With a plethora of new robotic pool cleaners entering the market, it’s worth exploring what all the fuss is about.
Robotic pool cleaners are one of the fastest-growing product categories in the pool industry and is gaining a strong, loyal group of pool owners in the Australian market. The simple reason for this is value for money. Robots have a significant number of end-user features compared to all other pool cleaners.
Superior cleaning ability
Many robot cleaners are systematic and have in-built electronics with sensors, logic and controls to enable the robot to navigate the pool; the better ones actually map the pool each time they are installed. This means they provide superior coverage and they don’t get stuck.
Robots are designed not simply to suck debris from your pool but to actually scrub the surface as well. Some even have extra brushes designed to work independently at high speed. They also have independent filtration and strong suction power, as well as wall-climbing and waterline-scrubbing capabilities.
Easy to use
Robots are extremely easy to use — simply place in the water and turn on. No more hoses, floats and bumps or booster pumps. They are simple and easy to set up and use. Due to their superior cleaning abilities, robots need only be used once or twice a week.
Environmental benefits
Robots save power as they operate and filter inside the pool and are completely independent of the pool’s main filtration system. This means the water does not have to be pumped through 20 metres of bending pipes with elbows to be filtered. Independent studies by electricity companies have shown that annual savings can be around $300 a year (even after the small running cost of a robot is taken into account). Pool filtration is still needed, however, but not to the extent required by other cleaners.
Water consumption is reduced through using robotic cleaners as they filter in the water. This, in turn, means the main pool filter unit does not become clogged as quickly, which results in fewer backwashes. Estimates are that backwashing is reduced by up to 50 per cent when using robots compared to all other cleaning methods.
The need for chemicals is also reduced. The vast majority of pools have suction cleaners that are permanently in the pool and connected. In this circumstance, the skimmer is completely ineffective, the result being that all debris landing on the surface must go slowly through the water, making the water cloudier but also requiring chemicals to control. When a robot is used, the pool’s skimmer starts working again. Also, by removing the debris rather than storing it in the pool’s main filter, the chemical load is reduced.
For more information
Maytronics Australia
Phone 1300 MY DOLPHIN (for Australia-wide information and support)
Email infoAu@maytronics.com
Website www.maytronics.com.au
“Robot Cleaning Technology” from Poolside magazine 40
