My Dolphin: Now I'm getting rid of it

[cruzmisl]

Hmm, maybe you could put both floats to the cord side and also put a few ounces of the stick on wheel weights on the opposite side of the cord (inside the removeable housing) this would really float one side while the weight would pull down the other. This should make it climb the wall faster and may be able to get out of the current pattern.

[hzz]

Carl-as you may recall I also have the Dolphin....so far no problems at all with it.I think this is it's third year.

Here are some suggestions for you to try, although you probably have tried them all already.

I think you have the remote model,as I do.
If so,try to set it to remote, them use the joystick for a bit to move it around.
After you're done, use the remote again to reset all the parameters for the unit....and make sure climbing is turned on.

When you're done transmit that to the unit.You may want to put fresh batteries in the remote as well to be sure the unit receives the info.

Maybe it will help....I hope so.

Give it a shot and let us know. It's really too bad because when the unit works it does an amazing job of cleaning.Covers my whole 20x40 pool easily.

Good luck

Zane

[VOLDADDY]

I have an Aquabot turbo and have had it for 3 seasons now. It does a great job. I did have to send it back last year and have the motor replaced which was done quickly and returned back to me. I recommend them if you are considering another robotic cleaner.

[cleancloths]

From what I hear the Aquabot has the same lack of logic that the Dolphin has. They go in straight lines without making any turns until they run into something. I have packed my Dolphin up to go back to Costco and just ordered a Blue Pearl to replace it.

[CarlD]

Well,
here's the latest. Using the Joystick it will climb some walls (in the shallow end) but not the ones for the deep end.

That was using the weight and the floats--it seems to need both but I AM worried about a lead weight. What can I paint it with to seal it?

Using the wall climbing, in the deep end, it seems to get stuck in a rut--normally, it climbs the wall, scrubs the waterline and MOVES, then hits another swath. Not doing that it gets stuck.

So I went back to joystick, moved it around and re-programmed for 2 hours and no wall climbing. Then I powered it down. I powered it up, into joystick mode, checked the programming and let it go. It SEEMS to be moving OK around the pool--but with no wall climbing, and on a 2 hr cycle rathr than 8 hours. Still, it's working better than before.

I also brushed my walls just to be sure--no help there.

So now I wait and see, but in ANY case, this thing is too d*** finicky and persnickety. What's the point of a robotic cleaner if you have to screw around with it so much? The idea is to make my life EASIER, not harder.

If it won't climb the walls, I have to brush--that's one of the things I WANTED the Dolphin for. Still I'm hoping it will work now. I STILL think there something screwy with the programming and that the drive mech isn't 100%.

Yesterday, I did not hear back from SmartPool. I guess they are hoping I will just go away. Some repair center!

An online dealer told me they are dropping the Dolphin line because of too many complaints about crap like this about it and SmartPool. I wasn't surprised....

At least the Polaris 165 is still working.

[cruzmisl]

cleancloths, please report on the Blue Pearl. I went to the website and I thought it was hoakey(sp?) but hopefully the machine is better. Who makes that unit anyway?

[CarlD]

I believe the Blue Pearl is Blue Diamond--maybe a cheaper model???

[poolbee]

The website is hoaky looking but it is the one the Blue Diamond people sent me to. They also make the poolbuster that so many of you are fond of. I don't know why they don't put it on their own website. They would sell a lot more that way.

[jabre]

CarlD, have you sent a link to this thread to Maytronics? I bought my unit based on the recommendations on this forum and have not used it because my plaster is still only one week old. It will be going back as a return if they don't demonstrate that they actively care about customer issues and can resolve them.

Good luck. That's too much money to spend to end up with a slow underwater RC toy. I really hope this is just an anomaly they can address. It takes too much time researching these pool accessory purchases!!

[cleancloths]

The website is hoaky looking but it is the one the Blue Diamond people sent me to. They also make the poolbuster that so many of you are fond of. I don't know why they don't put it on their own website. They would sell a lot more that way.

I agree about the website, but I spent a bit of time on the phone with them and they seem quite good. It is a smaller version of the Blue Diamond and is new this year. They made it to sell at a lower price point. What they did was put in a smaller motor so they claim it will take 3 hrs rather than 1hr to clean. Also there is not automatic shut off, so they say most people just install a $15 timer on it. It comes with a full 2 year warrantee and a 14 no question money back guarantee. Also it uses a better approach to cleaning in that it will make random turns while moving rather than just moving in straight lines till it hits something or hits the waterline at the top of the wall.

As for Carl's problem mine is doing the same sort of stuff after only one week, so it is going back. To spend over $1,000 for a semi-automatic toy is a mistake.