Pentair Racer LS, barely over a year old.
Whip tail has gotten multiple small punctures, had to sew new velcro on the collection bag, whip tail will no longer stay attached to the body, constantly gets stuck against the wall & has to be moved, pretty much never runs across the center of the pool.

Looks like the body attachment for the tail lost the retention 'nub' so it just falls off.

Pretty sure both drive wheels are supposed to be 'powered', but only 1 functions.

The 'football' that's supposed to reposition it just coils up the hose & gets it stuck.

Pool has been great overall, but this has been the most disappointing part of it.

get a polaris, its like the Dillon of pool cleaners

Another vote for Polaris from a long time inground pool owner. Mine is a Polaris 360.

Thanks gents, may try a rebuild kit on this one first before dropping $$$ for a replacement

18 years now, straight for me. Polaris, the 280. Ask Leslies staff, pool equipment techs, they all say the same thing, 280. It’s the simplest solution so if you need a bearing, a new wheel, whatever, Leslies will fix it on the spot. No labor, just replacement part cost.

Polaris

Add it to the list.
The wall port adapter blew out yesterday.

Went out to grill some steaks & heard the booster pump louder than usual. Found the hose on the floor of the pool.
Killed the booster & found this:

To echo others we have a Polaris and it simply works.

I finally got fed up with suction cleaners for the reasons you're discussing. Filter dirty=low suction, wheel rubber came off=no movement or movement in circle, bad gear=no movement, and on and on and on.

I broke down and bought a robotic cleaner about a yr ago and WOW! I should have done it 15yrs ago. It has it's own power and basket, never gets stuck, never loses power and get all the silt out, not just big leaves or larger dirt particles. It does the waterline, scrubs the floor and walls, steps and sitting areas.

My pool filter stays clean now too. I don't have to keep opening it and cleaning it and the pump basket then re-starting the whole system and cleaning the cleaner too. The process is one step now...drop robot in and walk away.

Expensive BUT worth it for sure!

Doplhin brand

https://www.amazon.com/Dolphin...a4-a376-9d8efb903409

I've seen those 'Roomba' style pool cleaners.
Tempting, but can't justify the cost right now.

Emailed my pool builder about the failed pressure port adapter, barely over a year old, hoping they'll just warranty it, and maybe the tune up kit for the Racer.

The non-LS Racer has a scrub brush on the front that likely would at least help motivate it from being stuck against the wall.
Not sure if the LS can be retrofit to add the scrubber.

The robotic cleaners are really slick - I got the Aiper Scuba S1.
Drop it in, let it work for a few hours, fish it out, empty the basket and recharge it.
Very happy with it.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I've seen those 'Roomba' style pool cleaners.
Tempting, but can't justify the cost right now.

Emailed my pool builder about the failed pressure port adapter, barely over a year old, hoping they'll just warranty it, and maybe the tune up kit for the Racer.

The non-LS Racer has a scrub brush on the front that likely would at least help motivate it from being stuck against the wall.
Not sure if the LS can be retrofit to add the scrubber.

Don't waste your money on those battery powered ones. They don't operate anywhere near their advertised timeframes. You'll be lucky if it moves for 15-20 min. I have tried just about every brand and type over the last decade and the only one that has lived up to the task has been the robotic one I have now and listed above. You may be more successful than me with the Polaris one mentioned by others. I had it and it just got stuck, clogged or needed a motor, belt or rubber for wheels or the wall pressure nozzle like the one you show busted--that thing stopped it from working when the pool filter was a little dirty because it didn't have enough pressure.
Good Luck

I at least have a separate booster pump for the vac, so filter pressure has no effect there.
Friend of mine at our old house put a pool in & he got some sort of robotic cleaner, had a super insulated cord that was left plugged in while it was running.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I at least have a separate booster pump for the vac, so filter pressure has no effect there.
Friend of mine at our old house put a pool in & he got some sort of robotic cleaner, had a super insulated cord that was left plugged in while it was running.

That's exactly what I gave you the link for above...IT WORKS VERY VERY WELL!

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I at least have a separate booster pump for the vac, so filter pressure has no effect there.
Friend of mine at our old house put a pool in & he got some sort of robotic cleaner, had a super insulated cord that was left plugged in while it was running.

That's exactly what I gave you the link for above...IT WORKS VERY VERY WELL!

Not as bad as I was expecting on price. And for how much constant pine tree debris is always in the pool, not bad.
Does it allow you to set a no-go area? I have a beach entry, so I'd be worried about it 'escaping' the pool.

I've had several over the 30 + years of pool ownership, Hayward Navigator, Zodiac G3, Zodiac MX series.

Of these three the G3 has the least moving parts, basically a vibrating suction tube that causes it to move around. The Hayward Navigators have a lot more moving parts, but seem to do a much better job of cleaning once setup. the MX6 are expensive high maintenance cleaners.

After several different tries we ended back with the Hayward Navigator, it's $399, and if you watch they have sales/rebates on them, simple to setup, simple to maintain.

The Dolphin electric looks interesting will have to consider it when the Hayward gets to the point that the parts to fix it out cost a new unit.

Should at least be operable soon. Getting the port adapter replaced under warranty.

Polaris fanboy here. Been using them for about 25 yrs now.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I at least have a separate booster pump for the vac, so filter pressure has no effect there.
Friend of mine at our old house put a pool in & he got some sort of robotic cleaner, had a super insulated cord that was left plugged in while it was running.

That's exactly what I gave you the link for above...IT WORKS VERY VERY WELL!

Not as bad as I was expecting on price. And for how much constant pine tree debris is always in the pool, not bad.
Does it allow you to set a no-go area? I have a beach entry, so I'd be worried about it 'escaping' the pool.

It won't walk out of the pool. It needs water to function. When it gets to the point that the intake that is on top is out of the water it will turn around before escaping.

You can find the one I sent above without the WIFI for $100 less. I like it because it is simple. It has 3 choices 1x per day, 1x every 3 days or 1x every 5days. I have it set to operate 1x per day. It comes on at the same time and cleans everything in a way I could never do even with the pool brush pushing the silt to the main drain I could never get waht it gets out of the pool. I have an open pool with palms and oaks behind in. The pool is pristine 24/7 with this robot. I just dump the filter baskets 1x per week.

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I at least have a separate booster pump for the vac, so filter pressure has no effect there.
Friend of mine at our old house put a pool in & he got some sort of robotic cleaner, had a super insulated cord that was left plugged in while it was running.

That's exactly what I gave you the link for above...IT WORKS VERY VERY WELL!

Not as bad as I was expecting on price. And for how much constant pine tree debris is always in the pool, not bad.
Does it allow you to set a no-go area? I have a beach entry, so I'd be worried about it 'escaping' the pool.

It won't walk out of the pool. It needs water to function. When it gets to the point that the intake that is on top is out of the water it will turn around before escaping.

You can find the one I sent above without the WIFI for $100 less. I like it because it is simple. It has 3 choices 1x per day, 1x every 3 days or 1x every 5days. I have it set to operate 1x per day. It comes on at the same time and cleans everything in a way I could never do even with the pool brush pushing the silt to the main drain I could never get waht it gets out of the pool. I have an open pool with palms and oaks behind in. The pool is pristine 24/7 with this robot. I just dump the filter baskets 1x per week.

Thanks, would be curious if it integrates with any smart pool apps. Mine is set up with Pentair Screenlogic.

Do you leave it in the pool all the time, or do you 'toss' it in when you need it to run?