In ground pool cleaner comparisons
November 13th, 2007 by KenricThe pump at my home was starting to lose suction and my Kreepy Krauly was no longer working properly. I brought the Hayward cleaner from the other house over and it barely even moved. I called the pool guy and he said that my pump was probably sucking in air somewhere meaning I had a small leak in the plumbing. To resolve this, I either needed to get a bigger pump or fix the leak. But I opted to try to find a cleaner that worked on lower suction.
I’ve had 3 in ground pool cleaners so far. Since these cleaners cost about $400 each, it’s a tough decision on which one to buy when your old one breaks. These pool cleaners all move around the bottom of the pool propelled by the suction of the pool pump. On newer homes, the pool pump is usually stronger and they have a dedicated suction line for the cleaner.
For the newer pool, I had the Hayward cleaner. This guy is propelled by its little flaps around the pool and has the most moving parts. The intake hole on this cleaner is incredibly small. Rocks and leaves get stuck in it all the time. The cleaner also requires the most suction out of the 3 cleaners I’ve had. It is whisper quiet.
For my older pool, I had the Kreepy Krauly. This cleaner requires less suction than the Hayward. It moves around due to a pendulum type contraption that rocks back and forth with the suction. It is also very loud as the contraption creates a clicking sound that annoys many of its customers. This cleaner has the largest opening so that rocks and leaves may be sucked through. However, sometimes the pendulum does trap debris.
My newest pool cleaner is the Barracuda G3. This cleaner requires the least amount of suction. It’s powered by a diaphram that expands and contracts. This cleaner makes a low thudding sound as the diaphram opens and closes, but its nowhere near as loud as the Kreepy Krauly.
That’s why I bought the Barracuda G3. This cleaner works on significantly lower suction than the other two. As a bonus, this cleaner does not get stuck on stairs. The Kreepy Krauly is just so bulky that it gets caught in corners and on stairs. The G3 actually climbs up the stairs in my pool.
Hopefully this post will help people decide what cleaner to buy if they have a pump with low suction or are having problems with the cleaner getting stuck.
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