Zodiac G2
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This is my second zodiac G2. The first one was okay but eventually the collar became so worn replacing it Proved futile so I bought a new one. The hoses are very stiff and I hate the locking mechanism I’m not sure why just yet but it seems to focus on one area and rarely will travel to the far end of the pool, It constantly flips onto its back so… Read more
I have to intervene, I don’t think the swivel on the head works very well and for some reason they changed where you put the bumper thing… probably all part of the reason why this is proving to be a very bad purchase
Fix for G2 locking collar breaking – The locking collar keeps breaking. The original one lasted for many years until recently. Since then I had to replace it every month or less as it keeps breaking. At $15 a pop it became ridiculous. My wife found a great waterproof glue (Tarzans grip high strength glue). This stuff is amazing. I glued the broken locking collar in place and gave it… Read more
24 hours to dry. It has now lasted 3 months with no sign of weakening. The only warning, if you use this use it sparingly as it tends to foam as it dries and can make a mess or go where you don't want it. Looks like a permanent fix.
High Cost of Ownership - Poor Design Change Quality Control – I've owned 3 Zodiac G2s and one similar G3. What started off as an imperfect, but affordable suction cleaner that did a reasonably good job has been changed for the worse over the years to the point I've now gone elsewhere. Much it has to do with Zodiac's attitude to reliability and affordability. It's clear they want parts of the cleaner to… Read more
break and be replaced with overpriced spares as part of their strategy.
Let's start with the diaphragm. The original worked reasonably well, it did break from time-to-time but was reasonably cheap to replace at $15 and would last for usually several months. Then some genius changed the design of the diaphragm's mould to include a Zodiac/QC stamping right on circumference of the thick upper lip which introduced a thin weak point where every single diaphragm from that point would fail and split within 3 months. To add insult to injury, Zodiac have jacked up the price to now $35-$40 (and I would advise anyone to instead buy the much cheaper non-genuine ones from Ebay). Zodiac did finally fix the design........after >5 years of knowing about it and being slow to fix it because they were profiting off diaphragm sales, but it just left a bitter taste in the mouth and destroyed brand trust.
Next, the hoses. Oh the hoses. The original ones were cast as one piece thermoplastic hoses, and they were pretty reliable, After about 3 years some may begin to split in the plastic end couplings but on the other hand I've had some last for >5 years. However, the patent for the design expired and cheaper non-genuine replacements then came on the market. So what does a company like Zodiac do to try to protect profit on hose sales? Introduce a new hose design of course that is incompatible with the old hose and with a significant replacement price increase as well. The newer Zodiac twist-lock hoses are much worse in quality, as now they are spirally wound it appears with a single heated thermoplastic strand that forms a hot weld as the factory rolls the strand to form the hose. Think how toilet rolls are made by a spiral wind. What's the problem with this? Well the spiral weld is too weak and stretches to become paper thin after ~2 years of hose flow pulsations, all 3 sets I have owned failed exactly the same way: after about 2 years you would pick one up and the whole hose thread just unravelled until you were holding jut a single loose piece of plastic "string". And they all failed at the same time, pick the next hose up would do the same, and again, and again. For anyone owning a G2, you would be well advised to buy a twist-lock hose adapter from various pool shops that allow you to instead use the old hose design with the G2. Much cheaper to buy and much more reliable.
So what else? I've had 2 foot to body joiner pieces fail in exactly the same way, and like everything Zodiac, the simple plastic L piece is overpriced as a spare. Every single G2 I've had the lead weight loosely held in a sealed upper compartment: The flimsy compartment side panel clips have failed as the lead weight is loose inside instead of being clipped in and bangs on the side panels allowing the weight to drop out and I've had to glue them back on (If you get a G3, it doesn't have this problem). In the later models the swivel is now a bit too stiff and the hose will get tangled needing occasional manual untwisting.
When this was a mid $300 cleaner and the original design diaphragm and hose I could tolerate this. Now with the poorer design change quality control and Zodiac clearly wanting to maximise spare part sales instead of prioritizing the customers and fixing the design, and having put the retail price up to ~$700 and with overpriced spares for what is otherwise an OK cleaner but with high maintenance costs: I would consider other cleaners now, and my new replacement cleaner is not a Zodiac and I don't think I will be going back to that brand such is my mistrust of them.
Also, if you have sticks or seeds in your pool, also look elsewhere. The diaphragm used in this cleaner will not pass these through the ~4 mm throat and get jammed, and also possibly be damaged needing expensive replacement diaphragm.
Reviews with attachments
Does a great job, can’t live without our Bazza – Bazza does a great job, reading the reviews I note some people are posting photos of G3 diaphragms. We’ve been using G2’s for 16years, the body of our first one lasted around 10years with a few spares along the way, we did go to generic diaphragms, but found using genuine diaphragms on average we get around 3years, running 8 hrs a day from Oct… Read more
to early April, 2 hours a day in winter.
How we get the most out of our investment: 1. Ensure the hose is not too long, or to short, just needs to reach the furtherest point 2. Adjust the suction, this is critical to the life of the diaphragm, I run ours at 2.5 using the Zodiac suction tool, see photo, higher suction will make Bazza really fast but we found decreases the diaphragm life. 3. Maintain your pool levels, this will help with plastic deterioration 4. Always use a leaf eater, empty it constantly, I recommend the cyclone model, we have used both, helps keep a consistent suction to the head. 5. Remove sticks and large leaves from the pool, that’s not Bazza job, it’s your job, Bazza will get the rest, he will suck up anything that will pass through the diaphragm and catch it in the leaf eater. 6. Adjust water ports on your pool to minimise surface flow, allows Bazza to go everywhere and not fight the current 7. Rotate your hoses (6 monthly) as they will form a memory
Zodiac have a great product in the G2, we couldn’t live without ours.
This is my 5th purchase – The first 4 I had worked awesomely. 17 years of happiness. The 5th one is a couple of months old and it keeps flipping onto its back. I’m not sure why. I’ve switched a few hose pieces about and moved the weight. Show details
Replacement parts not fit for purpose – I have had a zodiac barracuda G2 pool cleaner for many years and am generally ok with it however I need to replace the locking collar at least twice a year as the plastic lugs keep breaking off and I also need to replace the yellow rubber diaphragm at least 4 times a year as it keeps getting tears in it without that occurring due to leaves or… Read more
twigs or other obstacles . The normal debris in the pool are small leaves and the occasional small palm tree seed . I cannot continue replacing these items if they are not made to last or are not made fit for the purpose for which they are designed and used . In the last few years I could have probably bought a different type of cleaner given the countless collars and diaphragms I have bought . I may now need to look to other brands of and types of pool cleaners.
works ok but not happy with the diaphragm – Hi, i am happy with the general workings of this unit, it is my second but will not be buying again. The diaphragm keeps splitting, are so expensive to replace. Pool shop understand as they see it all the time, but don't seem to get much support from customer care. I will be searching reviews before i buy my next one. Splits in the same spot every time, and i have had the 5th one just do it again. There is a design fault here i suspect. Show details
Hi, Sorry to hear of these issues. Our Customer Care team… Read more (+3 replies)
In-depth reviews
Very disappointing! – We bought the G2 3.5yrs ago and recently the outer extension pipe snapped in two. I contacted Customer Service as it was such a bizarre thing to snap, being an integral part of the cleaner. I sent photos and asked if, even though it was no longer under the 2 year warranty, if Zodiac could replace it as even the pool shop I went to had said they… Read more
had never in all their years seen a part like that snap. I waited a few days for a response from Zodiac and just got a stock-standard No, as it was no longer under warranty. I get that, but I would genuinely have thought that the central piece that holds the entire cleaner together would last longer than 3.5yrs! Not to mention we’ve had to replace the diaphragm every 2 months or so, which everyone knows is an issue, but seriously, it’s such a pain! The pool shop we took the cleaner to also suggested a few other parts needed replacing, including the foot skirt. We’ve just spent about half the price we paid for the cleaner to replace parts after only 3.5yrs. Irritating when our previous pool cleaner (a Hayward) lasted over 15 years.
Aside from the parts wearing down, we’ve always had issues with the cleaner getting stuck in certain places. We have a kidney shaped pool with a few steps and have found that it always gets stuck at either the steps or one of the water vents. To reduce the frequency of the cleaner getting stuck we’ve removed some hose links, but then that means the hose is too short for the cleaner to get all the way around the pool. There also tend to be spots that the cleaner continually misses in the centre of the deep end of the pool, so I’ve actually gotten in several times and manually guided the cleaner to those spots. A lot of the time I’ve also noticed that even guiding the cleaner along to vacuum up a patch of leaves at the bottom of the pool, the skirt just rides over them and leaves them there or pushes them out of the way! I’ve tried varying the suction speed and it makes no difference. All in all a really disappointing cleaner with a lot of maintenance involved. Wouldn’t buy a Zodiac again.
Hi Zaz, Sorry to hear of your experience and that you have… Read more
g2 4 stars – Fantastic design and technology. the name genie should be reinstated as it is the greatest robot slave. can at times get stuck on light but that is not its fault its the protruding light design fault my waterco.my only beef is the large defector wheel should be included and a spare diaphram too for 2 year warranty. even if the diaphragm does not… Read more · 1
split max life of the genuine is 6-7 months.. so it slows down and the comp. ring too replace every 3 years. even though not broken its worn replace.
love the new hoses design and pins twist.but come up with a better attachment at the skimmer box and offer a plate with a skim and a pressure adj., as every ones is a little different so pump pressures adjustments is not that easy . mine is deep box old so had too cut off end of hose own method pool .32ft cement rubber paint 6.6 t deep end. Oh and the diaphragm complaints will all be non genuine plastic type. they are useless. non gen rubber/plastic like the aussie golds a good but only a 5 dollar save. now the original logo genie and stamp should go on the skirt. the barracuda logo should be a sticker on bumper as before. The model g2 is a code not a name. people who state 10 years must not have them running 6hrs/day.at that they last 5 years. this is my 5th.waiting for my free part diaphragm under warranty.ph0295252272
fix these little errors its 5 stars and kreepy is out of the market all together and hammerhead etc.oh... and please do not discontinue genie for t5. pool and spa warehouse
Would'nt Be without It – I usually allow my pool to down grade during winter, with winter winds blowing debris and leafs into the pool, it was to much like hard work to keep it clean. Now I have the pool cleaner which is easy to maintain and keeps the pool clean all year round, with minimal effort by yours truly. I have a fibre glass kidney shaped pool, and the only… Read more · 2
problem I noticed was the cleaner sometimes stuck on a corner or the steps. I found though, if left alone it would eventually free itself, I have adjusted the weight from time to time sometimes this seems to work and then it gets stuck again, so unless anybody has any better ideas to prevent this, then just let it do it's thing.
Regards
Alan
February 6th 2017 Update: spare parts for Zodiac G2
The diaphragm on my zodiac G2 split after six months, but I replaced it with generic diaphragm which I purchased on E bay and bought two for $22.49 from best Pool Supplies as the cost from the local pool shop of genuine parts
was $30 for one. Now I have had the diaphragm in for over a year with no problems and the machine works perfectly, and I still have a spare. The diaphragm is the only working part, so nothing else can go wrong.
Regards
Alan Millard
May 6th 2018 Update: Still Going Strong
I continue to be pleased with my G2, it seems I have overcome the minor problems it was giving me, by making adjustments to the pressure and weight and the bumper bar. Some people seem to have a problem with diaphrams not lasting, but as I previously posted, I purchased 2 for $22 from Best Pools online Ebay, after the original split 6 mths after purchasing the G2. 12months since I first fitted one of the two, and it is still going strong. I leave the cleaner on for the 8 hrs pool running time and all the leaves etc are cleaned up and I don't have to do a thing but clean off the edges where the cleaner can't reach. The cleaner is easy to use and maintain, if the cleaner sometimes stops pulsating, it is usually something stuck in the diaphrahm, So you just pull the cleaner out of the pool, unscrew the cartridge shaft and remove the blockage. Make sure you put the cleaner back on the hose under water, otherwise if you assemble it out of the water, air will be trapped in the hose and cleaner and may prevent it from working properly.
Kind Regards
Alan Millard
Positive reviews
Excellent pool cleaner except the hoses are not fit for purpose – This our second Zodiac pool cleaner and it works very well with our large pool. The only complaint is the twist lock hoses are very poor. replaced 3 times in three years. As many others are posting they do not appear UV rated for Australian conditions. Cost of these hoses are between $32 and $23 versus $16 to $11 for the standard hose( price… Read more
depends on retailer) Swapped back to standard pool hose by using the red adaptor off the manual pool cleaner and attached it to the skimmer box adaptor. On the other end left one length of the twist lock on the pool cleaner then purchased a 38m hose joiner for $4 to connect to the replacement hoses. That is $143 for 13 lengths of standard versus $416 for the Twist lock. And I usually get four years life versus one !!!
great product – Where can i buy a New G2 barracuda on goldcoast best ever pool cleaner lasted 8 years with a few parts added over that time. would like to get another Show details
It's great – This is the third one in ten years, works well, this time we have a leaf catcher, so we'll see how that works, this winter with all the leaves from the neighbours trees. Show details
Find out how Zodiac G2 compares to other Suction Pool Cleaners
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Negative reviews
Pool cleaner tube atter rubbish! – The pool cleaner works no better than the cheap Aldi no name brand. Clogs up just as much. What is really upsetting is the non fit-for-purpose tubing! They fail after just a few months. The pool pipe lengths are utter rubbish. Don't go near this junk product. If you do you will spend your life buying their expensive custom tubing! Show details
Buyer beware – Dont waste your money. Piece of junk. Had someone come out because all it does is do edges. Took off some off the parts. Replaced woth old parts. Still no better Show details
Avoid, expensive to own – Had this cleaner for 4 years to replace another barracuda cleaner. The suction bladder lasts about 2 weeks before it needs replacement. They all split in exactly the same place which makes it a design/manufacturing issue. Zodiac have stopped providing free replacement bladders so buyer beware. This is getting into consumer affairs territory. Had barracuda units for 26 years. Never again. Show details
Recent reviews
Dodgy diaphragms – I also have an issue with the diaphragm. It somehow gets a tiny split in the same spot rendering it useless. I've been through around 6 in a couple of years. At around $20 at least each this adds quite a bit to the maintenance. Apart from this small but important issue I have been happy with the cleaner having had 2 models over more than 10 years. Show details
Not the best Cleaner – We had an older model Zodiac of this type and it worked perfectly for over ten years, when time came to replace it we bought the new model. What a waste of time, we have the same issue as others, it gets stuck by the pool steps, it continually wraps itself into a knot and the suction bladder gets splits in it continually. Don't they know, when you're on a good thing stick to it. Show details
Thank you for providing your feedback and letting us know… Read more
Wont pickup leaves, cleans the floor well – We live in the leafy suburb with big gums and other leaf material. We were sold this one due to it being able to pick up leaves. GREAT no more leaf pickup........However untrue. It picks up zero leaves but does a great job cleaning floors. Will need to take back and get a suitable cleaner to pickup leaf material. Show details
Hi Shane, Sorry to hear of these issues. The G2 picks up… Read more
The product has some serious problems – This product does a reasonable job cleaning the floor of the pool but no matter what adjustments are made to the pressure it keeps in seeking a corner and getting stick. I have rung the pool shop where I have purchased this thing twice and visited there twice and it is all to no avail. The problems continue I would add a receipt but I am not that smart with computers. I only purchased this thing yesterday (18 July 2019) Show details
I have used Zodiac pool cleaning products for many years without too many problems. I am afraid… Read more (+3 replies)
Worst pool cleaner ever! – I would give it a zero rating but the site doesn't accept anything less than one star! I spend more time repositioning the cleaner away from the steps and shallow end of the pool than the cleaner spends performing its cleaning function! If I don't reposition it, the head will stay in the same place on the steps for the whole cycle. I also have to… Read more
clean out the suction end at least twice every time it is operating (which is 3-4 times a day) as all the leaves get caught in the back of the collar and block off the suction mouth. A huge waste of money. I would recommend that you only purchase this if leaf litter is not a problem ie you have NO leaf litter getting into your pool.
G2 Works well for us – G2 vacuums all leaves, sand and similar debris. It provides good coverage of all pool surfaces except steps. Occasionally it gets stuck in a corner so it would be helpful to have online advice on how to sort this. If it gets in the way when we have a swim we just detach it at the vacuum port and put it to one side. This is our second G2 in 10… Read more
years. So we feel we have got value for money. Overall G2 provides a thorough clean of our pool and the unit is easy to maintain.
Find out how Zodiac G2 compares to other Suction Pool Cleaners
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Worst pool cleaner ever – I have had one for 2 years this is the 3rd It constantly unscrews itself I have replaced every part except the skirt I will never buy another Barracuda product to clean my pool Show details
Hi Kerry, Sorry to hear of these issues. May I ask if you… Read more
Constantly getting stuck! Easier to vacuum the pool myself – I've had the Zodiac G2 for about a month and from day one it's been getting getting stuck in the corners of my (fibreglass) pool. It only cleans the deep end of the pool - even when I reposition to the shallow end, it moves away and doesn't move to that end by itself. It also doesn't clean the pool walls, only the floor, so I need to clean the… Read more
sides with a brush. For me, it's been a complete waste of money as I spend as much time repositioning it as I would manually vacuuming the pool myself.
Hi Dee, We are sorry you are having this issue. Can you… Read more (+2 replies)
Zodiac rubber diaphragm keeps braking – 2 years old and replaced at least 10 diaphragms in that period , local dealer told us it always happens , design fault and they are not doing anything to rectify it ...great way to ruin your name Zodiac...never will recommend them nor buy one again. Poorly designed , where is your quality control? I'm reading so many complaints about the rubber diaphragm but nothing from you to rectify it? Show details
Happy Chappy – This is the second G2 I have purchased and I am very happy with it. I must admit I needed technical advice as to why I was going through so many diaphragms. Problem was solved as I just needed to replace the suction plate in the skimmer box. No problems since. The new one works well although it word not put up leaves. Ran for a week of so and it improved. I would buy another again. Show details · 1
Parts costs – I have lost count of the number of diaphragms I've replaced. Worse, I have had to replace the yellow cylindrical bit of plastic twice @ $175 each. For a bit of 50c plastic!! No more, getting a different brand from here on. Show details
Sorry not yellow, it's blue.
Drove me mad! Good customer care on here fixed it! – Below is my review. We got spare parts from Zodiac and it has worked perfect since. I would recommend this product as mistakes happen in manufacturing. Zodiacs customer care was great. I work away a fair bit and bought this as a friend recommended it thinking it would be ok to leave with the family to use. It was great but after 6 months it… Read more · 5
hardly works. I have to pick it up by the nearest hose and shake it. Then it works for a bit but stops again, tried all the suggestions on YouTube but alas it doesn't work any better.
Useless – I spent maybe 6 hours trying different configuration to have it to stop getting stuck. At the end it costed me an extra deflector (for the price the unit could come with the different sizes deflector...). Then you can just forget about it if like me you have a concrete pool with some mosaic coming loose. It looks like Zodiac engineer made the… Read more
inside diameter of the diaphragm the exact same size of the most common mosaic square. If any are coming loose they get stuck inside and the unit stop working...
Hi Dus, This is the Australian version of Product Review,… Read more
Not at all happy – Bought a Zodiac G2 late 2017, for the first 6 weeks or so I couldn't fault it but now it only goes around the bottom of the pool and as soon as it tries to go up the side it sucks itself down in the corner and stays there, it will stay there for days until someone physically moves it. I've tried adjusting eyeballs, moving the weight, lengthening/shortening the hose, increasing/decreasing the flow and backwashing, nothing helps. Steve G Show details
Hi Steve, Sorry to hear that you are having these issues.… Read more (+6 replies)
Good pool cleaner but let down by poor quality diaphragm – Used Zodiac pool cleaners for many years. My 1 yr old G2 works well but seriously let down by poor quality diaphragms, 3 units which has failed after about 2 months. Genuine replacements overpriced. Generic brands much cheaper and seem to last longer. Zodiac seem to know about the problem but as far as i know have done nothing to rectify it. Thus now looking for alternative.product. Show details
Hi Trev, Thanks for your review. We here at Zodiac take… Read more (+5 replies)
Perhaps I'm easily pleased – I read some reviews (mostly bad) on the Zodiac G2. I had one for 13 years & in that time replaced the diaphragm twice, the skirt & foot once. It cleaned the pool perfectly, picking up the many daily gum leaves. I have just replaced it with a T5 duo because it is supposed to be.the replacement for the G2. So far, it is put putting around the pool, up the walls and doing the job just as well as the G2 - but quieter. Show details · 1
A good cleaner when it is going – I have had this product for just over 3 years and when it is working it does a good job. The issue I am currently having is that the head comes away from the hose, as there is nothing but friction holding it on. When this happens the pump has a high chance of burning out if it starts pumping air. So its a problem having this poor… Read more
attaching system.
It also goes though diaphrams very quickly due to a design flaw of putting a production date stamp on the diaphram, and this is the point that it breaks after about 6 months.
Hi Steve, Sorry to hear that you are having these issues.… Read more
Not Happy – Gets stuck in certain corners of the pool and the Wheel deflector get stuck at the pool eyeballs. If no one is home to untangle it it can stay stuck all day. It is also a bit noisy. Not Happy. Not Happy.Not Happy Not Happy Not Happy Not Happy Not Happy Show details
Not happy – Not all that great when it goes it cleans well it’s noisy not good value Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Not happy Show details
Hi Dicko, Sorry to hear your not happy, Are you able to provide some details and we might be able to help? Thanks.
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Hi Clive, It's disappointing that you have had to keep… Read more