A robotic pool cleaner is a real game-changer. Having a trusty robot at your side reduces how much manual labor you have to do, meaning that you can actually enjoy your pool rather than suffer to keep it swim-ready for others.
If you have yet to purchase a robotic pool cleaner, please take your time in your research. Some robots can cost upwards of $1,000, and the last thing anyone wants is to spend a small fortune on a robotic pool cleaner that isn’t even compatible in their pools.
There are all sorts of key considerations to take into account, but in this guide, we’re going to focus specifically on the cable length and why it matters.
What Cable Are We Talking About?
The way a robotic pool cleaner works is it draws power from a remote control module via a cable. This cable goes by many names, including floating cable and swivel cable. Regardless of what you call it, it serves one purpose: to supply power to your robot.
Modern-day robots don’t have to deal with tangling, thanks to the 360-degree swiveling feature. The swiveling mechanism lets your robot twist, turn, and perform 180-degree turns without excessive tugging and possible kinking.
As great as a swivel cord is, it won’t help if your robot’s cable is too short for your pool.
How Long of a Cable Do I Need?
The ideal cable length depends on the size of your swimming pool. For obvious reasons, the cable should be long enough to provide the robot free-range movement from corner to corner without pulling the cord.
Your robot’s movement range is highly dependent on how much cabling it has. The length of the cable is of grave importance as it is an indication of what size pool the robot can clean—e.g., a robotic pool cleaner with a 40-foot cable will be incapable of reaching all four sides of a 70-foot-long swimming pool.
To illustrate the ideal cable length, there are several key factors to keep in mind:
- The distance between the controller module and your pool
- The distance between the two widest points of your pool
- The maximum depth of your pool
- Add 5-10 feet to allow for slack in the cable
So, for instance, let’s say you’ve followed the instruction manual and 1) placed the controller module 10 feet away from the shallow end of your pool and 2) that your rectangular pool measures 20 feet wide by 40 feet long with a maximum depth of 10 feet. So, the widest points between your pool—i.e., the distance between the top-left corner to the bottom-right—is roughly 23 feet.
The ideal cable length for your robotic pool cleaner would be at least 10 feet + 23 feet + 10 feet + 10 feet = 53 feet. Any robotic pool cleaner with a 53-plus-foot cable would be ideal for such a swimming pool.
The larger your swimming pool is, the longer your robotic pool cleaner’s cable has to be to reach all four corners of your pool in one cleaning session. If a robotic pool cleaner’s cable is too short, consider searching for another robot or finding one that lets you connect cable extensions (sold separately from the robot unit).
Related Robotic Pool Cleaner Articles
• How to Use a Robotic Pool Cleaner
• What Features to Look For in a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
• How to Maintain a Robotic Pool Cleaner?
• Robotic Pool Cleaner Troubleshooting Tips
• What is a Swivel Cord?
• Pressure vs. Suction vs. Robotic Pool Cleaners
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