Looking for pool vaccum. It will attatch to skimmer. Have been told Haywood is what I need. HELP?

Question

Looking at Haywood or Polaris. Will need a leaf bag for the winter. pros and con on both please

Answer 1

Polris or Hayward Viper are pressure side cleaners with bags better for leaves/large debris  

Hayward Pool Vac/Navigator and Kreepy Krauly are vacuum type cleaners better for dirt...I personally like Kreepy Krauly better less parts....more swimming pool info here(although I do not have a section on automatic pool cleaners...yet): http://www.swimming-pool-information.com...

Answer 2

Both have strong and weak points.

The Hayward Navigator: So long as you keep the grill on the back of the unit clear of debris ( it provides suction for water entering the turning gear turbine that causes the unit to turn a bit when it's moving forward, keeping the head from getting stuck places), they perform well for everything but the largest junk. Lot of leafy material in fall? Expect the lower turbine to jam up, stopping the unit dead. They're relatively cheap to purchase and give good bang for the buck.

The Polaris suction side cleaner: When they work...they work well. Unfortunately, it's my experience that only happens 50% of the time. They are finnicky when it comes to vacuum pressure. Too much and they may not move, not enough and they definitely won't move. They tend to be good climbers though and will roll up the pool wall a good degree. They also rarely get stuck when they're actually working. They'll also pretty much suck up whatever you toss in their path. They're a little pricey though, in comparison to other cleaners.

If this is a vinyl pool, there is one other cleaner out there you might want to consider called  Kreepy Krauly. They're noisier than the previous two cleaners but also pretty bullet proof and far more friendly when it comes to any maintenance on them. They don't like twigs though, but since twigs getting stuck comes under "maintenance", they're easy to clear out.

Of the three, my preference is :

1: Kreepy or Hayward tie for first

2: Polaris last

Answer 3

We have a Hayward as well.  It works fine.  There is a leaf bag, though I do not use it.  I can handle skimming the pool before swimming (and every few weeks in the winter).

Answer 4

I can only tell you that I have the cheaper Hayward, and I am not happy with it.  It gets hung up on the simplest places and will spent the entire day there.  I have to watch it all the time and manually change it's position.