Pool cleaners: robotic? suction? pressure?

[mart242]

I'm having a in-ground pool installed shortly and am confused about the cleaners and the impact it may have on the piping I need for my pool. Which is better?

a) suction: I figure that I could have an extra suction outlet and a valve. it could be turned on or off with my P4 control panel.
cost: 200$ extra outlet, 50$ valve, 130$ actuator + cleaner

b) pressure: I'd have an extra return line (dedicated)
cost: 200$ extra return line, 300$ booster pump + cleaner

c) robotic: they're expensive but I don't have the extra expenses.. I don't know how reliable they are though.


Any ideas? It's my first pool so Ive got no clue which approach I should take. The robotic one seems the best though, more "modern" and energy efficient.

[stealth]

We had a zodiac kreepy krawly type one. I wouldnt recommend it. It missed a lot of areas (wouldnt even go to some areas of the pool-usually the shallow end) did a poor job on the walls, sometimes just hovered in the same spot, and often would get clogged, resulting in it not working at all.

Havent tried the other types tho.

[CaptSmethwick]

Whichever one you end up choosing, I would only ever use one of these if the installation of your pool is absolutely letter perfect and you do not have a high water table. If soil material ever gets between the concrete soil coating and the vinyl liner or if groundwater creates water bubbling under your liner, you have to take care to not be overly aggressive (or repetitive) in the cleaning deparment.

If your area does not have a high water table, you should be fine.

Sadly, we have a high water table. >:(

[patriot]

I would recommend a robotic cleaner, we have a Tigershark and couldn't be happier. Plug it in, throw it in the pool and clean in ~ 45 min.

[apn64]

Our pool install came with a Hayward Pool Vac Ultra;

http://www.haywardnet.com/inground/products/cleaners/Pool_Vac_Ultra.cfm

It's a suction type and required no additional plumbing; simply hookup the flex hose and plug it into the pump return outlet below the skimmer basket.

We use it about once/twice a fortnight due to construction in the area. The flex hose can sometimes get tangled, but it does a great job, taking about 90mins.

IMHO, the nice thing about this type is mechanical simplicity. Ours sucked up a rock and quit working, but it was simple to take apart and remove the rock. I also learned that the newer models use steel ball bearings in the movement.