Zodiac T5 Duo

A shocker – I bought this in August 2023 to replace an Onga Hammerhead which had worked well for 10 years.I should have bought another Hammerhead,which I have now done.The Zodiac’s diaphragm tore after 2 months use.A second diaphragm tore after a further three months.I was unable to replace it as I could not disassemble the cleaner,two parts had tightened so… Read more

much they were inseperable even using plumber’s multi grips.This was an object lesson in sticking with what you know works.The Zodiac is in the bin after only 6 months ,never again.

Great response from Zodiac. I hope an early broken part is not a sign of things to come – Purchased 6 months ago. Has been working well, cleaning a 60,000L pebblecrete pool with nearby gum trees dropping leaves. when checking the diaphragm we found the screw area on the casing had cracked and broken. Whilst this shouldn't happen just from normal use, Zodiacs response was great. We emailed photo's and asked for warranty action direct to Zodiac. We received a replacement part within a week, no fuss no questions.  Show details ·  1

3 years and still going strong – I bought the T5 Duo in 2013 after researching pretty much everything available on the market and wanting to get something from a reputable brand at a competitive cost. The T5 worked perfect straight out of the box, easy set up, good pattern that pretty much covered most of the whole pool within a few hours of running and didn't get stuck. Some of… Read more ·  1

the pool area was not covered but this was solved by buying an extra length of hose. Three years on after running 2-6hrs a day 365 days a year in a salt pool...still working fine and haven't replaced or repaired a single part except the sole plate is now worn and needs replacement. Occasionally it might get stuck on a very awkward step shape at one end of the pool, but not often enough to be of concern. It cleans/passes over the far shallow end of the pool not as regular as the deep near end of middle of the pool. I guess that's because of the shape of the pool, but I just give those areas a 5 minute brush once every month or so. The only times it has stopped working is when it sucks a twig into it or the flow is too low because the pool filter needs backwashing. Normally I wait for the pool cleaner stops working to tell me its time to clean the filter than check the filter every day. Overall I am more than happy with the T5 duo and compared to my earlier model Baracuda it cleans much better, is less prone to getting stuck and it has been much less problematic.

Zodiac wins again with T5 Duo! – What a relief....we have had a Barracuda for 5 years, when it wore out, we got a G2 which also worked for 5 years with no trouble...our vaccumes stay in the pool 24/7/365 (salt pool....highly recommend it for both people and pool equipment) about every five years we start to have issues and instead of replacing things, I followed the YouTube… Read more ·  1

advice and just buy a new one....they are so reasonable that why wrestle with replacing things...guessing what needs to be replaced. When the G2 started having issues, our gardener insisted to replace parts...which never really brought things back to the care-free operation that we had before things started going. What magic...I dropped the T5Duo into the water and it started working right away...completely cleaned the pool in less than 5 hours...walls, floor, steps. Our pool is tile with gradual steps so the T5Duo climbs the steps just like its momma and grand momma. Everyone seems to have problems with it so there might be some common way to construct pools in Australia that Europe does not use...Our pool is edgeless so the connection is in the wall, not the skimmer.

Here is what I can observe: the suction should be set on the equipment to generate movement but not be set to 100% from the suction that holds the T5, the hoses should be connected only to the extent of length where it can reach (but not climb) the most distant wall, the weight should be placed on the hose at the distant end of the first section of attachment to the robot...this helps keep it moving.

Hope these hints help...but if your pool has corners that are too sharp or steps that are steep, I can see that you wont have the same experience.

Disappointing – Wish I had done the research and read the reviews. Had the T5 for just over a year and the diaphragm tears. Replace the diaphragm and it teared again in less than 3 months. This is my 2nd Baracuda pool cleaner. I am leaving the brand now and going with another. Show details

Don’t waste your money – You will be replacing diaphragms at least twice a year. The new dual rubber diaphragms don't last. My old genie never missed a beat and I got more than twelve months out of those diaphragms, but this one will clog the diaphragm on a single gumtree leaf. I spend more time unclogging the cleaner than it spends cleaning my pool. Show details

T5 horrible – I bought a T5 to replace my old barracuda which lasted almost 15 years. 2 years after buying the T5 the slot on the bottom where the shirts slide in broke. It wasn’t covered under warranty so I bought another in 2021. Lees than a year in the new one broke in the same place. It was covered as the warranty still had 2 weeks on it. A replacement was… Read more

sent and it broke in the same spot after 3 weeks. I can’t believe 3 breaks in the same spot isn’t a design flaw. This works good but there is a common problem. My water is salt and spotless very frustrated.

T5 diaphram terrible life – Terrible life on the diaphram. Replaced 3 in six months. At $35 to replace is going to be cheaper to buy a better brand cleaner at this rate. Buyer beware Show details

No good! – Bought this cleaner in late 2019. It has never worked around the entire pool and always got stuck. At first I could see that where it was suctioning it was working, but what is point if it doesn't move around. I rang and tried to troubleshoot over phone but I seemed to have everything set up ok. Then it stopped working and I thought it was… Read more

just leaves caught, but found that it needed a new diaphragm as it had split, therefore no suction. No problem they replaced them under warranty promptly and explained that they were faulty - really if they knew they were faulty (and apparently they have a lot of them in supply!) they should either give you a bag of replacements or the better quality ones. Each time I rang I got 2 at a time. Then the skirt starting coming off and a clip was broken - not sure how as there is nothing rough in our tiled pool. This was all in the first year of purchase. I was told by the supplier that our water quality probably had too much chlorine and this is the problem so it wouldn't be fixed under warranty. We have a salt pool that is maintained and our "chlorine" level is not excessive. Hate throwing things in the rubbish but that's exactly where it is about to go and I have now bought a new cleaner that works sooo much better.

Thrown in rubbish - quite new – Broke down too often. Nearly $400 wasted - gone to the tip. Average size pool with minimal debris. Constantly got stuck, wouldn’t climb walls in the end. Diaphragm, hoses, skirts all replaced . Very disappointing purchase. Review checks are a must for me now. Never again. I read the supplier responses and wonder after two years why they are not fixing this product.  Show details

Cleaner is a joke – This cleaner always gets stuck at one spot in our pool, no matter what we do it will always return to that spot and get stuck. Had to replace a number of the pipes even though they were less then a year old. Have raised a warranty claim with Zodiac around 2 months ago and have never heard from anyone. DO NOT BUY this product. Follow up, Still have not spoken with anyone in person. Customer service is a job and clean is a waste of money.

Waste of Time and Money – The instruction manual is a joke both supplied and online. I had to watch YouTube video and the thing still isn't working properly after hours of tinkering. My relatively new Zodiac pump has to be on maximum all the time to get it to move and then it gets stuck in every corner. The amount of time I've spent on it is more than manually cleaning the… Read more

pool. It does one sweep then slows down considerable, it has stopped climbing walls and I'm sure its not good for my pump.

Below Standard Product backed up by Poor Customer Service – Was a repeate Zodiac customer and fell for the T5 , so sorry, The diaphragm failed 3 times in 18 mts and the skirts have also failed . This product has inherent performance faults and should be taken off market. (By way of contrast/balance,Our past zodiac cleaners were all solid performers.) Zodiac Customer Service / Warranty Dept . Is a… Read more

joke, no professional follow up ,promise to reply but don’t, try to abdercate warranty obligations by referring to small print in clauses re pool balancing ( had to provide last 6 mts results over a lousy $50 part).

Have owned 6 pools over 20 yrs , so have some experience.

They just don’t seem to understand that satisfied customers equal repeat value added business .

Never again. Highly recommend you look elsewhere for pool products.

Communications Don't match action – Bought a new cleaning system (Zodiac T5 Duo - Baracuda / Barracuda Pool Cleaner) through a Zodiac supplier in Feb 2018. After a few months a part failed. I bought the replacement part at a dealership so the system would work expecting the replacement on warranty to act as a spare. Multiple attempts at communication (with a promise that the replacement part is on the way - but NOTHING!. Verrrrrrry pooooor service. Can't recommend them to anyone.  Show details

Does not live up to how its advertised at all – I bought this pool cleaner 2 months ago for our brand new pool. It was advertised very well so I decided to purchase it. It is probably my most regretful purchase yet. It is advertised as ( YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THE CLACK-CLACK-CLACK RACKET FROM TRADITIONAL HAMMER STYLE SUCTION CLEANERS! THE ADDED BENEFIT OF THE DURALIFE DIAPHRAGM IS… Read more

THAT IT ALSO PROVIDES WHISPER QUIET OPERATION THAT WON'T DISTURB YOUR NEIGHBOURS.) This is a completely false statement, the cleaner bangs, rattles and hammers it's way around the entire pool. It gets stuck in corners and I have the step deflector on, tried it at all heights up to 1.5 meters from the head, I also have the hose weight attached. It always misses the same places of the pool, meaning I still have to regularly vacuum the pool. I've tried 3 different types of hoses with it at varying lengths and wasted many hours trying to get it to work the way it should. I just wish I hadn't wasted around $500 on this product and trying to get it to function correctly, I would have been far better off putting that money towards a robot cleaner. Live and learn I guess :/

Disappointed - to many part replacements – I had a few different models and never had as many parts break as this one has. I basically have replaced almost everything on the body, and now I have to pay another $100+ for the body assembly & bumper! Being in Florida this is used all year round and it just doesn't live up to the standards needed.  Show details

Disappointed with T5 – I agree, I've had G2 with the occasional part replacements, lasted for years, but the T5 is the worst designed pool cleaner it deteriorates fast, cheap and nasty design, parts are are made of really cheap plastic and rubber and are designed to break easily in order to force premature replacement. I say to every one out there DONT BUY ONE! There… Read more

are better quality ones out there and at a better price. If Zodiac really cared they would offer some sort of compensation in the way of being able to take the T5 back to retailer and paying a half the changeover price for a better designed model of the barracuda. How can Zodiac withstand such negativity and not doing anything about it to please consumers is beyond belief.

Piece of dung – Worked well until warranty period nearly up. Went to the supplier & he replaced several parts but said the diaphragm (which was torn) was due to wear & tear. This was the 3rd diaphragm I have replaced. Saw cleaner not working again today & sure enough diaphragm Torn again. Had the model before this one for about six years & only replaced one… Read more

diaphragm. Other parts of this terrible piece of equipment nearly worn out again.

Would advise everyone to steer well clear of this bloody terrible piece of equipment as it will cost you dearly in the long haul (or not so long haul) will never purchase another piece of zodiac equipment everrrrrr.

Poor design, low quality materials and poor support – Whilst the T5 is very good with leaves and does a reasonable job of covering the pool, it took a very long time of tweaking it to run properly and not continually get stuck on the steps. The skirt fell apart whilst under warranty but Zodiac claimed it was pool chemistry causing it. Yeah right! Had to pull strings to get a replacement. The… Read more

cleaner has broken AGAIN and when I tried to get parts where I bought it, they said they stopped selling them years ago due poor quality. After several diaphragms and 2 skirts it's now held together with superglue and hot glue. Mind you, I have managed to keep it going for 5 years.

NOT recommended

So so disappointed – The pool cleaner sticks in the corners and on the steps and have moved the weight and the deflector wheel so many times its a joke. Now after 3 months to the day, the diaphragm has spit. Given that the zodiac is fairly basic (no moving parts and made of plastic) and you pay for the design/patent, it is so poor that the materials fail when you have spent over $400. What does it cost to produce? $20?  Show details

Crap don't buy ! – What ever you do don't buy a Zodiac barracuda T5 Duo as they are crap. Worst pool cleaner I have ever had. All mine does is going into the corner and stay there. Called Zodiac numerous times to no avail - consumer service is very poor. The instructions that comes in the box is also very poor with hardly no instruction.  Show details

A good brand ruined by one lousy model! – Had a Barracuda (G2 I think) from day one of our new pool in 2006. Worked well and only periodic replacement of the skirt and diaphragm as you would expect. It finally died less than two years ago and given the good experience I had no hesitation in replacing it with the T5. Generally speaking, it worked ok in my pool but as per other reviews,… Read more

did tend to get stuck in corners or inlet/outlet covers quite often as well as climb the walls and suck air (and yes, the pump pressure was fine!).

Reading the reviews on this unit now and from my experience, it is clear that this model is very poorly engineered. I had to replace the skirt after less than two years (I know Zodiac will carry on about taking it out of the pool after each clean, etc. but it is a "pool cleaner" and surely it isn't rocket science to use materials that will last in known chemical conditions?!). When I tried to take the old skirt off, the thing virtually shattered in my hands. Just to replace the diaphragm (3 in less than two years!) required an engineering degree! Why over complicate things when previous models were simple, practical and easy to work with?

Won't be buying another one unless