Automatic Pool cleaners are available in two different forms, suction and robotic. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Suction cleaners get their power from the suction of your pool pump. They collect the debris from the bottom of the pool and pump it into the skimmer basket. They are designed to stay on the bottom of the pool and do not climb the walls. This prevents the cleaner from sucking in air and burning out the pump. Most suction cleaners are designed to be left in the pool, even if the pump turns off (this is when the pump stops moving).
First generation suction cleaners were designed to move about the pool, powered by a clacker or diaphragm at the head of the cleaner, creating loud repetitive noises. Second generation suction cleaners have been designed with noise (or quiet) in mind. They have gearing and turbines built in to provide a smooth and silent navigation of the pool.
Robotic cleaners require their own power source and are completely separate to the pool’s pump and filter. They collect the debris from the bottom and sides of the pool and discard them into a chamber or container inside the robot itself. Most robotic cleaners are not designed to remain in the pool and must be removed from the pool after the cycle has finished.
Even though a robotic cleaner is better adapted to climb the pool walls, if the walls of the pool are dirty or have a build up of algae, this is more likely to be related to poor pool chemistry and the robotic cleaner will not solve the problem.
Robotic cleaners require a little more TLC than the suction cleaners as they need to be removed from the pool when the cycle has finished (as opposed to just emptying the skimmer basket).