We'd had a Haywaward Pool Vac for many years, but the constant replacing of parts was costing us over $100 a year.
The Baracuda cleans okay, but it is not as good as the Hayward was since it does not seem to hit all areas of the pool. A relative has the same Baracuda cleaner and the same problem, so it is not something with our setup or pool, it is a cleaner fault. Again, though, the cleaning is okay with the Baracuda - it is better than nothing.
The real fault in the Baracuda G3 (and presumably G4) is that the cleaner gets stuck on the main drain if the main drain is an anti vortex raised drain. Rounded main drain covers are available for purchase (at about $60 each) to help the cleaner go over the main drain, but many people have had problems with those products staying down over the drain.When I called Baracuda for help, they admitted they were aware of this issue. They said it was due to my 'non standard' pool design, but my 'non standard' pool design is soon to be required by building code, so Baracuda should get their act together and come up with a solution.
Also annoying is the fact that Baracuda is aware that they have issues with certain drain covers, but NO WHERE in their literature did they say that. In other words, let the people buy it and then find out it does not work right in their pool.
Because it gets stuck randomly, and I do not babysit my pool cleaner, the return period had passed by the time I realized the problem. Baracuda would not help, so I am stuck with a cleaner that does not work according to Baracuda's advertising. The cleaner is still under warranty, but they say it works as designed, so they won't help.
We did our homework about this pool cleaner before purchase, but this problem was not publicized anywhere. So, to others, if you have or plan on getting raised, anti vortex, main drains (and you should, for safety reasons), AVOID the Baracuda G3 and G4 cleaners.
Note that our previous Hayward Pool Vac, in our same alleged 'non standard' pool, never had this problem. I guess the extra money in maintenance is worth it for a product that does not need babysitting.
Even if you don't have that type of drain, I'd avoid Baracuda products just due to poor customer service.
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Although an expensive investment up front, I found the Aquabot Turbo T Robotic Inground Pool Cleaner to be well worth it.I could never get my pool spot-less with a manual vac.In three hours, I have pristine, sparkling water!All without wasting hundreds of gallons of pool water (not to mention the chemicals that are also wasted with manual vac).Because this cleaner is independent, I need less backwashing as well!!!!
