Hooking up an Automatic Pool Cleaner
Having an automatic pool cleaner can ease the life of a pool-owner on so many levels – it doesn’t take your time, it saves you energy and your pool is much cleaner. It doesn’t matter which type of automatic pool cleaner you have, they satisfy the specific needs that they are made for.
However, when it comes to the first steps like installing them, there can be many questions asked and a lot of information about installing an automatic pool cleaner is unknown.
In order to help responsible pool owners who have automatic pool cleaners or intend to have one, we managed to find some information about how to install and hook up an automatic pool cleaner – it will surely be helpful and it will definitely save you from having to lose nerves the first few times.
There are three different types of automatic pool cleaners and they require different hooking up methods and ways, which is how we divided them in order to give you accurate and helpful information.
Hooking up suction-side pool cleaners
This type of pool cleaners are supposed to be attached to the suctioning side of the pool, more accurately in the plumbing as the water is getting drawn out of it in order for it to filter as it is supposed to. If hooked up correctly, they will clean leaves and other small debris. However, these types of pool cleaners are the hardest to hook up. There are numerous things the user must do before they can expect for the pool cleaner to do its magic. Whether you have an above-ground or an in-ground pool, the operation is the same, and here it is:
Prepare it for cleaning
- The first thing you need to do if you have already used the cleaner is to prepare it for cleaning. This means that you need to take out the pump basket, and make sure it is clean for the robotic cleaner to do to the job properly.
- After you’ve emptied the basket you must take out the pump filter – it also needs to be cleaned thoroughly. You can do this by rinsing it and backwashing it.
- Check the pH balance of the water in your pool – this is because some suction-side pool cleaners don’t work in specific chemical levels. You can find information about which chemical levels your pool cleaner can handle in the instruction manual. If you are not careful with this one, you risk damaging the device because higher amounts of chlorine or calcium are found in the pool water.
- The next thing you need to do is close your pool suction and drain outlets, and this excludes the outlet where the skimmer hose line is attached in. Also, you need to make sure that the pool pump is turned off.
Connecting it and getting it to work
- The first thing you need to do is remove the skimmer port basked and you need to screw the compression adapter in the connector at the bottom of the port.
- After you have done this, you should be installing the automatic regulator valve in the ending of your compression adapter.
- Next, you need to make sure it works properly; you should attach the hose of your cleaner into the skimmer hose. It should be slipped float around eight inches further from your connector.
- You can put your cleaner on the pool surface and you should wait for water to come through the hose and until all air from it is gone.
- After this process is done, you need to thread the hose’s end through the skimmer opening in the vertical surface of your pool; it might require twisting for it to stay in place and turn your pool’s pump
- Notice how your cleaner is working as it is supposed to be moving around in your pool, your owner’s manual can be helpful because it contains information about how fast your cleaner should be moving – if it isn’t moving fast enough it might be a sign of malfunction.
Hooking up pressure-side cleaners
These cleaners that use pressure to move around in your pool are excellent for those who have problems with branches or acorns as a larger debris that can be found in the pool. They filter the water and push it back in the pool. There are several things that should be done to get a pressure-side cleaner working.
- Make sure you have a dedicated pressure line with a proper female fitting
- Flush out the return line by turning the pump on for about a minute and then turn it off
- You should install a wall fitting
- Put in the disconnect in the wall fitting
- Make sure that the hose is long enough for your pool
Hooking up Robotic Cleaners
As robotic cleaners are found as most helpful – it is known that they are the easiest to hook up – you just need to plug it in an outlet (GFCI protected one). After it is plugged in, you carefully drop the robotic cleaner in your pool and it does the job itself.
It moves by itself on different surfaces of the pool and it takes the dirt in a mesh bag. They are known to be beneficial to the duration of the whole pool’s filtration system and they are helpful if you want to save on chemical usage.
With these tips on how to hook up your automatic pool cleaner we can assure you – your pool will be clean and your device will be protected from possible negative effects. However, as universal these rules are, they can be different when it comes to a specific product so make sure that you have carefully red your owner’s manual before hooking up your automatic pool cleaner.
Being careful can never be a bad thing – be protected and have your pool as clean as possible with these small but meaningful steps.