Summertime is coming, and the pool is sweetly calling – but if your pool has spent the winter accumulating debris and leaves, its call will seem rather less inviting. That’s where the Zodiac MX8 comes in: for a reasonable price, the MX8 will get your pool scrubbed up and ready to go better than any equivalent pool cleaner on the market!
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All round coverage
For astronomers, the zodiac is a specific band running through the night sky, through which the planets travel their course. But the Zodiac MX8 isn’t limited to any specific band in your pool: on the contrary, this unit will range free, pulling up dirt and debris wherever it may find it.
Indeed, the Zodiac’s comprehensive coverage is its best aspect. Many standard pool cleaners of the ‘creepy crawly’ variety simply float in the water, drifting aimlessly like a life raft lost at sea. These models frequently end up getting stuck limply in some corner or other with little idea what to do next, whirring futilely like a cockroach turned on its back and unable to right itself.
The MX8, on the other hand, travels with purpose across the bottom of the pool on its tank-like treads. It has the ability to rotate itself by 360 degrees, and performs a 90-degree swivel around every 10 seconds. This makes it virtually impossible for to get stuck. If it comes up against a tight corner that it finds itself struggling to navigate, simply wait 10 seconds until it rotates, and it will determinedly carry on with its mission in another direction.
The MX8 is designed to clean the floor, walls and waterline. All pool cleaners find the walls more difficult to clean than the floor. But the Zodiac MX8 does as good a job as any of its rivals at picking clean those vertical surfaces.
Scrub for victory
The MX8 doesn’t just suck; it scrubs. Its two constantly turning wheel brushes allow it to dislodge even dirt which is adhering to the pool’s floor, before channelling it into its funnel. This is a particularly neat aspect to the MX8 and significantly improves its cleaning capacity.
If you’ve got a liner pool, you might need to be careful: it’s possible that the scrubbing motion could tear the lining. But for tile, fibreglass, concrete or other hard surfaces, you’ll have no problems.
Quick running
The cleaning path of the MX8 is wide: that means it’ll suck up a good swathe of dirt on each trip it takes across your pool. The model should be able to handle medium-to-large pools without much difficulty: it won’t need to take many journeys around the pool before you start seeing some shine on those tiles.
Calibration and maintenance
By and large, the Zodiac MX8 is a durable model. Its 12 meter-length hose pieces are sturdy and should last well. But normal maintenance rules apply: it’s probably a bad idea to run it every day, leave it sitting in direct sunlight, or expose it to fresh chlorine.
Furthermore, if want to get the best lifespan out of the MX8 you’ll want to make sure you calibrate it correctly. There is a bright yellow tag on a rear wheel: you’ll want to set the wheels in motion and, by watching the yellow tag, time how long it takes for the wheel to turn 10 times. The ideal period is 20 seconds. If it’s taking any longer, increase the flow passing into your skimmer; if it’s too quick, turn the flow down.
Some users have complained of failing parts. However, this happens to all pool cleaners (the very simplest versions might break less, but then they don’t do as good a job at cleaning). The parts of the MX8, though, are modular. That means that if anything does break, it should be fairly simple to pull it out and put a replacement in. If you’re worried about maintenance, then remember to register your device with the manufacturer once you purchase it by filling in the form that comes with it. That will activate the MX8’s warranty.
A strong all-round choice
All told, the Zodiac MX8 is an excellent choice if you’re looking to upgrade that basic creepy crawly that came with your pool. Though compact, the MX8 looks like a formidable amphibious assault vehicle, advancing steadfastly through its blue battleground. And if you want to make war on the dirt in your pool, you’ll have a valuable weapon in the Zodiac MX8!
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