Sticking with my shop-vac rig or finally giving in and buying a robot

Started by Bill Hartman · · 4 replies
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#1
Been going back and forth on this all week. My shop-vac contraption has done fine for probably ten seasons now, hose rigged into a cut-down pole, and it still pulls the leaves and sand off the bottom good as anything. But I'm getting tired of hauling the thing out, dumping the canister, hosing it down every time.

Keep eyeing a Dolphin E10 since a couple fellas on here run one and seem happy. Part of me says why fix what ain't broke, part of me says my knees aren't getting any younger for hauling a shop-vac around a 27 footer. Anybody switch from a manual rig to a robot and actually notice less work, or is it just a different kind of fussing with cords and filters.

4 Replies

#2
ten seasons out of a shop-vac rig is honestly impressive, i'd be tempted to ride that out too. but the knees thing is real, i'm only 29 and dragging my manual vac around my 13k gallon diving pool already annoys me, can't imagine doing it for a decade. don't have a robot yet myself, still eyeing that Aiper Seagull 1000 everytime it's on sale, but the appeal for me isn't less work exactly, it's different work, cord management and rinsing a filter screen instead of hauling and hosing a whole canister. if your knees are the actual complaint i'd say that tips it toward the Dolphin.
#3
I went through almost the exact thing a few years back, had a shop-vac rig for my shallow end and my knees just stopped cooperating one summer. Swapped to the E10 and yeah it's different work not less, you're right about that, but for me emptying a basket and tossing it in the garage beats dragging a hose and canister around a 17k gallon pool every single time. Still run that E10 as my backup robot now, it just works, no app to fuss with which honestly is kind of nice after dealing with WiFi nonsense on my other one.
#4
My situation's smaller scale but same logic, I never had a shop-vac rig, went straight to the Seagull SE for the spool a few seasons back mostly because hauling anything around a 10x20 felt silly for the gallons involved. What robotvic said about different work not less work is exactly right though, no cord on mine so it's not quite the same fuss, but I'm still pulling it out, rinsing the basket, setting it back on the step every time. Honestly for a 27 footer at your knees' expense I'd take different work over hauling a shop-vac canister any day, that trade seems obvious from here.
#5
Had a similar leaf rake and vac setup on a hose for years before I finally got the E10, and what sold me wasn't the work at all, it was my back telling me no more bending over a canister on the pool deck. Everybody above's right that it's different fussing not none, but mine's basket clips out in two seconds and rinses with the hose, no canister seals to fight with. Ten seasons on a shop-vac rig is a good run though, if the knees are the only complaint and not the cleaning performance I'd say that's your answer right there.