Everything You Need to Know About Suction Pool Cleaners
June 09, 2020 at 10:30 AM
As a pool owner, you’ve probably heard of a suction pool cleaner—one of the three main types of automatic cleaners. Automatic cleaners are the easiest and most effective way to maintain your pool. A suction pool cleaner is an automatic option that’s quiet, simple and cost-effective.
When you’re trying to find the right pool cleaner for you, it’s important to know your pool’s unique needs and how different pool cleaners work. Let’s take a deep dive into one of the most popular automatic pool cleaners on the market, suction pool cleaners.
What is a Suction Pool Cleaner?
A suction pool cleaner is a simple cleaner that uses your pool’s existing filtration system to keep everything clean. It works by connecting directly to your skimmer or a dedicated suction line that pulls in water to the pump. The cleaner then moves around the pool, sucking up sediment and debris and sending it to the pump filter basket and the pool filter.
Pools have a filtration system that keeps the pool water filtered and clean. In basic terms, the “heart” of this system is your pool’s pump. The pump is responsible for pulling and pushing water and filtering out debris.
The pump sucks water into the skimmer; then, as the water flows through, a filter collects dirt and debris. Finally, the pump pushes the freshly filtered clean water back into your pool.
Is a Suction Pool Cleaner Right for Me?
Your dedicated pool professional is the best person to answer this question. While suction pool cleaners are an accessible and affordable option, they aren’t right for everyone or every pool.
It’s essential to ensure that the suction pool cleaner you choose is compatible with your pool type and finish. Also be sure to consider what kind of debris your cleaner will encounter regularly. Not all suction cleaners can handle larger items like leaves, pinecones or twigs.
Suction-side pool cleaners are terrific at picking up small- to medium-sized debris such as fine sediment, seeds, dirt, silt, algae and small leaves. Models vary, but Zodiac’s suction-side models are safe to use on fiberglass, tile, concrete and vinyl pools. There is a Zodiac suction cleaner for in-ground pools of every size.
Main Benefits of Zodiac® Suction Cleaners
When you’re looking for the best suction pool cleaner, Zodiac MX8™ Elite and Zodiac MX6™ Elite cleaners are a mark above the rest. These suction-side pool cleaners offer many clear benefits, including:
- They run using your pool’s existing filtration system
- They feature cyclonic scrubbing brushes for superior cleaning
- They climb walls and scrub at the waterline to remove stuck-on debris
- They’re safe to use on most pool types
- They’re quiet and operate on their own
- No extra storage basket is required
- You can use them as often as necessary
- They’re terrific at picking up small- to medium-sized debris
Clearly, a suction pool cleaner has many advantages. Keep in mind that these cleaners rely exclusively on the main pool pump and filtration system and must be manually connected to the hose each time you use them.
Suction-side cleaners aren’t the only type of automatic pool cleaners available through Zodiac. There are also pressure pool cleaners and robotic cleaners. These other two cleaners present their own unique benefits, which we’ll touch on in an upcoming article.
Making the Right Choice
Automatic pool cleaners are effective tools for keeping your pool clean while eliminating the hassle of manual cleaning. If you’re looking for the best suction pool cleaner on the market, Zodiac’s suction-side cleaners are the right choice.