If you own a swimming pool, you know the struggle of keeping it clean, especially when it comes to pesky leaves. Whether you have a lush backyard with overhanging trees or live in a windy area, leaves can quickly turn your pristine pool into a messy eyesore. Fortunately, the solution lies in automatic pool cleaners for leaves. In this guide, I will explore the benefits, features, and top recommendations for these essential cleaning tools.
Why Use an Automatic Pool Cleaner for Leaves?
Manual cleaning can be a tedious and time-consuming task, especially if you’re trying to remove leaves from the pool surface or the bottom. An automatic pool cleaner takes the hassle out of maintenance, allowing you to enjoy your pool without the worry of constant upkeep.
Automatic pool cleaners are designed to work efficiently and consistently. They can cover every inch of your pool, ensuring that leaves and debris are picked up no matter where they settle.
Investing in an automatic pool cleaner can save you money in the long run. By maintaining a clean pool, you reduce the need for expensive chemical treatments and repairs caused by poor water quality.
Which Types of Pool Cleaners Can Work for Leaves?
Automatic pool cleaners use a combination of suction, brushes, and water pressure to remove leaves and debris from the pool. They can be categorized into a few main types.
Suction-Side Cleaners
These cleaners connect to your pool’s suction line, using the pool’s filtration system to draw in water and debris. They are effective at removing leaves and smaller particles, but may struggle with larger debris.
Pressure-Side Cleaners
Pressure-side cleaners use the water pressure from your pool’s return line to propel themselves around the pool. They utilize a collection bag to trap leaves and debris as they move, making them particularly effective for larger particles.
Some models even come equipped with additional features, such as an integrated filter system that allows them to capture finer debris while maintaining optimal water circulation. This versatility makes pressure-side cleaners an excellent choice for pools that frequently experience heavy leaf fall or larger debris.
Additionally, many of these cleaners are designed to be user-friendly, with easy setup and maintenance routines, ensuring that you can spend more time enjoying your pool and less time cleaning it.
Robotic Pool Cleaners
Robotic pool cleaners are designed to pick up leaves and debris effectively. They save you time and effort compared to manual cleaning. Many models use sensors to navigate the pool. This ensures thorough coverage and prevents missed spots.
Most robotic cleaners consume less power than traditional pool pumps. This can lead to cost savings on your energy bill over time.
These devices typically require minimal upkeep. Regular emptying of the debris bag is usually all that’s needed. With these benefits, a robotic pool cleaner can be a smart investment for maintaining a clean and inviting swimming pool.
Automatic Pool Surface Skimmers
I should probably mention another type of pool robot that can help to remove leaves from swimming pools: solar-powered pool surface skimmers. This type of automatic pool cleaner floats and moves on the surface of the swimming pool, catching leaves, bugs, and pollen, before it can sink to the bottom of the pool.
Most of these automated pool skimmers are powered by the sun, although some models can also be recharged with an included adapter that you plug into a power outlet. For starters, I suggest that you look at the Betta robotic pool skimmers, seeing as they are some of the simplest and most affordable solar-powered pool surface skimmers on the market today.
Best Automatic Pool Cleaners for Leaves
So, which automatic pool cleaners might be the best for leaves? There are three main types: suction-side cleaners, which use the pool’s filtration system; pressure-side cleaners, which utilize water pressure to navigate the pool; and robotic cleaners, which operate independently.
Previously, I wrote about whether robotic pool cleaners can pick up leaves and acorns, in which I mention both the Dolphin Premier and the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi.
While the Dolphin Premier (read my review here) has a large filter bag for catching lots of leaves, it is unfortunately on the expensive side.
In that case, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus Wi-Fi model is the more affordable and popular option that should be able to vacuum up leaves from an in-ground swimming pool without any significant problems (check its price on Amazon – paid link).
Furthermore, I might suggest a suction pool cleaner such as the Hayward W3PVS20JST Poolvergnuegen. This suction-side pool cleaner has self-adjusting turbine vanes that should prevent it from choking on large leaves. Click here to read more on Amazon (paid link).
Lastly, I suspect that a pressure-side pool cleaner such as the Polaris Vac-Sweep 280 should be able to blow a lot of leaves into its large filter bag, thanks to its large inlet port and additional pressure from its separate booster pump. Click here for current price on Amazon (paid link).
Conclusion
Automatic pool cleaners for leaves offer a convenient solution for maintaining clean swimming pools, especially in areas with overhanging trees or windy conditions. They save time and provide consistent performance by efficiently removing leaves and debris. Investing in an automatic pool cleaner can also be cost-effective, reducing the need for expensive chemical treatments and swimming pool repairs.
Photo by Til Jentzsch on Unsplash.