How do Robotic Pool Cleaners Work?
Where there is a problem, there are solutions. For the problem of swimming pool cleaning many solutions have been offered and often the latter solutions have been improvisations of the earlier ones. The latest technology solution in vogue for swimming pool cleaning is ‘The Robotic Pool Cleaner’.
Thinking through the Problem
An automatic pool cleaner is automated, which simply means it can do the cleaning work on its own and only minimal human operation and control actions are required.
In swimming pools, debris keeps getting collected on the swimming pool floor, walls and stairs and the water itself keeps getting dirty.
Cleaning of swimming pools has been a problem. This cleaning problem was different from other cleaning problems because of the large volume of water involved. How to scrub the swimming pool floor and the walls without dirtying the water presented a major problem.
The Basic Concept
Swimming pool water is kept clean by a pump and filter system. The water is circulated through this system, unclean water is pumped into the system, dirt is filtered out, and clean water is again fed back into the pool. The energy supply for this type is electric and a lot of electricity is required to keep the system running.
It was felt that should there be a device that would scrub the floor and walls without releasing the dirt into the water, then better cleaning would result. As a result, various types of automatic pool cleaners started to be created, which did the cleaning in the required manner while remaining under water.
Power Supply
Initially, such devices were attached to the pump and filter system already present and drew electricity from the same. Suction-side and pressure side automatic pool cleaners are examples of this.
However, the more modern solution these days are automated robotic cleaners that are equipped with their own chargeable powering units. The chargeable units need to be kept above water, and away from water so a suitable place near the pool should be prepared for placing these (check out our article on hooking up an automatic pool cleaner for more info). Separating the power unit from the robot pool cleaner allows it to easily traverse through the pool unhindered as it keeps the weight to a minimum.
Enhanced Functioning
Besides cleaning the floor and the walls, some of these automatic pool cleaners can also filter water simultaneously; the water keeps getting sucked in by these devices and after getting filtered, clean water keeps flowing out.
So besides the main filter and pump water circulation device, the water of the pool also gets cleaned by these pool cleaners. This reduces the work of the main water circulation pump, and consequently, superior cleanliness is attained. Also the maintenance requirement of the main circulation pump is considerably reduced. You will also save energy costs too as a result.
Mode of Operation
These automatic pool cleaners traverse on the floor of the pool in a random manner as well as nowadays they are engineered to traverse on the walls as well to collect the dirt from the walls too.
Basic Technique
The automation mechanism present in these pool cleaners has been improvised over time and now the best robotic pool cleaners have highly sophisticated features. The basic working of the pool cleaners is based on pressure and suction technique.
The suction device sucks in the dirt which is not let out but collected in a collection bag. Upon adding a pressure technique to this device, the suction process becomes easier as an inflow pressure is generated upon the incoming water by this technique.
Variations
The automatic pool cleaners vary in several aspects such as size, electricity consumption, dirt holding capacity, the level of sophistication and automation and other such features as well as price. The price range may vary from $200 to $15000. The latest version – the robotic pool cleaner is highly sophisticated and compact.
Robotic Control and Features
The robotic features present in these cleaning devices enable these devices to automatically detect a change in direction, position and to make suitable adjustments accordingly.
These effects are achieved by embedding an internal preprogrammed microchip into the device.
To Sum Up
- Robotic Pool Cleaners are automatic and compact.
- They have an independent rechargeable power supply.
- They can clean very small size particles.
- Have inbuilt preprogrammed microchips.
- Have an automatic detection and direction features.
With advancement in features, the ability to clean smaller size particles has also improved, and latest versions of robotic pool cleaners can clean very small size particles which can range from 5 µm to 50 µm.