Nothing makes pool maintenance a lot less stressful than owning a robotic pool cleaner. They’re simple to install, operate at the cost of only pennies per day, reduce the strain on your pool’s filtration system, and provide a variety of other benefits.
When shopping for an appropriate robotic pool cleaner model, you’ll come across a wide range of features and specs that could make anyone dizzy. One example is the waterline cleaning feature. So, what does it do, and should you shell out the extra money to get it?
What Is the Waterline?
Before we get into the waterline cleaning feature, it’s crucial that you understand what your pool’s waterline is.
The waterline is a series of tiles that add to the aesthetics of your swimming pool. The tiles are installed at the top of the pool, just below the coping material. To put it simply, the waterline consists of the pool’s wall tiles that are exposed from above the pool.
Over time, oils, dirt, and calcium deposits will float to the surface of your pool and eventually settle on the waterline tiles. Removing the unsightly contaminants can be a pain since pool owners will have to manually scrub the buildup using specialized equipment.
What Is Waterline Cleaning?
Now that we know what the waterline is, the waterline cleaning feature is a lot more apparent. Not all robotic pool cleaners come with this feature, so you’ll have to pay extra care before settling on a certain robot model.
Basically, it’s a feature in robotic pool cleaner that allows it to scrub your waterline clean of debris.
How does it do it? A robot with waterline cleaning capabilities will come with high-traction tracks, which allow it to scale walls without flipping over. These tracks work in conjunction with backward-facing jets that keep the robot afloat for several minutes at a time. Eventually, the robot will have to reverse back into the water before scrubbing the waterline at another spot.
However, some of the fancier robotic pool cleaners come with horizontally moving tracks or wheels. So, as the robot stays afloat, the tracks will propel the robot to the left or right to clean a greater portion of the waterline before submerging back into the water.
Do I Need This Feature?
First of all, only you can decide whether spending a bit more on a robotic pool cleaner with waterline cleaning capabilities is worth it. However, please allow us to propose the following reasons for investing in this feature:
- You don’t have to manually scrub the waterline. This is a tedious task that most pool owners outsource to professional cleaning services. Why not get a robotic pool cleaner to do it instead?
- It leaves your pool looking as pristine from above as it does underwater. There’s nothing as uninviting as having a yellowish-brown ring along the perimeter of your swimming pool. If you want to make your pool swim-ready all season long, you’ll need a robot with the waterline cleaning feature.
- You have an inground pool. Sorry, above-ground pool owners, but the waterline cleaning feature is only found in robots for inground pools. Above-ground robots aren’t made to scale walls at all.
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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