little brush every time I vac. takes time but in my experience its better.

[Bodgy]

There are two basic types, the Barracuda, Kreepy Krauly that run off the pools filter pump, or the Dolphin type that have their own separate, dedicated pump.

The second type are held to be much better - for obvious reasons - but also very exxy.

Lately the second type manufacturers have released a similar cleaner that can run off the pool filter pump. These are meant to be very good and fairly priced.

I've got a Barracuda, thats allright, but tends to describe the same arc in the pool over and over, unless you keep altering the hose weight position.

Whatever you do, you'll still need to occasionally hand clean

All Zed's says is true, he's got a point too. If my idiot children took any notice of me I'd have them manually vacuum the thing weekly and ditch the Barracuda

[craigb]

Timely thread for me.

I've a Barracuda that I've had for the past 5 years. Unfortunately, lately it's suffered from a "failure to proceed" :rolleyes:

My diagnosis of the probelm is that there is air getting in to the system somehow and spoling the effectiveness of the suction.

Replacement parts are v. expensive so I've been trying to bodgy-up (no offence Bodgy :o ) a fix using electrical tape. It works for a little bit but that's all. :( .

When it was working I found it to be pretty effective and I have a lot of gum trees near my pool so It's had a pretty fair challenge (I also have an extra skimmer mounted on the pool return line that takes care of a lot of the leaves).

It's true that they suffer from getting stuck in a pattern though.

What bugs me though is that I have to go out and spend $450 on a piece of plastic crap that probably costs less than $20 to manufacture. :(

[Bodgy]

Craig, have a serious go at surfing the net for pool cleaners, theres a number of on-line retailers and you'll get a new, good quality cleaners for those $$,

Technology seems to have moved on a bit in the last 5 years.

Does the leaf collector work? I hesitate to pay $80 for a plastic tube.

[craigb]

Does the leaf collector work? I hesitate to pay $80 for a plastic tube.

Yes the leaf collecter works really well.

When I had the pool renovated 5 years ago, the pool guy suggested the extra skimmer because of the trees.

What he did was to plug the return line that is at the bottom of the pool and then mount the leaf collector in the return line that is at the top of the pool. The water rushing back into the pool creates a whirlpool the sucks the leaves into the skimmer. Attached to the skimmer is a large mesh bag that holds the leaves.

It's hard to describe and if I could remember the name of it I'd try a google.

I do know that the pool guy said that it was an Oz invention though.

I'd certainly recommend it to anybody that has a lot of trees near their pool.

[Farm boy]

thanks for the replys guys
after reading your thoughts and opinions i might keep getting the wife to vacum with what we have
a few guys at work have the new system you were talking about bodgy and had them installed when they got there pool built
our house has a few leaks so i might get a new hose at bunnings and leave it at that,if these pool cleaners served you beer in the pool they would be good however the wife will have to do for the moment:D
greg

[Bodgy]

Craig, I know the one you mean, I'll have a look. I was thinking of the in line leaf trap between cleaner and filter.

I have many Gum trees but also a huge Jacaranda. I wonder what idiot planted a Jacaranda over a pool?

Farm Boy, probably the best approach. If HI would be in it, I'd take the manual option too.

[craigb]

I have many Gum trees but also a huge Jacaranda. I wonder what idiot planted a Jacaranda over a pool?

.

I had one of those too though in my case the people that put the pool in put it under the Jac :rolleyes: .

The only way to make the pool viable was to get rid of the Jac (those buggers shed four times a year :( )

Don't get me wrong, I like Jacs, just not over my pool.

My real regret was that I wasn't into ww at the time so the wood from this mature tree went into the chipper and for firewood. :o

I really feel guilty about that now. :( :(

[LineLefty]

I dont realyl get it. We have a kreepy krauly, came with the pool.

I just happily goes about its business and keeps the bottom of the pool spick and span. We scoopy the leaves every coupla days from the surface and clean out the skimmer box.

Why the bloody hell would you manually vaccum it? What a waster of time! In my exp the kk's work just dandy.

If your KK stops working, try backwashing your filter for a good 5 minutes. Gets the pump pressure (well, the little dial) back up to where it should be and the KK stats kicking along again.

[silentC]

When I had a pool in Sydney, I used to vacuum it by hand, did it for about a year. Then a mate told me I was an idiot. I bought a Barracuda the next day and it was probably the smartest pool-related thing I did.

Buy one tomorrow. You NEED one.

[E. maculata]

"barry" has lived in our pool for 10 years I'm aware of, best unpaid labourer you're ever gunna have, pool ownership is a joy with him, the rare times he's been sidelined has been a dead loss of my energies. $800 divided by 10 years is a pretty good investment.
Also IMHO if you have air leaks in your pool filter system you have lots more to worry about than vacuum efficiency, what about pump cavitation for a start? I seem to recall if it was manufacturer installed they have a 7 year warranty, the local pool people offered to repair a broken elbow fitting on mine 7 years after it was commissioned:D , I declined as it cost me 2 hours and $8, and they're good peoples.

[craigb]

Funny, I call it Barry too. :)

I must have got a dud one. Already in five years I've had to replace the diaphram once, the diaphram holder because it has this POS bayonet fitting that the plastic lugs break off (although I think they've fixed the design of that with the newer ones) and now the diaphram hoder is once again cactus. :(

I guess that $450 over 5 years (plus $150 in replacement parts :rolleyes: ) works out at a couple of bucks a week but I still reckon they should last longer than that.

I don't have any air leaks in the pool plumbing though so at least I'm lucky there.

Thing is, I don't even want a pool it was just here when we bought the house.

[Grunt]

If you pay Al a few bucks, he'll come around in his speedos and clean your pool.

[E. maculata]

If you pay Al a few bucks, he'll come around in his speedos and clean your pool.

Grunt you are one sad sick puppy;) .

Craig, we've got 6mm pebblecrete so it's pretty harsh on Bazzas' foot and skirt and yep I've put a new universal, and skirt on him, $80-100 all up at the time apart from that he's been unstopable, mind you I reckon i've got this pool maintenece thing down pat these daze. To be prefectly frank though, i think he's just about beggared now wing and a prayer stuff, and as we're selling up in the next 2 months not in a hurry to replace or repair.;)

[Auld Bassoon]

Hi Farm Boy!

When I lived in South Africa, I had a pool in a Sandton house; basically the plan view of the pool was of two circles, one about 6m, and the other about 4m in diameter - with the smaller of the two intersecting the larger one at around one third of its radius.

Anyway, I had a Kreepy Krauly, and it worked really very well - in the larger 'circle', but would rarely venture into the smaller one; if it did, it would remain stuck there until given a helping hand.:o

This wasn't an issue as the gardener would look after things:)

The house that I later had in Durban was another matter.

Overhanging the pool was a very old and very large avacado tree. When the fruit ripened, there would be the occasional huge 'plop' as an avacado fell ('bombed' would be a better term) into the pool. Poor old KK really got his skirt in a flap over that :eek: :D :D

By and large, though, these beasts, though horribly expensive for a cheap-as-chips set of injection-moulded pieces plus a couple of flexible items, are well worth it, unless you enjoy daily pool scooping, plus weekly pool scrubbing. And if you can get HI to do it, you're a better man than I, gunga-din!

Cheers!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Ours is, fortunately, a big oval thing. We had a 'couta which worked brilliantly for near 10 years until the rubber "reed" in the head perished due to operator error.

We replaced it with a KK, which again performed brilliantly until the dog chewed the hoses' swivel assembly. :o Now it needs constant intervention, locking itself either into closed circuits or just tying itself in knots. [shrug]

I'm looking forward to the next replacement: manual cleaning's for those with teenagers in need of quick pocket-money. ;)

[ivanavitch]

Craigb
Do you have any more info on the extra skimmer. I have a poinciana (sp) that hangs over the pool. Brilliant shade but the sticks get caught in KKs throat which stops it working. Also the tiny leaves go straight through the both leaf baskets and clog the filter. I use socks in the first basket but a decent breath of wind dumps enough to clog the sock quick smart.

I don't mind the weekly vacuum. It's usually on Saturday morning when everyone wants me to work off the list of honey doos. It's an hour of mind in neutral.

[seanr]

My old man has a pool shop which i do a lot of work at . Now they all work and if yours stays in one corner or the hose tangles there is a reason . People always coming in complaining about their cleaners , we go around fix their problem and have many happy customers. Now they will stop if you have a leak in your pipe between the pump and skimmer box , but you will also be loseing water too . So fix the leak. At the moment we sell a cleaner all ready to go for $650 minus $100 cash back from supplier , so at $550 compared to about $850 for a Kreppy (over priced) compares well . Beware of buying over the net as overseas models are differant and there are no parts available. A few years ago Pilots were bringing them in from STH Africa and selling them in the QUOKKA , when people were coming in after parts they were leaving disappointed . As far as maintenance goes , always wash them in fresh water if you are going to put them in the shed . Also over chlorinated water will destroy the skirts . Believe me they do work if set up right . It is also important which way you point the jets .

[silentC]

It is also important which way you point the jets
This is an important point. My pool was a rectangular shape but it had a wider section at one end where the steps were. Bazza often got stuck there, so I went to the pool shop and bought a couple of push-in jet directors to install in the water returns (one at each end of the pool). Using these, I directed the jet so that it was blowing sideways and it changed the pattern of the cleaner.

After mucking with it and the hose weight for a bit, I got it so that it would clean the whole pool. There was one tiny section that it never got to, so I'd just give that a scrub with the brush from time to time.

[craigb]

Craigb
Do you have any more info on the extra skimmer. I have a poinciana (sp) that hangs over the pool. Brilliant shade but the sticks get caught in KKs throat which stops it working. Also the tiny leaves go straight through the both leaf baskets and clog the filter. I use socks in the first basket but a decent breath of wind dumps enough to clog the sock quick smart.

I don't mind the weekly vacuum. It's usually on Saturday morning when everyone wants me to work off the list of honey doos. It's an hour of mind in neutral.

Unfortunately I chucked out the packaging long ago.

If I get a chance roday I'll do a google and see if I can find it (the skimmer not the packaging :p ).

[Bodgy]

Certainly true about leaks in the plumbing effecting performance. I have several unknown leaks, which preclude using the cleaner correctly and stuffs up the filter.

I need to fix it, but am time challenged. Quotes from the local pool guys approximate a minor princelings ransom. I do loose water, but very little when the barracuda's not in action.

GOd! I hate pools, hardly ever gets used, chemicals cost the earth and an ongoing time thieving and maintenance nightmare. Rather have a putting green.

[Harry72]

I've come to cleanz Zee pool!

Sorry couldnt help myself... now where'd I put that fake moustache and hairy chest

[bitingmidge]

We had three Kreepy Krawlies, and they all worked quite effectively even though the pool was under a poinciana tree, if one ignored the occasional complaint.

When the last one left school, we sold the house and don't have a pool now.

P
:D :D :D

[silentC]

You sent your Kreepy Krawlies to school? :confused: :D

[craigb]

GOd! I hate pools, hardly ever gets used, chemicals cost the earth and an ongoing time thieving and maintenance nightmare. Rather have a putting green.

Aint that the truth!

Except for the putting green. That'd be even more work :eek:

[craigb]

Unfortunately I chucked out the packaging long ago.

If I get a chance roday I'll do a google and see if I can find it (the skimmer not the packaging :p ).

This is the closest I could find.

It's not the same as mine but the principle is the same.

I don't see why it wouldn't work just as well.

[bitingmidge]

You sent your Kreepy Krawlies to school? :confused: :D
Pool cleaning isn't for dummies!

P

:D :D :D

[Farm boy]

guys
i bit the bullet and ordered a g4 pool cleaner on special for $640 plus a $100 cash back.
we get a technician to set up a demo classic model for a week to see if we like it then return it to the shop and get the g4 to look after the pool
thanks for your help
greg

[craigb]

guys
i bit the bullet and ordered a g4 pool cleaner on special for $640 plus a $100 cash back.
we get a technician to set up a demo classic model for a week to see if we like it then return it to the shop and get the g4 to look after the pool
thanks for your help
greg


Good for you. I'm sure you'll become on first name terms with Barry too :rolleyes:

I dont get this $100 cashback thing though.

, why not just take a hundred bucks off the price? :confused:

[Farm boy]

hi craig
you have to apply back to the company for there feedback ######## and then they send you the $100 in the mail.
i cracked up when you said they are called barry:D ,my 4 year old girl calls the ride on mower mr broom broom wait till she heres about barry

[Iain]

We had a huge pine tree over the pool in our last place and installed an inline leaf filter, shee ite, we had no idea how many needles that thing dropped.
KK never missed a beat for 7 years.

[Farm boy]

our pine tree suufered from chainsawitise after 1 year and died we never had a needle in the pool after that:D

[seanr]

$100 cash back is a special offer until 17th of Dec i think , and only on the Genie 4 ..... We sell at least 1 a day at the momment and have never had a complaint ... Parts are avail plus you get a pro-rata warranty ... Much better than a Kreepy!!!! .... As for the leaks , 90% of the time they are where the skimmer and pipes meet . Try there first , if you have concrete this will be hard . Pool tech on site is about $65 an hr .

[havenoideaatall]

$100 cash back is a special offer until 17th of Dec i think , and only on the Genie 4 ..... We sell at least 1 a day at the momment and have never had a complaint ... Parts are avail plus you get a pro-rata warranty ... Much better than a Kreepy!!!! .... As for the leaks , 90% of the time they are where the skimmer and pipes meet . Try there first , if you have concrete this will be hard . Pool tech on site is about $65 an hr .

i never run the crawley for more than an hour at a time as it might just start to repeat the pattern, unless I shift the pipe.

Then I do a manual vaccum once every 2 weeks.

Ours has cracked completely across the thread the pipe fits in to the head but it still works.

How expensive are KK parts? can you buy pipe sections?

[Richbeau]

Auto pool cleaners work well. They get blocked occasionally. Get one that suits the design of your pool. Pool shop can advise.

RB

[Bob38S]

Have a Genie 3000 Barra - works great - pool has been in now 15 years - wore out a KK and replaced it with the Barra approx 5 years ago - Barra is superior to KK IMHO. Sectioned hoses for the Barra are a better idea than 1 complete hose. Lots of gum trees around so the diaphrams do only last about 3 years - but at about $28.00-$30.00 - I think I can afford $10.00 a year. As for hoses tangling or tracking in the one area etc - every once in a while [summer] take the hose out and let it lay out straight in the sun - overcomes any "memory" issues.
Wouldn't be without one.
Bob

['67 Chevy]

Hi everyone,

I have a pool situation that has become a problem, and I would sure appreciate some advice.

Last year, my parents had a fiberglass pool liner installed in their in-ground pool. The pool is about 50 years old and had developed some serious cracks. The pool liner looks just like the old pool walls, seems to have solved the cracked/leaking pool problem, but...


We have a NEW PROBLEM


My parents had always used a "octopus" type auto pool cleaner, for years, and it worked great. It floated on the surface with a rotating wheel on the top that would propel it forward whenever it came into contact with the side of the pool or the pool ladder. It had several tentacles that dropped down from the surface unit to the bottom of the pool with small holes at the tips of the tentacles that water was pumped through in order to make the tentacles move back-and-forth, stirring up any dirt on the bottom of the pool. I can't remember the name of the product, and a Google search has not turned up anything.

The people who installed the fiberglass pool liner told us we cannot use that type of auto pool cleaner anymore, or at least not that particular model, because something about the tentacles will scratch the bottom of the pool, if I understand correctly.

My Dad always handled all of the pool maintenance issues, but my Dad passed away very early this year. My Mom is 62 years old, and I need to find something that is as "hands-off"/simple to use as possible. We tried one of the Barracuda products (or something very similar, the pictures of the Barracuda G3 on the Internet look very similar to the product we tried), but we couldn't get the think to work right. The pool pump is old, it works but it ought to be replaced, but it's not going to get replaced anytime soon, way too many other things to do, but my Mom would like for the grandkids to be able to use the pool when they come over.

The suction didn't seem to be strong enough to make the Barracuda (or similar product) work properly. I know that might not be the Barracuda's fault from reading all of the other replies in this Thread, but I'm not "on-site", and I don't have the ability to figure out if there are air leaks in the plumbing, etc. So a system that works like the old "octopus" system would be ideal, something that worked off of the water that was being pumped INTO the pool, because it worked great, stirring up any dirt on the floor of the pool so it would get filtered out by the "regular" pool filter.

The pool has become a (my) nightmare, and it won't go away until I figure out some way to teach my Mom how to maintain the proper chemical balance (which I don't even know how to do yet), and make it as easy as possible to sweep the pool with some kind of auto-cleaner.

I can learn about the chemical situation, and make her a chart, but I need help with this pool-sweeper situation. The pool is rectangular, probably about 35-40 feet by 20 feet. The old pool-sweeper (the one that worked great) would attach to the in-flow vent on the pool (is that what is meant by the term "pressure side" washer???), pushing water through the "octopus" thing, as opposed to attaching to a suction pump.

It worked perfectly for their purposes for 20+ years, and I would really like to find something similar that would work with a fiberglass-lined pool, both for familiarity reasons and because it worked.


Can anybody help me, or point me in the right direction?!?

Sorry about the book-length post, and thanks very much for any comments!


Scott