Pool Sweep

[Pointer]

I have a Polaris 380 pool sweep that probably will not survive this season after my numerous rebuildings. Any recommendations for a different unit?

[sms]

I would advise getting a robotic pool vac rather than another sweep. I had a Polaris once. It didn't do much. It collected leaves and twigs okay but of course dirt went right through the mesh bag back into the pool. Some people put stockings inside the bag to prevent the dirt from passing through. The other issue is that the mesh bags didn't last very long and parts were very expensive.

I've been using a Dolphin for about the past eight years. I'm on the second one. The first one lasted about six years. They are not really repairable when the core motor and logic board go bad. The second one I bought used from someone who was tearing out their pool (found it on craigslist). They are very expensive but they work very well. The pumps don't need to run when it is going, it's powered by its own DC power supply.

While I normally don't promote Leslie's, one advantage of buying one at Leslie's is that they include a three year warranty. Wait for a 15-20% off discount code. My first one did break just a couple of weeks before the end of the three year warranty and they fixed it free.

Second choice would be a suction side cleaner since these are only $150-250 and use the existing pump (no booster pump) and they do vacuum up dirt rather than passing it back into the pool like a Polaris.

[Ashton Crusher]

My recommendation is buy another Polaris. Of the three cleaners I've tried the Polaris was the best. I'm still using a Polaris 180 that's

20 years old. The 180 might actually be more durable then the 380 from some reports I've heard.

[trader4]

I only have experience with the Polaris 380. It's about

7 years old now and still works fine. Never been rebuilt. Contrary to the report of it not working, not picking up dirt, etc, mine has performed excellent. Polaris makes a bag that is meant to catch fine silt, if that is an issue. But even with the regular bag, never found catching dirt to be a problem, most of it gets caught up in with the other debris.

The only complaint I have with the Polais is that if there is a lot of stuff in the pool, the bag does fill up fast. I don't know if any of the other types are better in that regard.

[sms]

I had a 360. The difference between the Polaris and the Dolphin is incredible. It's true that Polaris makes a silt bag but it didn't work well for me. I was also constantly replacing parts on the Polaris, besides just the bags which sometimes broke withing a few months.

The pump for the Polaris is still there, and the pool even is plumbed with a pressure outlet for the Polaris. But I would never buy another Polaris. The design is flawed.

However, as a "sweep" I guess it does it's job, it's supposed to stir up the dirt so the dirt eventually gets sucked into the pool's filter. A Dolphin is a vacuum, and a sweep, and it brushes the walls.

[trader4]

My polaris brushes the walls. It climbs right up there, close to the surface of the water. Other ones may do a better job, but when they are clean, I don't need them cleaner.