Automatic vacuum options for your above ground pool

Automatic pool vacuums are very useful if you don’t want to spend minutes or hours cleaning your pool, but finding the right one can be rather difficult if you don’t know what to look for. Should you get a wand-based vacuum or one that can roll around on the bottom of your pool? These are the most popular automatic vacuum options that you can buy.

Wand-Based Vacuums

Wand-based vacuums look similar to manual vacuums because they have a long arm and you can easily use these vacuums manually if you want to. These are typically the cheapest automatic vacuums because there are a few limitations, but they are very good when it comes to picking up dirt and microbes.

These vacuums are made to automatically travel across the pool’s floor. This is done by sending pulses of water through the vacuum so that it will move. The problem is that the vacuum may not always clean the entire pool because movement is based entirely on water pulses and the vacuums are often slower than other models.

At the same time, these vacuums are effective and they should be able to clean most small to moderately sized pools with ease. Their lack of fully autonomous movement is usually only a problem if you have a large pool. These are also the least expensive models, which is attractive if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

Cart Vacuums

Cart vacuums look like little carts because they have wheels and they can roll around on the bottom of your pool. The cheaper models are connected to your pool filter and they will move around based on water pulses. More expensive models have some programming so that they can move around the entire pool without being pushed by water.

Connected models typically don’t need a vacuum bag because anything they pick up will be fed directly into the pool’s filter. Those that aren’t connected may need a vacuum bag or they will have to be periodically cleaned to get rid of any dirt and microbes.

These models are usually more expensive than the other vacuums because they are more convenient than the other vacuums. They are usually better at cleaning the pool and they often require the least amount of work. They also happen to be faster than other vacuums and you might be able to use the pool while the vacuum is being used.

The best models are usually self-propelled, but all of the available versions are very good if you want your pool to be very clean.

Stingray Vacuums

Most of these vacuums look like stingrays, but they are categorized by having a body that floats above the water and a vacuum hose that cleans the floor and sides of the pool. The floating portion helps the hose to move along the pool so that it does a better job of cleaning the entire area.

The majority of stingray vacuums are connected to the pool filter, but there are a few that aren’t. This vacuum is the best when it comes to cleaning the sides of the pool because the vacuum portion can easily crawl up and down the walls due to the floating body.

While they are effective, these vacuums are best when you are done swimming for the day because they take the longest time to clean the pool. They are also fairly expensive, but not quite as expensive as cart vacuums. These are best if you have a large pool and the walls are frequently dirty. If you don’t have this problem, then a wand-based or cart vacuum will do a better job.

Conclusion

Cleaning your pool can be a chore. Not only do you have to worry about the pH and using chemicals to keep microbes at bay, but you also have to vacuum the small dirt particles on the floor and sides of the pool. If you want to make things much easier, then the best thing that you can do is to buy an automatic pool vacuum. There are many options, but you should choose the one that is best for your budget and situation.