Pool cleaning robots?

For anything to do with the garden and pool
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Pool cleaning robots?

Post by Jimbo »

It's been a bad week at the pool. Firstly, my beloved Karcher wet and dry vacuum gave up the ghost (150 euros to replace) and now the pool robot has expired (looks serious). If we have to replace - looking likely - any recommendations on suitable models and where (locally or on-line) might I get a sympathetic price? Not looking for anything fancy - just one with a bag that trawls the bottom for a few hour during the night.

Thanks for any help.

Jim (waiting for number three ... )
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

Hi Jim,
I buy a lot of pool equipment from Piscines-online.com. The prices have always been good, the delivery very quick and efficient and I'm very happy with the overall service, plus the prices are a lot cheaper than my local pool boutique. I bought my robot from them a couple of years ago.
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

Thanks LV for the link, much appreciated. Somebody on another forum kindly gave me another site www.piscine-center.net which may be useful to others as well. I'm nurturing a faint hope that ours may be repairable because robot prices are scary (but I may have reconsidered after having to clean the pool manually this morning!)

Jim
FretaF
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:22 pm

Post by FretaF »

LV how does the Tiger Shark do in cleaning the pool? I've been looking for a new pool cleaning robot but there seems to be so many choices and the prices vary greatly too. Why are some of the robots twice as much as the others? Are some for bigger swimming pools than others? What features should I look for?
Last edited by FretaF on Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Freta - Relaxing in the sun.
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Post by la vache! »

Hi Freta,
I find the TigerShark very good for a pool my size (10m x 5m). I chose it because there is a short cycle (1,5 hours) as well as the full cycle (3hours) as I didn't have to get up at 5am to put the robot in the pool before going to work. It cleans the walls too, although I'm not sure that is necessary. It is easy to clean the filters and so far, touch wood, I haven't had any problems with it.
User avatar
enid
Posts: 5599
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:47 pm
Location: Labretonie France
Contact:

Post by enid »

we have a polaris which is very good but its pump is making dying noises so need a new pump for it methinks
helene
Posts: 130
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 3:47 pm
Location: Bretagne, France
Contact:

Post by helene »

weI have a pool shark that we bought from the States 5 years ago (when the dollar exchange rate was good) and it is excellent (birthday present for husband who was getting increasingly frustrated with the manual type). I have never regretted it and worth every cent in terms of time saved, less frustration and whats more it does what it says on the box - clean the pool with a minimum of fuss. Ours has a slight tendency to climb the walls of the pool more than we would like but other than that - brilliant.
Helene
revdev
Posts: 599
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:49 am
Location: Turkey
Contact:

Post by revdev »

helene wrote:Ours has a slight tendency to climb the walls of the pool more than we would like but other than that - brilliant.
Helene
Heheh, you make it sound like an errant child! :lol:
See the job, do the job!
http://www.premiumturkishvillas.co.uk
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

... and worth every cent in terms of time saved, less frustration ...
Yes indeed! I've made an unwelcome return to manual cleaning whilst waiting to discover if our broken robot can be economically repaired. The really frustrating thing is that, even when you're in a hurry (and who isn't on changeover day), you can't hurry the process because too much speed means that you stir up the muck and can't hoover it properly. Aaarghhh!

Jim
User avatar
JasmineEvs
Posts: 24
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:30 pm

Sounds good

Post by JasmineEvs »

Sounds really good but I am not sure to what extend these pool cleaning robots are efficient.
la vache!
Posts: 11065
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 7:22 pm

Re: Sounds good

Post by la vache! »

JasmineEvs wrote:Sounds really good but I am not sure to what extend these pool cleaning robots are efficient.
Mine is very efficient - it cleans a lot better that I did with the old hose and vaccuum system.
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

They are brilliant. Have two different types, both work as well as each other- a Polaris and a Hayward. :roll:
Dotty
Posts: 742
Joined: Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:25 pm
Location: Pyrenees Orientales, France
Contact:

Re: Sounds good

Post by Dotty »

JasmineEvs wrote:I am not sure to what extend these pool cleaning robots are efficient.
I'd be interested to hear what that opinion is based on. Have you manually cleaned pools or used a patricular robot? I don't have a robot (yet) but am always weighing these things up to see whether they are worth considering as a future investment. All the other opinions I've heard are that they are efficient so I would like to hear some evidence for the other side of the story too.
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Re: Sounds good

Post by Jimbo »

Dotty wrote:All the other opinions I've heard are that they are efficient so I would like to hear some evidence for the other side of the story too.
It's perfectly possible to clean your pool manually to a satisfactory standard and, by doing that, you'll save around 1000 euros which you can spend on your guests in other ways - or, hey, maybe even on yourself.

Before I had a robot, I used to manually hoover the pool early on Sunday mornings to say a subtle hi to new guests who'd arrived the evening before - two birds with a single stone. But a robot is just so convenient - you chuck him in the pool, he wanders quietly around the bottom gobbling up muck, mice and elastoplasts and, six hours later, you'll find him on the steps puffing away at a gauloises and entertaining guests with his stories of working for Britney and Kylie.

Jim
User avatar
Ju
Posts: 1949
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 6:56 pm
Location: Vendee, France
Contact:

Post by Ju »

It does depend on the shape of your pool though.

Our robot works really well in one pool, the second pool always needs some hand cleaning once the robot has finished, and the third pool we do by hand as the robot is useless.
Post Reply