Pools are a great addition to any home, providing a refreshing way to cool off on hot summer days.
While pools bring fun and laughter into your backyard, they also require quite a bit of work to be properly maintained throughout the season. After all, no one wants to be diving into a pool that’s dirty!
The health of your pool’s water is vital in ensuring you not only have an enjoyable swimming experience, but also a safe one.
This is where pool cleaners come in.
While your pool chemicals will fight off bacteria, they can’t filter out debris or clean the underwater surfaces of your pool. Pool cleaners work hand in hand with your chemicals to ensure your pool water is clean and clear so you can jump in for a refreshing swim anytime you’d like.
Keep reading to discover the different types of pool cleaners on the market.
How to Choose The Right Pool Cleaner
Not all pool cleaners are made equally, and each one will have its own unique advantages and disadvantages that will determine if it’s the right fit for your pool.
When deciding which pool cleaner is best for you, there are five things to consider.
1. Your Pools Size
If you have a larger pool, some of the cleaners on this list won’t be as effective, resulting in extensive cleaning routines with a higher risk of a poor clean.
2. The Style of Your Pool
Whether you have an above-ground or in-ground pool, there is a cleaner that can easily meet your needs.
With that said, not all cleaners will be suitable for above-ground pools, so it’s important to verify the pool cleaner you want works with your style of pool.
3. Your Maintenance Capabilities
Not all pool cleaners can function without your help.
If you have an injury or would struggle to push a vacuum along the bottom of your pool for an extended period of time, opting for an automatic pool cleaner may be something to consider.
4. Your Time
Cleaning your pool will take time, especially if you’re doing it manually.
Different pool cleaners have various time requirements, with manual vacuums requiring more and others being completely autonomous. Consider your schedule before investing in your chosen pool cleaner.
5. Your Budget
Pool cleaners have a wide range of price points, and knowing what you can currently afford will have a significant influence on which ones you can consider purchasing.
Before choosing your model, settle on a budget first.
The 4 Types of Pool Cleaners
While there are various brands on the market, all pool cleaners fall into one of four categories:
- Manual pool vacuums
- Suction-side cleaners
- Pressure-side cleaners
- Robotic pool cleaners
1. Manual Pool Vacuum
If you don’t mind putting in the work or want the most inexpensive pool cleaner available, a manual pool vacuum is for you.
These cleaners are used much like your indoor vacuum. Simply turn it on and start moving it around the floor of your pool to remove any debris that’s formed.
This option is suitable for both in-ground and above-ground pools and is a user-friendly option.
They are designed using a bristled vacuum head to scrape debris off the walls and bottom of your pool while suctioning the debris out of your water and into its built-in filter.
Manual pool vacuums don’t rely on any other part of your pool, reducing the demand some of the other cleaners add to your filtration system.
One of the benefits of a manual vacuum is that it can easily be used to spot-clean your pool if you have certain areas that experience more debris build-up than others.
The downside is that manual vacuums require you to actually vacuum your pool yourself, making it a more time-consuming option. If you find you’re already tight on time, one of the other cleaners may be a better fit.
2. Suction-Side Cleaner
Suction-side cleaners are a type of automatic vacuum and are best used in in-ground swimming pools due to their design.
This cleaner relies on your skimmer to filter out any debris it picks up, and connects to your pool’s water intake line, often found near your skimmer basket, to power its suction.
Using a start-and-stop rhythm, this cleaner slowly moves the suction head around the bottom of your pool without you needing to push it around.
Suction-side pool cleaners vary in how effectively they clean your swimming pool. More powerful ones are able to thoroughly clean various-sized materials out of your water, whereas others are only useful for cleaning medium to large-sized debris, like leaves, out of your water.
This pool cleaner is a budget-friendly solution if you’re sticking to a budget and want something less demanding than a manual vacuum.
3. Pressure-Side Cleaner
If your pool experiences a heavy amount of debris, such as those surrounded by trees or dusty areas, a pressure-side cleaner may be your best option.
These cleaners operate similarly to suction-side cleaners, connecting to your pool’s water intake line for power. Pressure-side cleaners, however, have the added benefit of their own filtration bag being attached to the unit.
This helps reduce the work your pool filtration system has to do as your cleaner works, making it a more energy-efficient option.
The downside to these cleaners is that they don’t scrub the floor like the other options on this list; they strictly pull debris off the floor and out of the water.
Pressure-side cleaners come with a mid-range price tag, being more expensive than previous options on this list while still not being the most expensive cleaner on the market.
4. Robotic Pool Cleaners
This is the pool cleaner that’s become a highly desired option even with its costly price tag.
Robotic pool cleaners are completely autonomous, meaning they’ll clean your pool while you’re at work, so your water is clean and ready to enjoy as soon as you get home.
This pool cleaner is one of the most highly advanced ones on the market and can save you a substantial amount of time.
Additionally, this cleaner doesn’t rely on your pool’s systems to function, reducing the load on your pool’s filtration and circulation systems while it works. This is one of the reasons robotic cleaners are often considered the most energy-efficient solutions.
The one downside of this cleaner is its high price point, however, some models include fewer features so that they can be slightly more affordable.
The Best Pool Cleaner Accessories
While the above pool cleaners can efficiently keep your water sparkling clean, including some additional accessories can make them work even better.
Pool Brush
Not every pool cleaner can scale the walls of your pool and clean them, so including a pool brush in your toolkit can help ensure every underwater surface is getting the same treatment.
These brushes are relatively inexpensive and make it easy to quickly brush down the walls of your pool to push any debris off them.
Follow this up by using your pool cleaner, and it’ll not only clean the debris from the bottom of your pool but also what you’ve pushed off the walls and into the water.
Ozone Purification System
Your sanitizer, such as chlorine, is a vital part of your water care, and if your water doesn’t have enough chlorine, you might discover a strong chemical smell surrounding your pool!
Including an ozone purification system can be an easy way to reduce your pool’s chlorine requirements, making maintaining your water easier.
These systems work by killing the bacteria in your water by oxidizing it as it moves through the system. Not only does this make caring for your waterless time-consuming, but it can save you money by drastically reducing your chlorine usage.
Pool FROG®️ Products
The Pool FROG®️ accessories are designed to continually treat your water by slowly releasing a combination of minerals and low-level chlorine into your water. These products can help keep your water clean and clear without needing heavy doses of chlorine.
Pool FROG®️ Model 5400 and The Pool FROG®️ Model 6100
These models work to combat bacteria in your pool water while also keeping your pH balanced, ensuring your water is safe to use anytime you want to go for a refreshing swim.
Using either of these Pool FROG®️ models removes the need to add chlorine to your water every day, minimizing how often you need to take time to treat it each week.
Flippin’ FROG®️ and Flippin’ FROG®️ XL®️
Both of these models are designed with the same dual-release technology, adding a precise combination of minerals and chlorine into your water to keep it clean.
The thing that makes these units stand out compared to the other options listed above is their design. When the chlorine levels are depleted and need to be replenished, the Flippin’ FROG®️ will flip over in the water to notify you!
The difference between these two models is their size. While the Flippin’ FROG®️ is designed for pools ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 gallons, the XL®️ is suited for pools with 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water.
Pool Cleaners for Sale in Maryland
Upgrade your pool cleaner with top-of-the-line solutions at Van Dorn Pools and Spas.
With two convenient locations in Kingsville and Reisterstown in Mayland and one in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, our team of experts can help you find a pool cleaner that can make keeping your water clean and clear simple.
Contact us or visit your nearest location to explore your options in person.