Choosing the Perfect Pool Cleaner

A wide selection of pool cleaners ensures an option for every pool owner and budget.

By Nicole Janda

All pool owners want a pristine pool with sparkling clean water without spending a lot of time or money. With the variety of pool cleaners available on the market today, there is an option to suit every pool owner’s needs.

Manual

A manual pool cleaner consists of a vacuum head attached to a telescoping pole and a hose that connects from the vac head to a special suction fitting on the pool wall. The pool owner navigates the vacuum around the pool floor, walls, and steps to suck up dirt and debris. With an average cost around $100- $200, manual cleaners are the most affordable type of pool cleaner because they require the least amount of technology, relying on good old-fashioned manpower to get the job done. Although this option is considered to be the most time-consuming—it can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and half, depending on the size of your pool—it is very effective because you’re unlikely to miss any spots.

Suction-side

Suction-side cleaners are automatic cleaners that connect to the pool’s skimmer or dedicated suction line and use the suction power of the filtration system to navigate the pool’s surface. Because these cleaners suck debris into your pool’s filter, they’re especially effective at cleaning up the finer particles such as sand and dirt. Some models even agitate and scrub the pool walls. While suction-side cleaners are only as powerful as the pool’s pump and filter system, some pool pumps can be adjusted to accommodate them. Suction-side cleaners are typically priced between $200 and $500.

Pressure-side

Using the power of water pressure, pressure-side cleaners roll over the pool’s surface and vacuum debris into a bag attached to the top of the unit. The most common type of pressure-side cleaners have their own booster pump motor with a dedicated water pressure line to power the cleaner and a tail that stirs up the pool water as it moves along the pool’s floor and walls. They usually have an opening of 2 ½ inches in diameter, making them a good choice for pools surrounded by trees because they can remove large leaves and even acorns.

Pressure-side cleaners cost approximately $425 without a booster pump and up to $900 with a booster pump. With proper care and maintenance, a pressure-side cleaner will last for more than a decade.

Robotic

Robotic cleaners are compact, self-contained machines that move themselves around the pool, sucking up dirt and debris. They also have rotating brushes or rollers that scrub the pool’s surface. Robotic cleaners usually have two intake ports with a combined 11-inch opening, so they can handle large debris as well as small particles like pollen and sand. They’re adept at handling porous surfaces, seams, and hard-to-brush corners. Some models even come equipped with power-washing jets. Robotic cleaners are typically operated by either a chargeable battery or a water-safe cord that is plugged into a standard or GFCI-protected outlet; they are the only type of cleaner that can be used when the pool’s circulation system is turned off. 

While robotic cleaners can be installed in any type of pool, they can cost more than other automatic cleaners. They normally start at around $600, but can go as high as $3,350, depending on the features.

Solar Power

New solar-powered robotic cleaners operate on energy from the sun, eliminating the use of cords, hoses, and batteries. Solar panels located on the back of the device collect energy from the sun, powering the cleaner all day, as well as several hours at night, without any cost to your energy bill. These cleaners skim the top of the pool, removing dirt, leaves, and other debris throughout the day, which gives organic materials less of a chance to decay and produce bacteria. As a result, you don’t need to run the filter or clean the bottom of the pool as often. Solar power cleaners cost approximately $500, but pay for themselves when you consider the savings on your energy bill. 

In-floor

For the pool owner who wants the most high-end and least maintenance cleaner (and can afford the hefty price tag), in-floor cleaners are the perfect choice. With these cleaners, you can just “set it and forget it.” Intervals are set via a timer, and on cue, submerged jets rise up from the pool’s floor and spray streams of water in specific zones. These streams of water direct large particles of debris toward the main drain in the deep end where they are filtered out. Meanwhile, smaller particles suspended in the water are stirred up for filtration by the circulation system. When the cycle is complete, the jets retract into the pool floor, and the pool’s interior returns to a smooth, even surface.

Although there is little maintenance involved with in-floor systems once they are installed, there is a large amount of work required for initial configuration. In-floor ­­systems involve a lot of piping within pool floors, so the best time to install them is during new construction or a major resurfacing project. The cost of in-floor systems start around $3,000 and can go up based on the size of the pool and nature of the installation.

Photo courtesy of Pentair Water Pool and Spa