Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 Above Ground Pool Cleaner Review

The Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 is a pressure-side automatic pool cleaner made for cleaning vinyl or fiberglass above ground swimming pools that are up to five feet deep. The Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 is powered by water pressure from the swimming pool pump. It is connected to the pressure-side return line. My Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 review answers a few questions about its included parts, its installation, its recommended pool types and pool sizes.

What is included with the Polaris Vac-Sweep 65?

  • Surface module
  • 24-foot float hose
  • Quick disconnect and universal wall fitting
  • 7-foot sweep hose with wheel cages
  • Jet sweep assembly
  • Filter bag (not covered by warranty)

How do you install the Vac-Sweep 65?

You screw the provided universal wall fitting into the 1.5-inch threaded opening of the return line. Add the quick disconnect into the universal wall fitting. You need a Polaris adapter kit if the return line is 1.25 inches or 2 inches big.

The next thing to do is to adjust the sweep hose length to the depth of your above ground swimming pool. You measure the deepest part of the pool, and then you add two more feet to this number. This is how long the sweep hose should be. Cut the sweep hose to the correct length, add the hose connector to the end, attach the jet sweep assembly and add the filter bag.

You also need to adjust the float hose to the desired length. Attach the float hose to the return line and then reach it out towards the farthest wall of the pool. The end of the float hose should stop about 4 feet away from the farthest point in the permanent above ground pool. Cut the float hose to the correct length and add the surface module at the front of the float hose.

You can follow the instructions in the pool cleaner’s manual to do the installation. It has quick installation instructions as well tips for fine-tuning the performance of the pool cleaner. It gives information on routine maintenance, troubleshooting and parts.

Can it clean a soft-sided Intex pool?

No, it is not recommended. The Intex pool pump that comes with the soft-sided pool is too weak to power the Polaris 65 automatic pool cleaner. The Polaris universal wall fitting will not fit into the standard return line wall fitting of the Intex pool. You will need to find the right adapter. These two reasons are enough to avoid buying it for a soft-sided Intex swimming pool.

If you need to clean a soft-sided Intex above ground pool, then look no further than the inexpensive Intex 28001E automatic pool cleaner. You can read my review of it here.

Can the Vac-Sweep 65 clean an inground concrete pool?

No, it will not perform well. The Polaris 65 is made for cleaning above ground pools with a vinyl liner or fiberglass surface.

If you were looking for a Polaris pressure-side pool cleaner for your inground concrete pool, then we suggest you look at the Vac-Sweep 360. It does not need water pressure from an extra booster pump like the Polaris 280 and 380 models.

Which above ground pool sizes can it clean?

The maximum pool size it can clean is limited by the length of its float hose, which is 24 feet long. The pool cleaner will work at its best for pool sizes that are up to 27 feet long and 5 feet deep. Any longer or deeper than this and the hoses might not be long enough to reach and clean the whole pool. You will need to buy a float hose extension kit for pools that are bigger than 30 feet.

Patented jet sweep assembly and removable filter bag
The surface module floats on top, while the jet sweep and filter bag are on the bottom.

Will an uneven pool liner bottom cause problems?

No, it will not cause a problem because the surface module floats on the surface. The jet sweep assembly and filter bag are the only parts of the pool cleaner that are close to the bottom. The automatic pool cleaner will not get stuck on wrinkles or disappear into shallow hollows. The jet sweep blows water into the attached filter bag, so it might stir up and catch debris that is stuck in a dip or a wrinkle.

Conclusion

The Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 pressure-side pool cleaner (model number 6-130-00) can clean above ground pools of up to 27 feet long (or more if you add hose extensions). The maximum pool depth is 5 feet.

The float hose and universal wall fitting screws into a 1.5-inch threaded return line opening. If the return line in your pool is another size, then you will need to find the right adapter to make it work.

Some owners suspect that either the design or the quality of this pool cleaner has decreased in the last few years. It used to work better, but now its performance in the pool can be frustrating. The biggest problem seems to be that its hoses can get coiled and tangled up, preventing it from cleaning properly.

The Polaris Vac-Sweep 65 gets mixed reviews. Some reviewers give it a score of 100%. Other people, who cannot not get it to work properly in their pools, give it only 20%. I suggest you read more reviews on Amazon before making a decision.