Pool Vacuum Cleaner

Ferdinand Chauvier, a hydraulics engineer, moved to South Africa from the Belgian Congo in 1951. He saw a need in the swimming pool market in South Africa. What he saw was that pool owners needed a hassle-free and easy way of cleaning their pools. Chauvier got to work on a machine that would clean a pool automatically, powered only by the pool's filter. The product born out of that invention, first officially released in 1974, is now known as the swimming pool vacuum cleaner.

The pool vacuum cleaner is currently the most popular of the automatic pool cleaners. The pool vacuum cleaner is automatic, efficient, and is powered by the pool filter. The pool vacuum cleaner is classified as suction-side driven, due to the specific drive mechanism used. It is one of four main types of cleaners. The other three types are return-side driven, pressure driven and electronic or robotic.

There are two main types of pool vacuum cleaners. The more common type is the vacuum head pool cleaner, and then there is another type of pool cleaner known as a skimmer system. Skimmer systems are installed through the skimmer, while the vacuum head cleaner has a dedicated line. Both these systems can be installed within 15 minutes, without the use of additional tools, and they are very reliable.

The pool vacuum cleaner with the automatic head has a catch bag, its purpose being to catch and hold the debris from the bottom of the pool. There is a hosed attached to the vacuum head. Pressurized water is pushed through the hose from the booster pump, into the vacuum head. The water goes to three different sections in the pool cleaner. Firstly, it is pushed through the tail, where it stirs up dirt such as sand or leaves that is on the pool floor, so it can be sucked up. Secondly, the water powers a turbine, which keeps the pool cleaner moving along the bottom of the floor. Thirdly, the water is pushed through a thrust jet, which keeps the cleaner from rising up from the pool floor. The vacuum head also contains a head float. This keeps the pool cleaner in an upright position.

Some pool vacuum cleaners connect to the pools skimmer. The suction from the skimmer keeps the pool clean by constantly vacuuming the pool. The skimmer suction opening and the vacuum cleaner head is connected by a normal, standard vacuum hose with a diameter of 1½ inches. The debris lying on the pool floor is collected in the strainer pot. A skimmer system will only work effectively and efficiently if the pump strainer pot is kept clean. When the pot fills up fills, suction is dramatically reduced. The strainer pot therefore needs to be regularly emptied out. A leaf-catching canister added to the vacuum hose will help increase the effectiveness of the cleaner.

Pool vacuum cleaners are more suited to desert and tropical climates. The cleaning requirements of a pool cleaner will most likely be for fine dirt, leaves and twigs.