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- 5 reviews
- 2 likes
Had the MX8 and the Pentair Rebel suction pool cleaners, the Pentair has a serious design flaw which Pentair and the Pool Shop could not fix so it was rubbish and sat in the deep end for its short life, the MX8 was much better but had a lot of moving parts that needed regular maintenance, the Hayward is by far the best.
Purchased in May 2021 for $650.
Worked fine for 18 months then 3 breakdowns in 6 months. I have a small pool that doesn't get leaves. Drive wheel locks up and won't move. Manufacturer refuses to replace the machine although under warranty of 3 years. Gets stuck on steps.
Purchased in December 2018 at Poolworx for $890.
Our aquanaut 250 has been running in our concrete pool for the last year and I've been really happy with it.
Its proven to be noticeably less maintenance and better cleaning than our previous diaphragm based suction cleaner.
We get a fair amount of eucalyptus leaves in our pool and it does get through them well. It does get clogged if it meets a bunch of leaves, but it just need grabbing them out of the mouth/inlet.
I've had about 3x sticks get in there needing me to unscrew the cover and pull out.
I've been very happy with my purchase.
Hope this helps.
Purchased in February 2020.
Needs to include an instruction booklet with the unit with a troubleshooting guide so that
any initial problems can be worked through.
The unit needs to be tweaked and balanced before it works
Find out how Hayward AquaNaut 250/450 compares to other Suction Pool Cleaners
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- 2 reviews
- 1 like
So far this is performing great! It moves around our 8m x 3.5m (approx) pool picking up leaves and the occasional thin sticks) from our bamboo plus gum tree. We had to spend more money on the tyres for a tiled pool but it works which is a relief because it's not cheap for the whole cleaner. We have tried a few other cleaners that just don't do the job properly and while I have only had this for a few weeks I have noticed that it moves around the pool very well and no area seems missed. It doesn't climb walls, but I wasn't expecting miracles. It does go into the corners though. Now hoping this lasts me for quite awhile!
Purchased in February 2021.
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
if i have this vaccum on i have to go aout every 5 minutes and clear leaves so it can keep going, biggest POS ive ever owned had nit 6 months so sick of it im buying something else
Purchased in November 2022 for $700.
After only 2 years of use it required a total rebuild at a cost of $400. They stated that it had run for too long and under a pool blanket, which I only put on during winter.
Purchased in October 2017.
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- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
Device needs constant intervention. Always sits at the base of the wall while my pool floor requires manual vacuuming. I have replaced all 4 wheels and that seamed to remedy the issue but looks like after 3 months I would need to change the wheels again as I am again manually vacuuming the pool.
Stay away from the brand
Purchased in January 2018.
Fantastic cleaner, had a cleaner with a skirt on and it was useless. Pool was full of ash due to the bush fires and cleaned it overnight. And it gets into all the corners and does not fowl up. The one before would only clean part of the pool and leave 3/4 uncleaned.
Find out how Hayward AquaNaut 250/450 compares to other Suction Pool Cleaners
Know better, choose better.
- 8 reviews
- 8 likes
Our local pool shop owner recommended the aquanaut to us and I'll admit we were hesitant to buy it based on the hefty price tag. However since purchase we have not looked back. Its been crawling around our pool for 3 years now without an issue. We have a 7x4m rectangular pool with a fairly heavy leaf load. It keeps our pool perfectly clean. It only stops working when it picks up a stick too big to deal with. NB this cleaner only does the floor of the pool, it does not deal with walls or steps, so you need to brush those down occasionally. We ha...
Read moreve no problems with it getting stuck, climbing walls or tipping over as other reviewers have mentioned. The pool shop owner who sold it to us did come over and install it for us to make sure the power/ suction level was set correctly and the hose weights placed correctly etc. If its not set up properly perhaps you will experience the issues others have mentioned in the poor reviews. We're very happy we bought it and would certainly recommend this product.Purchased in January 2016.
- 4 reviews
- 4 likes
Bought the Hayward AquaNaut 250 about 2 weeks ago. It only stay on the bottom in the deep 1/3rd of the pool. It will not go to the shallow 2/3rds of the pool even though we are talking a 800mm climb over 8 meters. Will only climb walls half way up at certain points even though the bottom to wall curve is the same diameter as the tires. Manual says it will not climb walls if this diameter is to small!!!! It will not climb even if it approaches the wall at an angle. I have watched it go over the same leave 3 or 4 times and still did not pick it u...
Read morep. I really wanted it to work. I adjusted floats and pool filter outlet eyeballs countless times, added and removed hose sections, adjusted flow rates from 6 to 16 RPM with all the variables of eyeball position, hose lengths and float levels and concluded it is a bad design. The problem is as soon as it gets some pressure via tension on the hose (up against the side wall or against itself when looped) or uphill pressure on the wheels, it just spins around and goes in the easiest direction, down hill. So if you don't have a flat bottom pool, if you have a bottom to wall curve diameter of less than 200mm, a kidney or peanut shaped pool with curved sides that catches the hose or won't let the hose stretch out on not get caught on itself, forget it. Back to the Onga Hammerhead.
- 7 reviews
- 2 likes
We purchased a new Aquanaut 450 from our pool builder 7 months ago. It has been almost completely ineffective. As I right this review, the Aquanaut is jammed up against a wall in the deep of our pool where it has been for the last 30 minutes. It either gravitates to this position or falls on its side and stays there. It cannot be left running on its own without my intervention every 20 or 30 minutes minutes to right it, or relocate it. It never cleans the shallow half of the pool. I have wasted too many hours of my life trying to tune the Aquan...
Read moreaut. I've communicated with Hayward Australia directly and through our pool builder. I have repeatedly checked the RPM, tried all 3 inlet throat sizes, ensured that the floats are in the correct position, and changed the tyres. It is now fitted with the white tyres recommended for pool surfaces with a high glass content. Nothing works. If I want to vacuum our pool properly I have to drag out the old manual vacuum head. Hayward should really be ashamed of selling this piece of rubbish when they know full well it doesn't operate properly on many modern pool surfaces.Find out how Hayward AquaNaut 250/450 compares to other Suction Pool Cleaners
Know better, choose better.
- 2 reviews
Recently my Zodiac Pool cleaner packed up and I was in the market for a new pool cleaner. Not sure what to get as I have a fair bit of debris in my area of Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast. I asked around and found the Pentair Rebel was the recommended pool cleaner from 3 of the 4 pool shops in my area. One of the shops however also highly recommended the Hayward Aquanaught 250 pool cleaner (which if found out later the pool cleaner the Rebel was designed off) as it was a better build quality and spec. I checked around and found that they also ha...
Read mored the best price for a whopping $200 less than the other shops. I can't speak highly enough of the pool cleaner as it climbs the walls of my pebble pool with ease and handles the heavy debris with ease. The best thing is that I have had it for almost 3 weeks now and and it hasn't got stuck or stopped unlike my Zodiac cleaner. It shows that shopping around can not only save you money but can help find the right product for the job. Great job Hayward and great job Platinum Pool and Spa Centre!
Our pool is a liner pool to which this was supposedly perfect. It has been terrible from day one. We have taken it back to the pool shop, to which it was sent back to Haywards and then back to me. It was just as bad on return as it was when it left. The pool cleaner, climbs the side of the pool, falls down on to its side and then can't self right itself. It then proceeds to creep around the pool on its side. Lifting and placing it as it should, is only good until the next time it climbs the wall. This cleaner is USELESS.
But more than that the...
- 2 reviews
Easy to use! I had a kreepy krauley and every time you took out of the pool it would stop working properly. If you even bumped the old cleaner it would stop working properly. It was so temperamental and drove me crazy !!!
The aquanaut is awesome ! Pool is cleaner and it does not miss parts of the pool. I can disconnect the aquanaut to empty the leaf canister and backwash the pool and it does not impact on the cleaners performance !!! I've had it for 2 months and it is great . This cleaner just does the job and I have not had to touch it since installation!
Questions & Answers
i have a pool vac which stays at the deep end and doesn't climb to the shallow end
Will the aquanaut 450 do any better?
You are supposed to count the rotations of the right wheel to determine the rpm, but how can you do this when it changes direction?
Where do you purchase this cleaner from in Sydney? and How much?
Get an answer from our members
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Update from McCrunch. Further info for consideration. We have a peanut shaped pool with the skimmer (return) box in the middle so the distance across the pool form the skimmer box is under 2m. This is...
Read more where the hose is fouling. As I was about to put the old hammer head back in I recalled the set up for that was quite particular about hose weight positioning. In my case, the current hose set up for the Aquanaut 250 instructions makes the hose sit on top of the water. After putting one of the weights from the old cleaner in the middle of the hose, one section is now deeper in the water allowing the hose to pass over itself. The cleaner made one venture into the shallow end. Early days and it still spends most of its time in the deep end, but I hope this works for and it helps someone else in the future.