Outdoor and indoor swimming pools, ponds, and artificial lakes are a great attraction in many hotels, restaurants, and houses. They increase the beauty and attraction of the place and are a great spot for partying or just relaxing. Everyone loves the pools, and whenever they see it, their first thought is to jump right in or maybe soak their feet in it for some time. Just like all other places, swimming pools also require maintenance and cleaning. As you would expect, it is not easy at all. Emptying the place from water, cleaning the surface, and replacing the water takes a lot of effort and time. There is no short-cut to do it either since all the dirt and debris floats in the water, giving it a murky look. However, the advent of technology has solved this issue as well. Just as we use vacuum cleaners to vacuum our homes, pond vacuum cleaners have been introduced to clean the pools. They suck all the dirt and debris without any hassle at all and are a great accessory to keep in your place if you have a swimming pool or a small pond in your possession.
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What to look for when buying a Pond vacuum
There are many things to consider when you are buying pond vacuum cleaners. The specific features of the pond vacuum make sure that you are buying the best pond vacuum cleaner. Some of the details of the points you should consider when buying a pond vacuum cleaner are as follows:
- Weight and Size: this is the most important feature when you are buying a pond vacuum. This mostly depends on ‘who’ is using the vacuum. If an elderly or children are using the vacuum, then a lighter one is preferred with weight less than 9 kg. However, if you can manage heavier models, you can buy a canister vacuum cleaner. It will have stronger suction power and more dust retaining capacity.
- Discharging Options: the pond vacuum cleaners usually come with different discharging options. You can discharge the weight manually or automatically. For manual discharge, you have to press a button that will discharge all the debris. In contrast to that, for the automatic one, there are smart controls inside it. They detect when the debris bag is full and then alert you and clean themselves. However, you will have to wait until the discharge is complete before you can start again.
- Price: there are many great vacuum cleaners that you can buy at affordable prices with all the features you want. To get the best one, you can compare different pond vacuum reviews to help you buy the best pond cleaner that you want.
- Great warranty: you can always know how great a vacuum cleaner is by its warranty. A longer warranty means that the company is confident in the reliability of its product. It is always good to know that if your vacuum cleaner is broken or has any issues, the warranty has got your back.
Type of Pond Vacuums
There are two major types of pond vacuum cleaners. These types are differentiated based on the source of power that is used and by the drive mechanism. The names and descriptions of these two types are explained below.
- Suction Side Pond Vacuum Cleaners: they are the most commonly used pool vacuum because of their easy and cost-effective mechanism. They use the pool’s pump to pump dirty water with debris inside them. Then the filters clean the water, which comes out with the help of outlet valves. This is done with the help of a 15-inch hose extending from the pool pump to the vacuum.
These types of pumps are great for light cleanings such as clearing sand or small amounts of debris. A large amount of dirt is not cleaned with the help of these pool vacuums since the pipe or unit can be clogged. This greatly decreases the efficiency of the pump and also increases electricity costs. A suction-side pool vacuum is the first type of pool vacuum to be created.
- Pressure-Side Pond Vacuum Cleaners: This type of vacuum, just like the suction-side pool vacuum, uses the pressure of the pool pump. In addition to that, it also uses the pressure of the “secondary” booster installed in most pool vacuums. They provide more suction to the sides of the pool and the water and, therefore, collect more debris. All the dirt is collected in a filter bag, and clean water is pumped out through the outlet valves.
The best pool cleaners are generally more expensive and more sophisticated than the suction-side vacuums. Large-sized debris such as leaves, sticks, and acorns, not collected by the suction side vacuums, can easily be caught by the pressure-side pool vacuums. Another disadvantage of these vacuums is high maintenance and electricity costs. The limitation of the filter’s pore size also makes it difficult to achieve a hundred percent cleanliness.
Can it reach the bottom of your Pond?
Many people frequently ask this question, and many people make the mistake of not buying a vacuum that reaches their pond’s depth. To know whether the vacuum can reach the bottom of your pond or not, you need to know about four things: the depth of the pond, the cord length, and the hose length. You can also consider the discharge hose’s length if you want the dirt water to be emptied away from the pool.
The cord length needs to be enough so that it can reach the closest power outlet easily. The hose length should also be long to reach the depth of the pool or pond easily. It would be best if you also took care of the suction depth, and it is the most important of all. A hose length of 16 feet is of no use if the suction depth is only 6 feet. The suction depth depends upon the pool or secondary pump and the power to suck water upwards. So, it would be best if you bought pool vacuums with stronger suction power.
How Much Suction?
Suction is very important for the complete cleaning of the ponds, and it depends upon the wattage of the pool vacuum, the depth of the pool, and how much time you can spend on cleaning it. The greater the wattage and power of the pool vacuum is, the greater is the size.
There are two main types of suction systems used that depend upon the suction chamber. The suction chamber can be single or double. Single-chamber pumps have less power, but they are commonly used. You first suck in the dirty water and then, after cleaning, wait for it to discharge. You cannot do both things simultaneously. However, the double-chamber pumps suck in dirty water and discharge wastes side by side. You don’t have to wait for one process to end. They also have more power in them.
Look Out for Attachments
Versatility is very important when you buy a pool vacuum. Like regular vacuums, the best pond cleaner also comes with a lot of accessories and attachments to increase the pool vacuum’s functionality. They can be used to clean the nook and cranny of the pool or pond easily.
The wide brim cleaning head is used for cleaning larger surfaces. The slit brim cleaning head is used to clean crevices and hard to reach places. Some attachments have bristles or brushes at their ends used to scrub algae or any muck from surfaces. This may make the pool cloudy, but a second clean with the pool vacuum would clear that up in no time. Some pool vacuums also have dirtbags attached at the end to collect debris and disposing of it without having to touch the dirt at all.
Chambers and Discharge
Many pond vacuum pumps have single or double chambers inside of them. These chambers are differentiated based on whether the discharge and sucking of dirty water are happening simultaneously or not. In a single chamber, the dirty water is sucked, and after the process is completed, the discharge takes place. However, the double-chamber vacuum pump can suck in dirty water, filter it, and simultaneously discharge the debris. This saves time, power, and electricity costs.
There are also two methods of how discharge can take place. It can be done either manually or automatically. In manual discharge, you press a button, and the debris comes out. However, you have to be careful so that the whole process can be done effectively. In automatic discharge, the vacuum senses itself when the container is full, and the discharge occurs. A downside of this is that you have to wait until the discharge is complete to start the sucking process again.
Chamber Capacity
Chamber capacity is very important to know how much water can be filtered before cleaning the debris. The greater the chamber capacity, the more volume of water you can clean at a time. If your pool vacuum has a smaller chamber capacity, then you have to clean the debris frequently. It means that you will have to unplug and discharge water frequently, which will slow the process a lot and make the cleaning process tougher and exhausting. The chamber capacity is more important to consider if you are buying a vacuum pool with a single chamber pump.
Carrying and Storage
The larger and more powered vacuum you buy, the greater the vacuum’s size and weight will be. Larger vacuums mean that they will hard to store in a safe place and will also be difficult to move.
Maneuverability is very important for pool vacuums, especially if the pools are large and need a lot of cleaning. With the powerful motor’s addition, the muck and grime also add weight to the pool vacuum cleaner. So you have to make sure that the vacuum has a good set of wheels.
However, if you have a small pool or pond, then a vacuum with a lighter design is great. A lighter pool vacuum cleaner can also be used if the people using it are elders, children, or people with injuries. But then again, if the weight and size is not a problem for you, buy a good vacuum with a lot of power that will easily and effectively clean your pool without any trouble.
Compare the Pond Vacuum Before Buying
With the increase in private indoor and outdoor pools and ponds with restaurants, the pool vacuums are also increasing in demand. A large number of great pool vacuum models have been introduced. They all flaunt their great and attractive features. We have a lot of models to choose from, which may sometimes be confusing. It would help if you had a clear and definite picture of what you want; otherwise, you will only be confused.
To avoid such confusion, you should always compare the features and specifications of different models so that you can buy the best one out of them all. You can also search for pond vacuum reviews. Some of the important features that you should consider while buying a pool vacuum are as follows.
- The pool vacuum is automatic or manual. Manual pool vacuums are good for smaller pools, but they use physical labor and don’t do in-depth cleaning. So automatic ones are better.
- The depth of the pool and the length of the hose and suction cord.
- The suction power
- The weight and portability of the vacuum
- The versatility and number of attachments it allows.
- The type of pool vacuum chamber.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. This article has thrown light on all the aspects and features of the pond vacuum cleaners. It has also explained what kind of vacuum can be used in which condition and how much time would be needed to use them. This knowledge must have helped you get a clearer picture of the best pool vacuum cleaner you want in the future. You can also check the pond vacuum reviews to know what your fellow customers have to say. In the end, the only thing left for you to do is buy the best kind of vacuum that you want. Happy shopping!
