So controversial topic, I know, but let’s be honest! It can be hard to know what you should buy and what will work. Everyone is pushing something nowadays it can be hard to know what is right for you and what will bring you best bang for buck … so we have tried a few models and our opinions are below.

Let’s start with Robotic cleaners, such as your Pentair Prowler or Zodiac Duo – X range. These cleaners are smart, robust and designed to cater to the top of the market clients who want ultra efficient cleaning. We often find people who live around new construction zones will also find these helpful with their dual filtration baskets that pick even the finest dust particles and leave your pool looking crystal clear every-time. Robotic cleaners have an internal basket that must be removed and emptied after every program and they do not connect to your skimmer box like a lot of other cleaners, instead they are programmed via  control box and connect directly to power with a cable (some new models are even coming out cordless).

You would likely spend upwards of $900 for an entry level robotic cleaner and close to $3000 for a top of the line one so it is crucial for our sake and yours that you, please, take the time to learn about maintaining them and take them out of the pool when they are not actively cleaning. Easily 80% of the robotic cleaners we have in store for repair are here because of water seeping into the motors or cables due to to prolonged submersion. Though robotic cleaners are very thorough, they only have a small rubber gasket that separates them from the outside world and not being conscious of this can lead to some pricey repairs when the water does eventually gain access to the inner workings of the cleaner and thus cause them to fail. Robotic cleaners are like owning a sports car, very effective at what they do but best not left unattended at the bottom of a pool.

Moving on to suction cleaners. Suction cleaners come in a variety of models, most common are the tradition ‘creepy crawly’ with the round skirt and that scoots across the bottom of the pool backwards. These are your super reliable and very basic cleaner that usually have a diaphragm mechanism inside and start around the $400-$500 mark. These cleaners thrive on being left alone to do their thing in your pool and they generally only need maintenance by ensuring baskets are being emptied and there is no debris being caught inside the cleaner head itself. A few options that are on the market (keep in mind there are a few thousand now) are the HammerHead, produced by Pentair, and is as simple as they come. It is a Small skirted cleaner that is popular as it does not have a diaphragm like say a G2 or T3 produced by Zodiac, one of the major peeves we have in store from customers is the amount of times they have to change the diaphragm due to its likelihood of splitting.  lets touch on that topic and talk about it for a second. Diaphragms are the only moving part in most suction cleaners and a lot of the time they broken while trying to pick up either huge amounts of debris or debris that it is not designed to tackle. This is why it is so important to talk with qualified staff at a reputable pool store about the type of debris your pool encounters and what cleaner works best for your budget and pool. Also it is important to be mindful not to run the suction cleaner on full flow (all cleaners come with a speed control, we recommend you explore the different speeds to find your perfect setting). High flow with no speed control will break the diaphragm quickly, imagine trying to push roughly 230 litres a minute through something the width of a Icey pole.

Suction cleaners in recent years have also started to become more efficient,  with some on the market being sold as an ‘automatic’ or ‘robotic’ type of suction cleaner that usually consists of an engine component and tracks or wheels on the sides. These are often a little smarter than the traditional cleaners and have gears that allow them to back out of corners and manoeuvre around the pool with a bit more efficiency. The Rebel 2 and AX20 are common versions of this type of cleaner and often fall around the $800 – $1000 mark. They are brilliant cleaners for anyone who wants something in between the basic suction cleaner without the commitment of fully robotic cleaner.

And finally let’s talk about stairs! There is no cleaner on the market (cheap or expensive) that has mastered the ability to efficiently and consistently clean the stairs of a pool. It simply just is not something we have the technology to do yet; meaning the only way your stairs will stay nice and clean is with your old fashioned broom and elbow grease. Actually, that goes for any time you want a perfectly clean pool- there simply is no replacement for hard work and an arsenal of manual vac, leaf rake and sturdy broom.

We hope this gives you a little bit more of an insight into choosing the correct cleaner for you and your pool! If you want any more information on any of the cleaners we have mentioned above or need advice on your current cleaner set up, don’t hesitate to give us a call or come visit us in store 7 days a week!