Robotic Pool Cleaners
Suction Pool Cleaners
Pressure Pool Cleaners
Swimming Pool Skimmers
Pool Cleaning: Tools You Need to Do it the Right Way Every Time
No matter how many cool automatic cleaners you have roaming around your pool, it’s still necessary to roll up your sleeves and use a little elbow grease for a thorough clean. Pools often need this extra bit of effort on our part when we procrastinate in cleaning them, but also upon first opening the pool for the season, and after storms and vacations.
For heavy accumulations of debris and especially algae, you’ll need some manual cleaning tools at your disposal.
Pool Skimmers
Unlike the suction, pressure and robotic pool cleaners that roam around the bottom and walls of the pool, skimmers hang out at the water’s surface. The most basic of these is a net attached to a telescoping pole. They’re perfect for removing leaves and other debris floating on the water’s surface since automatic cleaners often miss that. For bigger pools, make sure you have a skimmer with a telescoping pole that allows you to reach at least halfway across the pool so you can walk the circumference and stay dry. Of course, you always have the option of using the skimmer while you’re in the pool.
Skimmers come in 3 basic types:
- Manual – That’s the net on a pole. They won’t do much for filtering out fine debris, but they’ll catch bugs and leaves like nobody’s business.
- Automatic – If you really hate using the net on a pole or are really short on time, opt for an automatic skimmer. Sometimes these attach to an existing suction side pool cleaner and use the pressure to create a whirlpool that sucks in leaves and other debris.
- Self-Contained – These are the newest type of skimmer. They’re powered by sunlight with built-in solar panels. They’re more expensive than the others but on sunny days, they can reduce the need to run the pool pump thereby saving power.
Pool Brush
Attach a pool brush to a telescopic pole to scrub your pool’s walls and floor. These are especially good for algae removal, which automatic pool cleaners can’t tackle as well. When you open the pool for the season, you’re more likely to need one of these. After that, use it at least twice weekly to brush walls, ladders and corners of the pool where automatic cleaners often miss.
The material of the brush depends on the pool’s surface. If it’s unpainted concrete, use a brush with stainless steel and nylon bristles. If it’s gunite, use a brush with only stainless steel bristles. For fiberglass, vinyl or painted concrete, use a brush with only nylon bristles.
Pool Vacuums
Suction-side, pressure-side and robotic pool cleaners all fall into this category, but you can also use a manual pool vacuum. They’re usually cheaper than the automatic type. The vacuum head attaches to a telescopic pole and also to a suction hose attached to a pump that comes with the vacuum. Air should always be expelled from the hose before attaching to the pump.
You’ll basically move it along the bottom of the pool the same way you’d vacuum your carpet. Spend more time and move slowly in heavily soiled areas. Vacuum at least once a week and after storms that may deposit a lot of debris into the pool.
Keep it Clean
Prevention is the best medicine, even for pools. Don’t neglect the maintenance. Stay on top of the cleaning, the chemicals and your filtration system to keep your pool clean and healthy for your family. It’ll save you a ton of work and stress by doing a little pool maintenance each day.
I heard that automatic pool cleaners are more trouble than they’re worth—that they’re prone to all manner of mechanical breakdowns, tend to get stuck in one corner, and aren’t very good at scrubbing the waterline. How do I know I won’t be wasting my money?
Hello, Jerome! While it’s true that a small percentage of automatic pool cleaners will suffer from technical glitches that cause the kind of problems you describe, this is the exception and not the rule. A machine only gets listed in our buyers’ guides after it has been proven to be reliable, durable, and worth every penny of what you end up investing in it. There are thousands of people all over the planet who are immensely satisfied with their automatic pool cleaners because these useful devices make pool ownership a joy again.
Hello, Luke! I have a Dolphin Premier, and it used to climb walls like a champ. Nowadays, not so much. I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t like it. Can you help me out?
Hello, Erin! Thanks for your question. There could be many reasons why a formerly excellent climber isn’t performing up to snuff. It could be that the debris bag is too full.
If the problem is intermittent, keep in mind that the robot doesn’t climb the walls on every pass. Usually, it’s every five to six passes.
Also, check the impeller to ensure there are no hair strands or other debris that can impede its free rotation. If you find debris, you’ll need to clean it out. This will take only a few minutes to do. Check out this YouTube video if you want to find out how to do it.
Sometimes, a robot will stop climbing if the pool water is too frigid. Make sure the temperature of your pool water is at least 60°F. If none of these suggestions remedy the problem, call Maytronics support.
Take care, and have a fabulous summer!
I live in Massachusetts, and have a 50 foot inground pool adjacent to a few large maple and oak trees. A ton of leaves and acorns in the early autumn fall into the pool. What’s the best robotic pool cleaner for sucking up this type of debris?
Hello, Margie! For larger debris, one of the best robotic cleaners is the Polaris 9550.
Some robotic pool cleaners only have three to four inch wide openings. For big leaves and acorns, this simply won’t do. The Polaris 9559 has a roomy nine inch wide intake port and a larger-than-normal debris canister–perfect for the kind of flotsam and jetsam you described.
I hope that helped!
Great recommendation. I’ll be sure to check each one out as our family is looking for a pool cleaner as the one we have was recently broken.