The Thinking Man's Pool

Option #4 - Pressure Side Cleaner

The fourth option on the "thinking man's pool" is a pressure side pool cleaner.

FOURTH OPTION:  PRESSURE SIDE POOL CLEANER

There are several options for automatic pool cleaners. 

Booster Pump Operated Cleaners

This type of cleaner requires a booster pump and a timer.  It is probably the most dependable type of cleaner but the most expensive to install and operate (with the possible exception of some of the stand-alone cleaners).

Pressure Side Cleaners

This cleaner requires only that you have a dedicated suction line and valving at the pump that will allow some of the pressure to be diverted to operate the pool cleaner.  This can be run off of a pool return line, but that does require quite a bit of extra work to get the flow to the cleaner right.

Suction Side Cleaners

This cleaner operates off of a skimmer in the pool or off of a dedicated vacuum line.  Some of these cleaners work quite well in certain situations, but they typically have a harder time in larger pools or pools with deep ends.

Robotic Cleaners

Robotic cleaners have the advantage of a built-in motor at floor level and can clean a pool thoroughly and completely in anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. They are not connected in any way to the pool pump and filter system. Operating at 24 volts, they consume only a minute amount of electricity and re-filter the water through either cartridges or a dense mesh bag. When they have done their job, you can take them out of the water and store them. While once robotic cleaners were all in the $1000.00 plus ranges, a good model can now be gotten for little more than the cost of pressure-side or suction cleaner.

There are a lot of satisfied owners of each of these types of pool cleaners.  We are recommending the pressure side cleaner for our "thinking man's pool" for its energy efficiency and its effectiveness in cleaning the pool. A good second choice is the robotic cleaner.

Benefits of Pressure Side Cleaners:

Initial Cost Savings

A booster pump driven cleaner requires a booster pump and a timer.  This makes it a more expensive alternative from the start.  Then when the booster pump or timer break, you have even more expenses to deal with.

 Prices above are approximate and may vary slightly from actual current prices.

Lower Cost of Operation

A typical poolsweep booster pump uses about 1.5 kilowatts per hour to operate (6.4 amps at 240 volts).  If your electricity costs 10 cents/KwH and you run your poolsweep two hours per day, the electrical costs of operation add up to about $109.50 per year.

Reduced Noise

By eliminating the extra booster pump, you eliminate some of the noise in your equipment area.

Mobility

The pressure side cleaners such as the Poolvergnuegen and the Legend 2 tend to be more effective at getting around the pool.  This is not to say that in certain situations the suction cleaners cannot do a good job, but as a general rule the pressure side cleaners do get around better.