Robotic Pool Cleaner vs. Professional Pool Service: Which Is Better?

Being a pool owner, you may know how important it is to maintain your pool to ensure it stays pristine and keeps functioning all year round. While swimming may be fun, maintaining the pool regularly may be laborious. From removing dirt and debris to sweeping the pools’ floors, pool maintenance may seem like a huge hassle. So, if you’re not a DIY person, you may consider assigning the task to someone else. Perhaps you may consider a pool cleaner for the job. But which one should you choose, a robotic cleaner or a professional pool service? In this blog, we highlight all aspects of robotic pool cleaner vs. professional pool service to help you make an informed decision.

In this article:

• Understanding Pool Maintenance
• Pool Care Solutions: Robotic vs. Professional
  • Scope of Services
  • Labor Required
  • Estimated Cost
  • Flexibility and Accessibility
• Key Considerations When Choosing A Robotic Pool Cleaner
  • Pool Specifications
  • Nearby Environment
  • Personal Tendency

Understanding Pool Maintenance

Pool care is extremely important as you cannot take a dip in a pool that is unsafe for use. Regular pool maintenance helps combat bacteria and prevents algae buildup. It also prevents you and your loved ones from contracting several infections or health issues. Here’s how you can maintain your pool regularly.

Use Chemicals

You must maintain water chemistry as imbalanced water chemistry leads to cloudiness, bacterial spread, or green water, which is unsafe for use. Hence you must add chemicals such as chlorine tablets to the pool as they help eliminate bacteria and sanitize your pool.

Clean the Pool Filter

Since pool filters are constantly running, they tend to accumulate dirt, debris, or leaves that may hinder their efficiency and affect pool circulation. Without pool circulation, your pool may have stagnant water, which is a breeding ground for algae and bacteria. Hence, you must regularly clean your pool filter at least once a week to keep the water running.

Shock a Pool

If you regularly use your pool and often host huge pool parties or you live in a windy area, it is recommended to shock your pool at least once every two weeks. Pool shock refers to adding a higher level of chlorine into the pool to remove bacteria, cloudiness, and other contaminants, ensuring a crystal-clean pool.

Pool Care Solutions: Robotic vs. Professional

When dealing with pool maintenance, you have two options: robotic pool cleaner vs. professional pool service. While both pool care solutions are effective, there are a few differences between the two that may impact your final decision. Let’s find out.

Scope of Services

The first aspect to consider is the scope of services. Robotic pool cleaners employ sensors and advanced technology to sweep, scrub, and vacuum the entire pool area. Once set up, they keep moving throughout the pool, sweeping debris and collecting it in its basket. However, robotic pool cleaners are only limited to cleaning as they cannot do additional tasks such as replacing pool filters or adding chemicals to the pool.

A pool professional can do all sorts of pool care, including emptying the pool filter, checking the pool lining for leaks, adding chemicals into the pool to balance chemistry, etc. In terms of the range of services provided, a pool professional can handle all aspects of pool maintenance, making them a more versatile option.

Labor Required

A robotic pool cleaner doesn’t require much labor as it automatically cleans the pool without human intervention. All you need to do is place the robotic cleaner in the pool, and it will do the job by itself. On the other hand, a pool professional exerts physical labor by coming to your house and cleaning the pool manually.

Estimated Cost

In terms of cost, a robotic pool cleaner may be a bit expensive initially but it’s cost-effective in the long run as you only need to make an investment in the first place, and the robotic pool cleaner will do its job for years to come. A pool professional service charges per session so it is economical but can suddenly increase expense depending on the condition of your pool in the following years.

Flexibility and Accessibility

The biggest difference between robotic pool cleaner vs. professional pool service is flexibility. A robotic pool cleaner can be used anytime. Whether it’s early morning or late at night, you can simply place the pool cleaner in the pool, and it will do its job. A pool cleaner is also ideal in emergency situations such as a heavy hailstorm, making it more convenient and accessible than pool professionals as they can come at a certain time. They may also not be available 24/7, which may delay your pool maintenance. Hence, a robotic pool cleaner wins in this regard.

Key Considerations When Choosing A Robotic Pool Cleaner

If you are considering purchasing a robotic pool cleaner, there are certain things you need to look for.

Pool Specifications

The pool specifications, such as the pool material, matter a lot when purchasing a pool cleaner. If your pool is made of concrete, you need a pool cleaner with strong brushes and rubber wheels to traverse the hard floor easily. Similarly, if it’s made of fiberglass then you need to choose the one designed for such pools.

Moreover, pool shape and size matter too. If your pool is irregularly shaped, then you need to purchase a robotic pool cleaner with extensions to reach the nooks and crannies. If your pool is oval-shaped then the simple pool cleaner with rotating brushes will do just fine.

Nearby Environment

Your environment is another important factor to consider. If you live in a windy area with ever-changing weather, your pool may accumulate leaves, dirt, and debris quickly. For such scenarios, you need a powerful robotic pool cleaner with a huge litter basket to effectively sweep the pool and remove debris.

Personal Tendency

Lastly, your personal tendency matters, too. If you love labor and manually cleaning the pool, then a robotic pool cleaner may not be suitable for you. But if you are busy and have no time for manual labor, then the robotic pool cleaner provides effective and automated pool care.

Final Thought

Considering the aspects of a robotic pool cleaner and the professional pool service, the robotic pool cleaner is a better option as it automatically sweeps, scrubs, and cleans the pool floor and walls without human intervention. With a pool cleaner, you can focus on other aspects of your life without worrying about your pool getting dirty. Also, your pool will stay pristine throughout the season.

However, if you do encounter serious pool problems like a pool pump breakdown, do not hesitate to call a professional pool service as they can fix the issue effectively. You must remember that a robotic pool cleaner can handle pool maintenance to a limited extent so contact a pool professional if you face unprecedented pool issues.