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

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

1. 

   

   

   +1

   Bobber

   Rated 4 out of 5

   October 11, 2018

   Free Willy

   I rely heavily on product reviews when making purchases so I will leave the most accurate comprehensive review possible.I researched robotic pool clea...More

   I rely heavily on product reviews when making purchases so I will leave the most accurate comprehensive review possible.
   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.

   Helpful? 1652 0
   James Nicholas

   Rated 4 out of 5

   June 2, 2020

   First time automatic pool vacuum user - Here's my experience!

   Background: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 c...More

   Background:
   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!

   Helpful? 58 0
   

   

   +1

   Geo

   Rated 4 out of 5

   September 4, 2022

   The backyard Poll Superstore return policy is highway robbery. $180 to $450 restocking fee!

   The pool cleaner is well made and seems to clean well when its not stuck. In each cleaning cycle it would would at some point start to clean the wate...More

   The pool cleaner is well made and seems to clean well when its not stuck. In each cleaning cycle it would would at some point start to clean the waterline area and would get stuck in the corner of my stairs. It would rock forward and backward about 5 inches but never free itself. The rest of the pool didn't get cleaned. I let it try to free itself for about 4 minutes, it didn't so I moved it. I tried 3 more times but each time it would find its way to the stairs and get stuck, this is a real pain in the... This issue combined with the large size and heavy weight was reason for my decision to return it. It weighs 20lbs, add 5 to 10lbs until the water drains. Bending lower than floor level to lift out a 25-30lb machine can be pretty tough for some. However, the problem isn't so much with the cleaner, its the supplier BackYard Pool Superstore. Any return for something that they have no control of (ie. defective product, unhappy with its performance, anything the that they didn't do (doesn't matter if the manufacture caused the problem) they charge you 20% if its unused $180. plus shipping, and if you tried it in your pool, they charge you a 50% restocking fee $450. The is absolute highway robbery! Don't just glance at the "Prime" shipping annotation next to their listing and think you're Amazon safe if you need to return it. You are not protected by the good return policies that Amazon offers when you buy from the BackYard Pool Superstore. I've had 2 other robotic pool cleaners in the last 14 years and none were this heavy, nor did they get stuck. Unfortunately nether are available right not. However I'm not willing to give up $450 of the $899 to a store who just sells the product and wants to rip people off. Of course I had to try it to before I found its doesn't work for my pool. Your going to charge me $450 plus shipping (another $50 or so) just because I had to tried it in my pool to find out there was a problem? I guess I'll just have to babysit the cleaner and free it each time it gets stuck, and get into the water to push it up and out of the water when its done. This store is a total rip off, buyer be very aware! Even though it gets stuck in my pool, maybe it won't in yours. However, save yourself from the chance of losing a bunch of money and buy this from someone who has a little to no risk return policy or maybe a local store if you can.

   Helpful? 33 0