joetrent's Full Review: Hayward Pool Vac Ultra Pool Cleaner
We've had our inground pool for about 18 years. It's a 32 x 15 kidney shape with Jacuzzi, swimmer seats in the deep end, and three curved steps in the shallow end. The deep end is eight and a half foot deep.
Cleaning it for the first 6 years, and the last 6 weeks can only be compared to washing the tail of a 200 lb unhappy skunk. It is absolutely no fun. By the way, we had a pool service in those intervening years. I retired after having by-pass surgery. My "real" boss thought that me cleaning the pool would be good exercise (?), and we could use the bucks for dinners out. (Not yet!) I decided we needed an automatic vacuum to reduce the stress from having so much fun.
When our pool was built, it came with a Polaris using a booster pump. Regardless of the adjustments, it would go to the corner of the steps and stay there until the booster pump shut off. The track to that spot, and where it sat for hours got really clean though. That was my personal experience with automatic systems.
Jump forward a few years until yesterday. I started looking at pool vacs again. I read all the reviews on this site and others. The Hayward Ultra kept getting really good reviews by everyone that had one. So, I went out a bought one.
I brought the box home, opened it, and threw in the included 9 minute video on how to install it. I watched it twice. I then went to the pool and installed it. Installation really didn't take more than 10 minutes. I plugged the regulator valve right on the skimmer diverter valve, ran the first piece of hose out the skimmer opening, and then plugged together the rest of the hose pieces. Once I thought I had enough sections together to reach the farthest point from the skimmer, I pulled it to that point to check the length. Just as the video said, I then added two more sections of hose. I did the pressure adjustment with the included thingy, submerged the vac to let the air out, and plugged on the hose. I still have two spare section left. This was the moment of truth.
I turned on the pump, and the little devil took right off doing its circular sweeping thing. I had just swept and hand vacuumed yesterday morning. There was a clear trail of clean pool right behind the Hayward. So far, so good. I popped a bevridge, sat down, and commenced to get my pool cleaning exercise by watching my new "employee" go at it.
The first time it got to the corner of the steps, it just sat there. I thought "Yep, gyped again." A few seconds later, it made a right hand turn and away it went. I watched it the next time it got into a tight spot. It's wings and legs were beating around. In just a few seconds it was off and cleaning again.
The next "Aw shucks" happened when it tried to climb the side of the pool. It would go up a couple of feet, spin, and go back down to the bottom of the pool. Some of that seems to be part of the circular way it cleans the pool and is just part of the cycle. Other times it tried to climb and just didn't make it. Fortunately, the video has an adjustment section. I watched it again, then went out, rotated a little screw lever to the 3 position, and increased the pressure closer to the max position.
Now that darn thing climbs the wall until it nose comes out of the water. It rolls sideways until a wing is flapping out of the water and runs around vacuuming clear up to the tile line. It doesn't do the steps or swimmer seats, but then the dealer told me it wouldn't. No big deal.
Within 2 hours, the entire pool was sparling clean. I pulled the doo-hickey off the skimmer diverter and put the basket back in to skim the top clean. My next investment (read tomorrow) is to get the skimmer attachment that automatically alternates sweeping and skimming cycles.
I don't normally write this type of stuff, but the reviews convinced me to buy the Hayward Pool Vac Ultra so I thought it only fair to give back my experience. To post this novel, you have to rate the durability among other areas. Obviously I've only had the thing a few hours so my rating is really wishful thinking. But based on how easy it was to install and adjust, and how fast and thorough it cleaned the pool, I can say this was one of our best purchases. It does everything all the marketing stuff says.
(UPDATE) It's now 6 August 2003. I'm even more impressed with how well the Hayward Pool Vac Ultra cleans the pool. I've even caught the little devil cleaning the swimmer's seats and steps. Probably more accident than planned.
Just as I threatened, I purchased and installed a device thingy that allows the skimmer to operate at the same time the pool vac earns its keep. The full name is the Pentair (Rainbow) Vac-Mate Multi-Function Vacuum/Skimmer Control ($89). This device is attached to the included skimmer basket. Because my skimmer is an American Product brand, I had to purchase an adapter ring ($6) to widen the lip in the skimmer to give the Vac-Mate a better seat. Installation was a snap. Just drop it in the skimmer hole just like the origional basket. I used the included hose connector and attached the pool vac to the elbow attachment on the Vac-Mate, adjusted the by-pass valve, and then used the large control lever to adjust the flow to the skimmer and to the pool vac. A little tension bar like a mini curtain rod keeps it from floating when the system is off. Simple as the dickens and effective in both skimming and sweeping at the same time.
You do need to block off the main drain port, and use the pool vac as the roving bottom drain. I used a rubber expansion plug to do this in my single line diverter skimmer, although the Vac-Mate comes with two different size screw-in plugs for pools with this type of skimmer. My 60 gallon Purex filter with a 1.5 HP pump is screaming to be cleaned, but I still have enough suction pressure to skim and sweep effectively at the same time.
Now I can get a lot more exercise sitting and watching my pool get, and stay, clean like it hasn't in years.
Updated 30 October 2003. Now here is a true test of the Ultra Vac. We live in Riverside, CA. The fires burning in Southern California have sent ash throughout the region. Our pool area looks like we have had a black snowfall all this past week. The ash eventually sinks and covers the entire bottom of the pool completely covering the white plaster with a layer of about an eighth of an inch of black ash. I can only guess the staining potential if that ash was allowed to sit for any length of time.
After just a couple of hours of running, the Ultra Vac has the bottom of the pool, sans steps, as clean as new. There are no spots missed during this vacumming. I can't think of any better example of just how well this machine can reduce the manual workload, while protecting the expensive investment of an in-ground pool.
Purchase a Pool Vac Ultra Today and Receive a $75 Manufacturer's RebateIn-ground Suction Cleaner•Exclusive SmartDrive programmed steering pattern...More at Water Warehouse
Purchase a Pool Vac Ultra Today and Receive a $75 Manufacturer's RebateIn-ground Suction Cleaner•Exclusive SmartDrive programmed steering pattern...More at Water Warehouse
Purchase a Pool Vac Ultra Today and Receive a $75 Manufacturer's RebateIn-ground Suction Cleaner•Exclusive SmartDrive programmed steering pattern...More at Water Warehouse
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