Untangling Automatic Cleaners

Adapted from an article by Swim University

If you love your pool cleaner but get frustrated with hoses that constantly tangle, here are a few tips for keeping your cleaner motoring along.

1. Try disconnecting the hose from the cleaner and stretch it out across your lawn until there are no tangles in the hose. Ideally, do this on a warm day as the sun can actually help with this process and maintain a tangle free hose for the future.

2. Hose length is also important. Nothing can cause tangles more than a hose that is too long for your pool. While you want a little bit of play in your hose, too much results in a hose that just floats in the water. This floating hose is much more likely to tangle. Trim down your hose so that it is just long enough for the farthest corner of your pool but don’t leave a lot of slack that can then tangle as it drifts in your water.

3. Check your hose and swivel connectors as over time these can become stiff. This prevents the hose from turning as it should. When it won’t turn, tangles can easily form. Consider adding a swivel at the location of the hose that tends to tangle.

4. The wheels on your pool cleaner are designed to work at a specific RPM setting. If the RPM is higher than it should be your pool cleaner won’t do as thorough a job cleaning and your hoses are more likely to get tangled. Try lowering the RPMs and see if that makes a difference.

5. Sometimes, the problem is simply weather. Cables and hoses tend to tangle more if it is cooler outside. Below 70°F, you may have to stretch out the hoses in the sunlight as we discussed earlier or manually remove a tangle while the cleaner is working. 6. While cleaners are great at cleaning, they sometimes need a cleaning themselves. Get in the habit of checking the filters and valves periodically and removing any excess gunk that has accumulated.

7. When all else fails, it may be time for a new hose. Even if your pool cleaner has been discontinued, there is still a good chance you can find replacement parts, including the hoses. When your new hose arrives, make sure that it is measured properly for your pool and stretch it out in the sun for a few hours before using. That way you can make sure that the new hose doesn’t end up with the same problem.
In the scope of things, a tangled pool cleaner is one of the easier ones to fix. Trying the solutions above will help your pool cleaner do its job so you can enjoy swimming in a nice, clean pool.