Pool vacuums use powerful suction to pick up dirt and other debris that land in the water. While pool maintenance can be daunting, using a high-quality pool vacuum cleaner can help keep your pool clean, safe, and swimmable with minimal effort. This pool vacuum is designed to remove large leaves from pools, and that’s about it. It hooks up to a standard garden hose, which powers eight water jets on the bottom of the vacuum head, pushing large pieces of debris into the all-purpose leaf bag. The head sits on four multidirectional wheels, and it can be pushed using any standard extending pole. Many pool vacuums rely on your pool’s pump or filter for suction, but some models—usually on the pricier end—are battery-powered or have built-in filter systems that make vacuuming a less cumbersome process.

Thanks to BWT’s convenient subscription service, your products are delivered directly to your home – automatically and on time. While we try our best, unexpected demand can cause products to occasionally be out of stock or create a warehouse backlog that also can prevent shipment the day of the order. Designed to devour debris, the Polaris Quattro® Sport aggressively climbs walls and brushes the waterline.

The Polaris ATLAS XT suction-side cleaner introduces HALO™ technology that provides advanced debris removal for fine silt and long, larger, debris. The Polaris 3900 Sport delivers unmatched pool vacuum power, incomparable convenience, and legendary performance. Our readers’ favorite model is the Dolphin Nautilus Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, an impressively powerful vacuum that can climb walls and tackle just about any grime in your area.

This does make it more expensive to purchase and operate than its lower pressure counterpart. Robotic Cleaners do not attach to the pool plumbing system at all; they operate under their own power and have on-board debris bags or filters. Ready to go right out of the box, robotic cleaners have a floating power cord that attaches to a small power supply box. The power supply transforms power from 115V to safe, low-voltage operation, and drives the on-board movement and vacuuming motors.

We did think it was a bit smaller than other pool cleaner filters, so keep that in mind based on how often you plan to use it. The deep clean was due in part to the pool cleaner’s double-filtered waste basket, which helped pick up even the finest debris. Once the basket is full, it’s easy to remove and empty with the press of a button. Although the pool cleaner is more expensive than other options, our testing proved to us why it was worth the investment.

Her work appears in The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Reader’s Digest, TripSavvy and many other publications, and she is the author of several guidebooks. Liz’s husband is a stonemason and together, they are passionate about the great outdoors, endless home improvement projects, their tween daughter and their dogs. She covers a variety of topics for Family Handyman and is always ready to test out a new pizza oven or fire pit. Just as we suspected, this pool brush is incredibly durable against regular use and exposure to pool chemicals.

The design is used in the Polaris Pool Cleaner, a commonly used pool cleaner amongst modern pool owners. Its 36-inch rubber disc gives the Zodiac G3 the ability to make it over lights and filters without any hiccups, and even allows it to tuck into tight spaces that other vacuums are unable to reach. With just one moving part, this is a super low-maintenance pool vacuum, and its 40-foot hose has no issue covering most medium-sized pools.

On top of not requiring any charging or additional power sources—aside from your pool’s filter— this cleaner also has a self-steering mechanism that turns it every 8 to 10 feet. We do want to point out that this cleaner took about seven hours to completely clean a 20 x 40-foot pool, which is slightly larger than the recommended 16 x 32-foot maximum size. It also struggled to clean corners since its turning radius was limited in those spaces. If you’re looking for the convenience of a robotic pool cleaner but don’t want to fuss with all of the technology involved, we recommend the Hayward Navigator Pro Pool Cleaner. It not only resembles the same shape as other robotic pool cleaners but it also has a preprogrammed steering pattern for a more efficient cleaning cycle.

Plus, this high-end robot cleans even the largest in-ground pool, thanks to its 70-foot tangle-reducing cable. The four-wheel drive helps this cleaner clean the walls, floor, waterline, and even steps. Thanks to its rear water-cleaning system, it easily blows debris off stairs and out of tight corners, so the machine can suck it up. If you don’t mind pushing around a pool cleaner by hand, the Pool Blaster Max is a cordless, battery-powered option that comes at a reasonable price.

The filter bag was more difficult to empty because it had to be hosed down to completely clear all the debris, compared to a basket that can be dumped and shaken clean. Once you’re done cleaning, this vacuum, along with the pole, disassembles easily, making it compact to store. Despite a few design issues, we still recommend this pool cleaner as an affordable option that’s effective at cleaning both large and small debris. Automated robotic pool vacuums typically run between two and six hours, with some models offering a quick clean in as little as 1.5 hours, depending on your pool size. Keep in mind that you should never program your robot to run continuously, as it can wear out the motor and filter. To help, consider a model with a wheeled caddy that allows you to roll your robot to and from storage, as well as designs with sturdy handles.