Great White Pool Cleaner: It Preys On Dirt And Grime

The Kreepy Krauly Great White automatic inground pool cleaner is not as big, or fast, as a real great white shark. It does not live as long as a white shark, even though it might clean an inground swimming pool for a few years.

Introduction

The Pentair Kreepy Krauly Great White is a suction-side pool cleaner designed for cleaning inground pools with a variety of surfaces. Its pool cleaner head has bristles for light brushing and an oscillator which moves it around.

The biggest benefit is its bristle-drive mechanism which brushes off dirt which is then vacuumed away by the pool cleaner.

Its biggest drawback might be that it spends too much time cleaning the deep end of the pool, while it rarely cleans the shallow end of the pool.

This review of the Kreepy Krauly Great White looks at its features, precautions, questions, advantages and disadvantages.

Kreepy Krauly Great White: Features

  • Model number: GW9500.
  • Its cleaning path is about 15 inches wide.
  • Vacuum regulator valve for manually adjusting its suction power.
  • It attaches to the pool’s skimmer for a standard installation.
  • Optional dedicated suction port installation method.
  • Bristles that wipe the pool floor, stirring up the dormant dirt.
  • Suction-side vacuum action removes dirt and debris from the swimming pool.
  • Depending on the size of the swimming pool, it needs about 4 to 6 hours for cleaning.
  • It spends a lot more time in the deep end than in the shallow end of the pool.
  • The oscillator moves the bristles as well as the pool cleaner head.
  • It moves in a random pattern, it does not have eyes or special programming.
  • The cleaner head often rotates with one side lifted to clear itself of obstacles or to change direction.
  • Cleans inground swimming pools with vinyl, fiberglass, gunite, tiled or other surfaces.

Kreepy Krauly Great White: Precautions

Do not use the Great White pool cleaner in a swimming pool that has a damaged vinyl liner. Please check that there are no roots, stones or other small objects beneath the vinyl liner.

If you have a pool with tiled surfaces, please check for and repair any loose tiles before installing and operating the pool cleaner.

The Great White is not intended for cleaning a very dirty pool at the beginning of summer. Also, do not operate the pool cleaner underneath a solar cover.

Keep in mind that it does not clean pool steps, you will have to do that yourself, or you may direct the pool cleaner to the steps by using the included handle adapter, a telepole and a few minutes of manual labor.

What parts are included in the box?

The following Kreepy Krauly Great White parts are included:

  • Pool cleaner head
  • Swivel assembly
  • Handle adapter (for attaching a telepole for manual movement)
  • Reducer cone (fits into skimmer connections)
  • Twelve hose lengths of 4-feet each (total length is 48 feet)
  • Vacuum regulator (turn the knob to increase or decrease the suction)
  • Regulator cap
  • Vacuum port fitting (it has a spring-loaded safety cover)
  • Flow gauge (for checking the suction flow).

Will large tree leaves obstruct the suction of the Great White?

Yes, big tree leaves or other large objects will get stuck and block the suction of the pool cleaner. Remember to turn off the pool pump before trying to remove any blockage from the pool cleaner head, swivel assembly or other part of the suction system. This will prevent possible injury to your fingers or hands.

If your pool gathers a lot of leafy debris from trees, then you might want to add a Pentair R211084K clear leaf trap canister. This leaf trap has its own mesh bag to trap large debris before it reaches the filter basket of the pool pump. It is easier to clean out than the pump’s filter basket. It also provides more storage for debris, as well as a water flow by-pass when the mesh bag is full of leaves (buy leaf trap on Amazon).

Will the Great White damage a Pebble Tec pool surface?

No, it probably won’t damage the Pebble Tec surface of your pool, unless there is already some previous damage. Repair any visible damage before installing and using this pool cleaner.

Does the Great White clean the pool walls?

Yes, it climbs and cleans most of the swimming pool walls in the deep end of the pool, but it rarely does this in the shallow end of the pool. Also, like most pool cleaners, it needs a curved transition from pool floor to wall to make it onto the pool wall.

Advantages

  • Affordable and reliable.
  • Fairly easy to assemble and install.
  • It is a relatively simple pool cleaner (i.e. fewer parts that can break).
  • Bristle drive gently scrubs the pool surfaces to help remove dirt.

Disadvantages

  • It was not created for cleaning steps or swim-outs.
  • Needs a curved transition from floor to wall, otherwise it won’t climb the walls.
  • Spends most of its time cleaning the floor and walls at the deep end of the pool.
  • It takes a certain degree of patience to correctly adjust the suction power.

Conclusion

The Kreepy Krauly Great White is a simple suction-side pool cleaner that is quick to connect and easy to operate. It is not the fastest shark in the pool or the most ferocious dirt-eater, but it gets the cleaning job done in its own time.

Its hose line and vacuum regulator connects to either the pool’s skimmer (standard installation) or to a dedicated suction port with the vacuum regulator connected to the skimmer (optional installation). The vacuum regulator is used to increase or decrease the suction of the pool cleaner. It is very important to get the suction just right, otherwise the pool cleaner will be dead in the water.

The Kreepy Krauly Great White seems to be an affordable and reliable suction-side pool cleaner that will clean an inground pool without winning any awards (check price on Amazon).

P.S. You might also be interested in another similar suction-side automatic pool cleaner: the Kreepy Krauly Sand Shark.