Although the principle of operation of a pool robot (whatever the model) is quite simple, it is often unknown to pool owners, and sometimes even owners of robots.
Operating principle
Whatever the type of robot, its operating principle is the same: a stream of water passes through the robot and will come off the impurities that have agglutinated in the bottom or on your pool walls.
If you have a hydraulic robot, you know that your filtration system creates the flow of water: it is your pool pump that manages the suction of the hydraulic robot, but also its movement. A method of wheels and gears allows the robot to move with the flow of the water.
An electric robot is, as its name suggests, powered solely by electricity: it is the latter that creates the flow of water, and which also feeds the robot’s motion motors.
Suction or repression?
An electric robot will always suck the impurities: the flow of water passes from under the robot to the top of him. This allows the robot to snug against the bottom or walls of the pool.
For a hydraulic robot, two scenarios exist :
- connection to the suction of the filtration
- link to the discharge of the filtration
If your hydraulic robot connects to the aspiration of your filtration system, its operation will be identical to an electric robot: the impurities are directly sucked on the walls.
On the contrary, if your hydraulic robot is connected to the discharge, the impurities will be peeled off by the pressure of the water: resuspended, they will then be sucked by the robot, thanks to a venturi system: the repression of the robot directs the water and impurities to a defined area under the robot, which will create a suction current that will flow back into the robot. This is the operating principle of pressure robots (or overpressure), using a booster (a dedicated pump for this purpose).
If your pool is equipped with a brush plug (dedicated to cleaning the pool): check the direction of the hydraulic circuit: it can operate in suction or discharge depending on the configuration of your hydraulic circuit.
For having been able to test these two types of hydraulic robots, I did not see any apparent differences in cleaning: do not hesitate to tell us about your experience!
Brushes or wheels?
Some pool robots are only equipped with wheels, others only with brushes, some robots are equipped with 2.
The wheels are useful only for the first movement of the robot: they are the ones that allow the robot to cross small obstacles, for example. The vast majority of hydraulic robots only have wheels for moving the robot.
The brushes have a dual function, whether foam or with pins: they also ensure the movement of the robot (caterpillars usually pull them), but also allow mechanical cleaning of the walls: the brushes rub the walls, allowing to take off impurities (pollen, sunscreen …) which can remain stuck with a “simple” hydraulic cleaning (robot without brushes). Most electric robots have foam brushes or pimples. Some models only clean the bottom do not have brushes, only wheels.
The combination of wheels for moving and brushes for cleaning avoids trade-offs: the wheels provide smooth navigation of the robot, and the brushes ensure optimal cleaning of your walls. The models of robots combining wheels and brushes are generally high-end models.
Conclusion
If you are looking for optimal cleaning of your pool, or if your walls are often fat and slippery, opt for a robot with brushes (foam or pimples depending on the coating of your pool). If you have a broom and a booster, you can also opt for a pressure robot.
If your walls are generally clean and non-greasy, a hydraulic robot will clean your pool correctly. Be sure to choose a model compatible with your filtration system (depending on its power, and the direction of water flow).
Leave a Reply