Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
dalehileman

Thinking of getting a Polaris

dalehileman
13 years ago

Post a reply


1 post � Page 1 of 1

Thinking of acquiring a Polaris

by dalehileman � Mon 01 Nov, 2010 11:16

A recent thread in a nearby forum which I hesitate to identify for fear of raising hackles of jealousy regards the Model 360 and which you ought to read if you're in the market for a Polaris product. After my own experience of 7 years with the 380, and from the post by participant Lupt it's reasonable to suppose these devices are all poorly made, unreliable, and difficult and outrageously expensive to service, but they do capture debris pretty efficiently with only a couple of caveats I feel compelled to pass along:

The owner of a 360 or 380 be advised that a new bag assembly could cost you $33. Not sure about the 280 but with the former two its base comes apart so you can substitute a bag of your own making for just a few cents' worth of material and a few minutes of sewing. After some experimentation I believe the ideal material is rubberized rug non-slip sewed sewed flat in the shape of the original bag. It comes in a variety of weaves, some better suited to this purpose than others. When assembling it to the base be sure to orient it in the same plane so it doesn't act as a sail causing the sweep to run in circles

Its strange shape with only three wheels and the frame jutting out in front for purposes of style not utility restricts its ability to climb, especially a curved surface. Also perhaps the device should be a bit narrower to better sweep steps but surely it would climb better if it instead had four wheels, the front ones extending an inch or two ahead of the chassis to better grip the irregular surface

Meantime you might enhance its climb though with some difficulty by the installation on the middle wheel of a second tire though owing to fatigue it might slip off after a few weeks or months requiring your acquisition of an new one

Recently it was suggested in still another sister forum that a sweep as efficient as mine need not be run the entire 3 to 8 hours your your pump is at work. Hence to minimize frequency of service you can extend its life by shutting it down early. Depending on your environment and weather you might find the bottom pretty clean after only an hour of sweeping which given the load of your Polaris booster of course accordingly reduces also your electric bill

If you follow this suggestion you may nonetheless be disappointed after each session when the rippling has subsided to note at the bottom an unswept area or two. This condition owes to a lack of randomness, a problem addressed in other sweeps of its kind for instance by a jet slowly rotating so as to continually alter its path, an effect which you can thus emulate by occasional readjustment

Another approach perhaps even easier and more effective is to set the jet as closely as possible to gain a straight-line path but after each session using your long-handled brush to push the debris out of that area where it is more likely to be swept next time

Noting however that for a straight-line tendency the peculiar geometry of your unit requires you to set the jet slightly to the left

As for its vertical setting, when I complained the unit doesn't climb well Polaris suggested setting it in the full upward position. When I did so, however, though climb might have improved somewhat its habit then favored the shallow end leaving huge deposits in the deep

I hope you find my experiences of some value

For the sake of their future I hope Polaris engineers keep abreast by perusing forums such as ours but judging from their designs I'm not sure they can read

Comments (15)

  • fighting_irish
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I got bored at "post a reply"

    But I feel that I should comment anyway.

    Pentair already has the 4 wheel version called the Legend. I do not find this better than the Polaris.

    It's funny how your comments about the redesign of the unit are ignored. I have to wonder why this is.

    Ohh. Maybe it is because Polaris might know what they are doing. Hmmmmmm. The Polaris 280 is by far the best cleaner that you can put in the pool for the money. Hands down to any other pressure side cleaners on the market.

    As far as the bag is concerned this is a wearable item. Kind of like an air filter on your car. If you do not replace it occasionally you will find it does not function correctly.

    Anyway I find you comments about pool cleaners less than educational. Mostly the comments of a novice in the pool industry.

  • dalehileman
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Pentair already has the 4 wheel version called the Legend. I do not find this better than the Polaris."

    Alas alack Irish. Perhaps your pool doesn't have the same geometry as mine or your Legend wants in other ways not immediately apparent

    "It's funny how your comments about the redesign of the unit are ignored. I have to wonder why this is."

    It's because like so many participants in Internet boards they're angry at all times about almost everything and don't want to hear anyone else's opinion however observant, well written, or well intentioned

    "Ohh. Maybe it is because Polaris might know what they are doing."

    Ooh

    "Hmmmmmm. The Polaris 280 is by far the best cleaner that you can put in the pool for the money. Hands down to any other pressure side cleaners on the market."

    Yes Irish aside from problems of maintenance and repair I have to concede that's probably true and in fact the 280 gets a higher Amazon customer rating than any of its equivalent predecessors or successors and that's undoubtedly why its maker has cut it price in half, wants to sell off its stock and discontinue it, then deny its owners spare parts, forcing them to buy one of the others even more expensive to maintain

    "As far as the bag is concerned this is a wearable item. Kind of like an air filter on your car. If you do not replace it occasionally you will find it does not function correctly."

    No kidding, it's remarkable that you should realize that. In fact it's made of a fabric apparently weakened by chlorine no doubt purposely according to the idea that you'll have to replace it that much more quickly whereas my rug non-slip shows promise of lasting forever

    Another Internet firebrand labeled me "cheap" for this substitution which at $33 a throw and taking inflation into account, in my lifetime will probably have saved me an additional $800. I suspect he was a sub-rosa representative of Polaris or perhaps given the recession he works on the production line assembling bags and fears for his job

    ......his supervisor leading him to the door at quitting time where his wife then drives him home where he then fires up his Mac searching for Internet threads to tear apart (pun intended)

    "Anyway I find you comments about pool cleaners less than educational. Mostly the comments of a novice in the pool industry."

    Thank you Irish for your kind encouragement, astute repartee, and tactful acumen. Are you perhaps also secretly a member of the Polaris Design Team

  • poolguynj
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dale, anyone ever tell you that you are paranoid?

    As a consumer, your point of view is valuable. That being said, we also know you have tried to portray yourself as being more knowledgeable and experienced than you are.

    Free isn't happening. Home ownership, pool ownership, car ownership, are privileges, not rights. Things cost. If you don't want to pay, don't play.

    Scott

  • goyom
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I too tired of the troublesome bags.

    One day I decided to stop using them, saving me a bundle!

    I let the polaris 280 run for hours, yet, the pool never is clean.

    Why is that fellow pool aficionado's?

  • fighting_irish
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would read your response but apparently I have ADD and lose interest quickly.

    You put way to much thought into a not so complicated issue.

  • dalehileman
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Dale, anyone ever tell you that you are paranoid?"

    Guy any such thrust with humorous intent will be misinterpreted by those bearing a hidden agenda (not you of course). Probably even Jon Stewart is reviled off in the right wing somewhere

    "As a consumer, your point of view is valuable."

    Why thank you Guy

    "That being said, we also know you have tried to portray yourself as being more knowledgeable and experienced than you are."

    My most sincere apologies

    "Free isn't happening. Home ownership, pool ownership, car ownership, are privileges, not rights. Things cost. If you don't want to pay, don't play."

    Guy you'd hav e to elaborate on that. Dos it mean we should spend as much as we can on everything we acquire

  • fighting_irish
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think what he means is,

    You apparently look for the way to put a bandaide where a splint would be required.

    No one say there are not less costly ways to take care of a pool and it's parts. But in some cases you are just spinning your wheels.

    Instead of tring to reinvent the wheel. You need to face reality in the fact that it just might cost you a dollar or two to maintain the pool and/or it's equipment.

  • poolguynj
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It mean we live in a capitalist society. Businesses will charge what the market will bear.

    If Exxon is $3/gal and no other stations are within a few miles, you're buying Exxon.

    If a Sunoco opens 100 yards away and charges $2.90, where are you going to get gas?

    If you want to make Polaris compatible bags and charge $25 and sell 50,000, Polaris bags might come down.

    Scott

  • thejimbar
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've trained my 280 to do flips and fetch leaves. If it's good, I buy it a new $33 bag every 3 years or 4 years.

  • dalehileman
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "Ohh. Maybe it is because Polaris might know what they are doing. Hmmmmmm."

    Hi again Irish, assure you I'm not alone, please see post by one Lup in the following link

    http://x.havuz.org/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=5612

  • ross939
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    old posts, I know... but I can get that $32 bag for my Polaris on eBay for about $18, including delivery to my door. I've had my Polaris 360 for going on 5 years now, and haven't put a dime into it, outside of a couple of bags. It has slowed up am bit, I have to admit. Probably time for a new backup valve. Still all in all, very happy with purchase.

  • lascatx
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    People with a grudge often confuse more words with having more to say and saying it better.

    I had a Polaris. Decided to try "Something Better". Within a month or two of the warranty expiring, we trashed the POS and got a new Polaris 280.

  • goyom
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Darn it!
    I saw a Dale thread and thought our member of maximum verbosity had returned!

    I am now sad!

  • lascatx
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Those folks rarely stick around that long on any forum. I'd try to make it up to you, but I don't know if I could write that poorly if I tried. Definitely not without more time I effort than I have to spare.

    I apologize for not noticing that it was an old thread with just on new comment about a bag -- not really worth another comment. It was late and I was up cleaning up after a dog who lost her dinner in four parts. Will try to be more careful.

  • goyom
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Actually he has an entry on the urban dictionary, and its pretty funny. =)

    1. dalehileman
    an irritating, repetitive message board poster.
    yo, if you dalehileman one more time, dude, I'm gonna ban you from this forum!
    eponyms sockpuppets dale hileman dale barage
    by ainabru Nov 14, 2006 share this

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dalehileman

Sponsored
Outdoor Spaces
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars19 Reviews
Experienced Full Service Landscape Design Firm Serving Loudoun County