Hayward AquaNaut 250

I am 2.5yrs into owning this cleaner... and it has been a solid improvement over my previous favourite pool cleaner (The Pentair Rebel Mk2). You need to understand that every pool cleaner is awful.. robots, suction with diaphragms, suction with gears (like this one).. they all have different pros and a long list of cons.. I've had them all over a… Read more

decade in a pool that has trees raining on it on a daily basis. The Aquanaut 250 is the least worst of the cleaners out there.. this is why we are seeing it in almost every pool shop under a number of different brand names.. but its the same cleaner.

The main difference between this and the Rebel (both gear based suction cleaners) is the AquaNaut has flaps that bend out of the way to allow larger leaf matter to pass through.. and I believe it also heavily reduces the wear on the gears. Gear wear was the #1 issue with the Rebel.. every 1-2yrs they would strip and it would stop running and need replacement parts... Dont get me wrong, the AquaNaut still gets caught on larger sticks or a pile of leaves that clump up... but for me its maybe once a week compared to twice daily with the Rebel.. its a huge improvement... if you want no blockages you can use a robot, but robots don't actually pump water through the pool filter.. so they create different water quality problems.

I recently had an issue after re-lining my vinyl pool which was now very slippery... and the cleaner would get stuck in certain spots.. I solved it the same way I solved issues with my Rebel.. you can either buy tyres with a bump on them (but they are very expensive), or add some pieces of eraser or plastic yourself in 1 random spot on each tyre., its enough to kick it out of a stuck spot.. and has instantly fixed my issues.

I was nervous that you can't open it up without a screwdriver.. as I had to open the Rebel up daily.. but honestly once in 2.5yrs is the amount of times I've had to open it due to a really specific stick jammed in there.. its been fine..

If you have issues with it climbing walls and sucking air.. just reduce the suction with a skimmer plate.. I don't have any issues but it is a thing with suction cleaners.

I read the negative reviews in here, and honestly you need to lower expectations.. there is no magical cleaner out there.. some people may not have much leaf matter and can get away with whatever.. but this has been the best cleaner by far, corners or round pool.. will report back in a few more years, but so far so good.

unbreakable – My Argonaut 250 finally died on me after 5 years non stop use without one mechanical issue, with be buying some parts/cogs from ebay to get it going again, cannot speak highly of this pool cleaner.

It's garbage. Avoid – Barely more effective than pushing a manual vacuum around yourself. Clogs constantly. Your Local Algae will love it. You will have the greenest pool in the neighborhood, guaranteed! Show details

great at first but 12 months later – I have a pebblecrete pool and I purchased the 250 about 18 months ago. It appears now that the tread on the wheels has worn down and the bottom drags along and gets stuck in several spots of the pool. Can I replace the wheels/tyres? is there spare parts available? Show details

The best of so many I have used – 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. Show details

Don't buy it! 3 breakdowns in 6 months – 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. Show details

So Far So Good! – 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… Read more

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!

a few leaves and it stops dead – 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 Show details

Lasted 2 years – 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. Show details

Best Cleaner we have had – 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.

Great pool cleaner – 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… Read more

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 have 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.

Love it, Love it, Love it! – 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… Read more

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 had 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!

Poor cleaner, ZERO support and assistance BUYER BEWARE – 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… Read more

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 company will not stand behind their product. Anyone can make a one off product that has a problem, but the true test of quality is if they stand behind it when their is a problem. They won't fix, won't replace, nor discuss the issue. They simply refer you back to your pool dealer for resolution. The pool dealer gets no more joy than us. What a DISGRACE.

If you are looking for a pool cleaner, find a manufacturer that not only produces a quality product, but is willing to stand behind it.

Thanks

Len & Julia

Fantastic so far – 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… Read more ·  2

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!