-25%
Brand New
Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, Always Cleaning, Never Charging, with Wall Climbing Scrubber Brush, Ideal for In-Ground Pools up to 50 FT in Length
Original price was: $799.00.$599.00Current price is: $599.00.
| Brand | Dolphin |
| Model Name | Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi |
| Material | Plastic |
| Color | black |
| Product Dimensions | 22.2″L x 17.6″W x 12.9″H |
100 reviews for Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi Automatic Robotic Pool Vacuum Cleaner, Always Cleaning, Never Charging, with Wall Climbing Scrubber Brush, Ideal for In-Ground Pools up to 50 FT in Length
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About this item
- ALWAYS CONNECTED: With the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus robotic pool vacuum cleaner, schedule your pool cleanings from anywhere with always connected Wi-Fi.
- WALL-SCRUBBING POWER: Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi climbs walls efficiently, ensuring thorough cleaning on any pool surface, no matter the shape or surface type.
- EASY FILTER CARE: Effortlessly maintain a clear pool with our user-friendly top-load filter basket. Easily remove debris for crystal-clear water, enhancing your swimming experience.
- PLUG-AND-PLAY EFFICIENCY: Make pool cleaning a breeze with our simple plug-and-play system. Just plug in, drop into the pool, and power on for a spotless pool in 2 hours.
- THE DOLPHIN LEGACY: Over 40 years of effortless cleaning with unmatched performance, durability, and cost savings. Enjoy your pool, hassle-free!
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I researched robotic pool cleaners extensively prior to this purchase. For the cost, I believe this is the best choice.
Pro's...
strong suction, excellent traction, adequate pool coverage, easy to clean/replace removeable cartridges, overall excellent cleaning device.
Cons...
becomes disabled on steps, no user/owners manual, cord to power supply is short, should come with cart/which is an additional purchase.
I have a 25,000 gallon pebble tech in ground pool. The Dolphin is supplementing a Hayward DE filter system. The in ground system is performing to standards, however the Dolphin replaces the need to manually vacuum debris left on the walls or bottom.
The Dolphin arrived promptly with no damage. The contents includes a quick start guide, however no owners manual. I downloaded the owners manual and it basically contains the same information as the quick start guide...pretty much no information. This unit operates with "clever clean technology." I have no idea what that is. Some of the more costly models indicate that the unit will scan and map your pool for optimum coverage. That is not happening with this model. It navigates randomly. It covers 90% of the pool each cleaning, which I consider excellent. I have several 5 inch steps and two benches that are at the 4 foot level. The Dolphin will occasionally climb one or two of the short steps but is unable to climb to the higher steps. The Dolphin climbs up to the higher benches and often turns and becomes disabled/stuck on top of the bench. I included a picture of the Dolphin disabled. It's necessary to unplug the power source, plug it back in and give a tug to remove it from the bench and begin the cleaning cycle over again. My children enjoy watching the Dolphin and they named it "Willy." It was later amended to "Free Willy," as they shouted out to me to "go free Willy."
The extra cloth filters that shipped with the Dolphin do a much better job of retaining debris than the installed nylon cartridges. Once you insert the cloth cartridges you won't go back to the nylon. The cartridges are easily accessed from the top doors and cleaned with a hose.
The rolling storage cart was an additional $129. From a marketing standpoint the manufacturer realized you pretty much need the cart and since you paid $699 you will most likely spend the additonal $129. I feel they took advantage of me with that deal. You do need the cart. They should include it with the purchase of the Dolphin for a total price of $750. The cart is basically a golf club cart with a value of no more than $50. You need to obtain a bungy cord and use it to secure the long power cord to the cart or it will not stay attached. That should have been included.
The quick start guide was adamant that you should not use a supplemental extension cord. Presumably from a safety perspective so the Dolphin does not drag that cord into the pool. Most people will find that you need to use an extension cord to plug the independant power supply modual into the outlet or you will not get the Dolphin close enough to your pool. I have experienced no problems using an extension cord for this purpose.
I operated the Dolphin for 45 days prior to submitting this review. Overall I am very pleased and hopeful that the unit holds up mechanically over time.
If you want the longer version of my experience with it read on.
I purchased this cleaner in late 2018 and was able to get about 3.5 years use out of it. The first couple of years I was more careful about not leaving it in the pool for more than a day at a time of cleaning then take it out for a few days or until the pool needed cleaned again. But as laziness kicked in and it started spending more and more nights in the pool which led to weeks at a time.
After about 3.5 years, it started exhibiting problems picking up all the debris. After a few weeks of turning it on everyday to pick up what it missed the previous run, it finally just died. The lights on the control panel would flash 4 times and then stay on, but the robot wouldn't move or show any signs of life.
I contacted Asurion about the extended warranty and was told to take it to a local pool store for diagnosis. The local store said it needed a new motor, power supply and cable, and that these parts are not available from the manufacturer. So after letting Asurion know about this, they just needed documentation from the pool store stating what the problem was and why they could not fix it. After I provided this info, they mailed me a check for the original purchase price of the robot!
After much research this year (2022), I have decided to repurchase the same robot only with the wifi feature and extended warranty. It consistently shows up as a top pick for robotic cleaners everywhere I look. Comparable models cost much more than this and the added features for the extra cost just isn't enough to justify. The wifi version of this at this time is only $30 more so I jumped on it instead of the non-wifi version. With my past experience I believe it will last longer than the previous one as long as I don't get lazy and leave it in the pool for long periods of time again, but regardless I have the extended warranty to cover it if it does break within the first 5 years which I highly recommend.
If you made it this far, congratulations! I hope this review helps.
I currently have a large 27,000 gallon in-ground, vinyl liner "True L" shaped pool with a large 3.5' shallow end, 8' deep end, and 6-inch corners (these are fairly sharp corners). I have only used the standard vacuum type that comes standard with pools so far - a hose that attaches to the pool filter via suction and then the standard stick and vacuum end, I have not purchased or used an aftermarket pool vacuum or automatic pool vacuum in the past. I purchased a "Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner with Easy to Clean Large Top Load Filter Cartridges and Tangle-Free Swivel Cord, Ideal for In-ground Swimming Pools up to 50 Feet" in May 2020 on Amazon for $779. I purchased it based on the overwhelming number of positive reviews, its relative price-to-value, and the ability for me to have it serviced in-town, if needed.
Out of the Box:
Just a few parts - the vacuum unit and chord, power supply unit, and a set of extra fine filters and clips in a reusable bag. I plugged it in...nothing. Tried another outlet...nothing. Finally after troubleshooting everything I called Maytronics directly. They indicated this was not common, but did happen on occasion right out of the box. With a pretty easy 10-15 minutes on the phone, the serial number from the unit and my address, they had a new power supply shipped to me which arrived the following week (took about 4 business days). This one worked fine so I plugged it in and the vacuum started right up.
Using the Vacuum:
My pool is large (see size above) and was not covered for the winter as the patio had not been done yet in the prior season. As a result, it was pretty bad - algae covered surfaces, fine dust/dirt everywhere, small rocks from the patio underlay that had kicked into the pool over the winter, leaves, and just plain goop from decayed leaves and whatnot. The vacuum was unable to scrub the algae effectively after several passes with the exception of the foam part of the wheels/treads, so I had to use my manual brush to loosen the algae up. This caused the fine particles to go into solution in the water, which greatly clouded up the pool. Over the next few days I ran the vacuum repeatedly, emptying and cleaning it out completely and thoroughly between each cycle - which was quite a bit of dirt and leaves each time and nice because I personally could not see the bottom and would not have been able to manually vacuum it. During this time the particulate slowly settled to the bottom, and finally I switched to the finer filters. This really got the job done, and now it is crystal clear. With no more leaves or large dirt items, I am running it every few days using the fine filters simply as maintenance.
Overall Conclusions:
I am pretty satisfied with this overall. It does effectively clean the pool without me having to do anything other than put it in the water and then clean the filters (and apparently scrub hard to get algae, which should be rare). Importantly, it does not use the pool's filter, so when it collects dirt and whatnot it is then fully removed from the pool without getting cycled back through or clogging up the pool filter requiring constant back washing. I think this is a very important aspect of a good automatic pool cleaner. My only comment from a functionality perspective is the inability to control the vacuum manually. While this is not 100% necessary, I have noticed that the dirt collects in specific areas, and due to the size of my pool I have to run the vacuum through its full cycle once or twice to catch all those areas. With that being said, comparing the price for similarly-rated models the cost for that feature was so much greater I chose not to go that direction. I rated it a 4/5 Overall based on the bad power supply out of the box, need to run a few passes sometimes, its inability to be controlled manually, and fact that I have not owned it long enough to comment on (or rate) reliability. However, it is definitely a product I would recommend based on my experience so far.
Hope this helps!
It does a very good job of cleaning the bottom and sides, with about 95% coverage in a 2 hr run. It also does quite well cleaning the waterline on both the shallow (3') and deep (7') ends, in 10-12 ft intervals, when using the standard "fine" filters. It's significantly more effective than the suction-side pool vacs I've used in the past (particularly for the sides), and greatly reduces (but does not eliminate) the need to backwash the primary sand filter. Its screen-like internal filters are well designed, have a large capacity, and are easy to clean.
The standard filters do not trap the finest dirt which may accumulate over time on the bottom, however. To get this, I use a set of the "ultrafine" pleated filters (purchased separately) that look similar to HVAC air filters. These work well for cleaning up the fine stuff, but apparently reduce the water flow sufficiently that the vacuum can no longer clean the waterline (which may be why Maytronics disavows this ability). Therefore I use the "ultrafine" filters only occasionally.
The main problem I have with this vacuum is that it does not handle the (10"x12") stairs well. It can climb them, but is too large (about 16" square) to find a stable position on them with adequate traction. It frequently gets stuck in one position for a minute or more (I've timed it up to 2.5 min), running its traction belts fruitlessly. When it does get free, it often seems to recognize there was a problem, and returns to the steps immediately, sometimes getting stuck again. This wastes a disproportionate amount of time, not to mention the additional wear and tear on the plaster and the robot. Consequently, I feel I need to check on it periodically while it's running in order to free it when it gets badly stuck. I'd much rather have it ignore the stairs entirely.
A second problem is that the two corners on the left side of the plastic housing scrape against the pool walls and stairs, leaving dark brown streaks on the plaster that are difficult to remove even with a wire brush. This abrasion is also wearing the housing down. I have started placing white waterproof adhesive tape on these corners prior to each use, which somewhat reduces the abrasive effects. It's annoying to have to do this. The right side corners do have rubber bumpers attached that prevent their scraping the wall. I suspect this may be because it tends to use its right side against the coping when cleaning the tiles. I don't see why the left side should not have similar bumpers.
On the whole this is an effective, time-saving robotic vacuum with room for improvement.
I finally took the plunge and I am super happy I did! We have 3 big dogs that love to swim! We also expanded out fence, so we unfortunately have a lot of dirt in our yard right now with the missing grass areas so the dogs walk through the dirt and the go in the pool…drives me INSANE!
We had hand vacuuming our pool constantly and as we all know, that wastes a TON of water! I was about ready last season to just close the pool because I could not keep it clean!
Well, I figured before I just kept the damn pool closed indefinitely, that I’d open it and buy a pool cleaner and see if that made any difference. Boy was I happy I did!
As suggested, I bought the filters for fine particles to make sure it would get the tiny debris and dirt at the bottom. I run it usually twice a day and clean it just about every 2 days. This is a power house! My deep end is 9 feet deep and my shallow end is 3 feet. It has no problem going up and down walls and the floor.
The only issue that I have is:
It does a crappy job cleaning the corners and area where the sides of the pool meet the bottom of the pool. I constantly have to brush those areas into the middle so the vacuum picks it up. Also, when you need to take the cleaner out, I found you have to pull it out super quick otherwise the debris has a tendency to run out with the water. Ideally, I’d like to be able to lift up the vacuum and let all the pool water run out before I lift the whole thing out, but unfortunately it tends to dump some of the debris back in. Finally, it’s kinda heavy. It’s hard to be able to pull it out without pulling the cord. You really need an s hook or something to help you grab it from the water. If I’m not mistaken, I think there is thing you can buy separately.
Overall, this is very worth the money! We’ve been using it several months now and I’m extremely happy with it!
The Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus captures fine particles like pollen better than any cleaner I’ve tried. However, the design of the filter bin is frustrating. It requires frequent disassembly and spraying down to fully clean, which feels like a weak point that could lead to breakage and future repair costs. There is also no surface summon feature, so you have to manually pull it up by the cable and reach into the pool.
The Polaris VRX iQ+ has a much larger debris bin and is far easier to maintain. The filter basket pops right out with no disassembly. It also includes a surface retrieval feature which saves you from having to reach into the water. The Polaris also comes with a very convenient caddy stand that holds both the cleaner and the control box securely. In comparison, the Dolphin’s control box just sits awkwardly on the ground near the pool, which worries me that it could get bumped or knocked into the water.
In my experience, my Polaris lasted four years before I replaced it with the Dolphin, primarily due to the lower price of the Dolphin at the time. The durability of Polaris was excellent.
As for the Wi-Fi features on both: they sound nice but aren’t really useful. You still have to manually place the cleaner into the pool, so scheduling or remote start doesn’t save any real trips. The notification when the cleaning is done isn’t practical either. I just go out when I’m ready.
Bottom line:
• If you want the absolute best fine debris cleaning and are OK with more maintenance effort (and possible repair costs later), the Dolphin is a solid choice
• If you value convenience, durability, and ease of maintenance, the Polaris is better despite the higher price
Both are strong performers for different priorities.
The robot itself is easy to work and easy to clean out. The added caddy is a great way to store it, and keep the cord untangled and ready for use. That’s about where it ends.
The reason I paid so much more this unit compared to others was the ability to remote control the device and target specific areas of the pool as needed. I have a great pool with awesome water movement, so leaves tend to settle in very specific areas. I’d rather not wait a few hours to hope it drives over that area to get them sucked up.
The app still has not been able to connect to the unit. Customer service in the US is a joke. I was told there’s a problem with the app so just wait a while and keep trying. Basically I take this as let’s wait until the return policy is expired and then you’re stuck with it. I was given troubleshooting steps that aren’t even options on this unit, frustrating as ever.
For a unit that does manual only random cleaning it’s great, but if it doesn’t have the feature that’s advertised making it worth the extra several hundred dollars it costs, I might as well buy a cheaper unit that does the same thing.
The seller was great, it shipped fast and came in with no delay and no visible damage. The unit does suck up leaves and it does get all the way up the walls. It did drive up the stairs out of the water , but it was able drive back down in lot the water and that by itself is rather impressive.
If you are like me and wanted the remote control feature with the WiFi linking to clean the pool on demand. Don’t waste your money. But if you want really cool robot that does clean up stuff and you want to pay several hundred dollars more than the others so you can brag about spending so much, then this one is for you.
**update**. Great support when you send a message via email to the customer center. I got nowhere with calling the US based support but got an immediate response from the email support team. Found my problem to be a faulty unit and they dispatched a replacement quickly. The app immediately connected with the replacement and all works fine. I will say the unit does work as advertised though the manual drive feature is not nearly as easy or useful as thought to be. It does allow me to at least guide the unit in the direction I’d like allowing me to get it into the ground or spots. I would recommend the unit given the ease of cleaning the unit and the great support by the manufacturer. If you are US based, I would recommend you not waste your time calling the US number for support, just send an email and get to the real support team. Not sure yet if the unit is much different from other units for a lower price, but the ability to schedule cleanings and start a cleaning cycle via the app even when I’m not home is useful. I like being able to jump online and kick off a cleaning cycle before getting home so it’s ready to swim shortly after getting home after a trip is handy.
Pros:
Low energy use (this is what drove our purchase, I calculated a 2 year payback over running the Polaris pressure pump and our energy bills definitely dropped when we switched to the Nautilus plus a variable-speed main pump)
Quiet, no external pump noise
VERY good at removing fine debris and leaves (won't handle big stuff like palm fronds, nor would I expect it to)
Easy to clean
It's nice to have the coarser filters for spring/fall cleanup and the fine pleated filters for the swim season
As stated above, zero need for replacement parts or maintenance beyond cleaning so far
Cons:
Needs an electrical outlet near the pool which could be a deal breaker for some applications. Fortunately we have a shed with power available five feet away and I wired up a dedicated outlet myself.
The cable runs from the controller across the concrete walkway to the pool, could cause a trip (but hasn't so far)
It's a vacuum cleaner, it doesn't really 'scrub' the pool walls. Occasional brushing is still needed, especially if any algae has grown
The price has gone up by 25% since we bought ours.
Parts, should they be needed, are available but not cheap.
The version we have has no real programmability. It starts when you push the button, runs for two hours, shuts down, and restarts at the same time every day (or every 2 or 3 days) for a week, then shuts down. Gone for a two week trip? Sorry, it won't run for the second week. Want to coordinate the cleaner run time with the main filter? Better be at the pool at the moment you want to cycle to start. Would an internal clock and programmable start time have been so hard to do? A $30 sprinkler timer has better controls. The new WiFi version looks keen, but the price is far higher so I can live with what we have. *This is why I knocked off one star.*
A raccoon(?) apparently dragged the cable out of the pool one night and chewed on it. It left toothmarks but did no real damage and the cable is still in use. A big dog could easily destroy it. A replacement cable runs $300, so malamute owners beware!
Overall, switching to the Nautilus has saved us $$$ over our previous pool cleaner, our pool stays clean, and we have been very satisfied with it. According to other reviews your mileage may vary.
After about 18 years of staunch loyalty to the P280, I decided to sever my ties with the Polaris, plug all my leaking pvc pipes, and retire my loud grinding polaris pump.
I bought this Dolphin because it didn't need a pump, operated independently and had the WIFI . The app was easy to install, it has many programmable features. The sweeper climbs to the scum line. It filters the water, so it actually can reduce your main pump running time.
It gives all sort of data regarding gallons filtered, miles traveled and so forth.
Now the draw backs:
-Very expensive.
-A wire hanging on the pool deck as compared to the hidden tube of the polaris.
-Very Heavy to pull out of the pool
-Limited canister capacity for the debris. It has two small rectangular canisters.
-The sweeper has two small suction openings, thus has a limited capacity for what it can suck. This was clear when Hurricane Helene hit our area. The Polaris is like a 4×4 ,has a bigger throat and manipulates it way over relatively large pieces as compared to the Dolphin sedan car working it's way on a smooth road avoiding rough terrain.
-Replacement parts for the Dolphin are expensive, and how long they last remain to be seen.
-I noticed after one month, it doesn't climb robustly as compared to when I bought it.
I have no regrets of buying this product as it performs very well and the app doesn't have glitches.
But unfortunately Zodiac Polaris technical support is hard to reach and incompetent.
The motor is now dead, just under 1.5 years later. For an $800+ vacuum this is a joke. Save your money, this cleaner is absolutely not worth the $$.
UPDATE: Maytronics was very quick to respond and send it to a repair shop about 20 min from my house. From the time I sent the inquiry to repaired and back in the pool was about 5 days. Very pleased with their response time and it was fixed under warranty. Updating to 4 stars, only reason it isn’t 5 is because the motor really should last longer than 1.5 years before having to be replaced…
The caddy is a complete waste of money. It’s cheap, plastic crap that seems like a good idea but what total waste. The hose doesn’t stay looped on the holder, it’s flimsy plastic and the tires are hard garbage. Wish I could return just the caddy