Pool Cleaners
Looking for the best pool cleaners in New Zealand? Explore Swimart’s wide selection of robotic, vacuum pressure and suction pool cleaners for your pool.
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Owning a swimming pool in New Zealand is a fantastic way to enjoy the warmer months, entertain friends and family, and relax in the comfort of your own backyard. However, keeping your pool crystal clear, hygienic, and inviting requires consistent maintenance. The good news is that you don’t have to spend your weekends vacuuming and scrubbing by hand. Investing in a high-quality automatic pool cleaner is the smartest way to take the hard work out of pool ownership, allowing you to spend less time cleaning and more time swimming.
At Swimart, we understand that every pool is unique. Factors such as the size and shape of your pool, the interior surface material, the surrounding landscape, and your budget all play a crucial role in determining which pool cleaner is right for you. That is why we stock a comprehensive range of industry-leading pool cleaners designed to tackle all types of debris from fine dust and sand to large, stubborn leaves and twigs.
Below, we have put together an in-depth guide to the different types of pool cleaners available in our selection. Whether you are looking for the cutting-edge technology of a robotic cleaner, the rugged power of a pressure cleaner, or the reliable simplicity of a suction or vacuum cleaner, this guide will help you navigate our categories and find the perfect match for your swimming pool.
If you are looking for the absolute pinnacle of convenience, efficiency, and advanced cleaning technology, our range of robotic pool cleaners is exactly what you need. Unlike traditional cleaners that rely on your pool’s main filtration system to move around and collect debris, robotic cleaners are completely independent. They run on low-voltage electricity, cordless or plug into a standard power outlet outside the pool, and operate via a waterproof cord. These cleaners don’t require any manual work, simply set and forget, while your most effective cleaner does the job for you.
How They Work: Robotic cleaners feature their own internal motor and filtration system (usually a filter bag or a rigid debris canister). As they roam your pool, they suck up dirt, leaves, and algae, storing them internally. Because they don’t send this debris to your pool’s skimmer basket or main filter, they significantly reduce the frequency of backwashing and save thousands of litres of water over the year.
Main Benefits:
- Unmatched Energy Efficiency: Because they operate independently of your pool pump, you can run a robotic cleaner without turning on your main system. Their low-voltage motors cost just cents per hour to run, making them incredibly eco-friendly and cost-effective in the long term.
- Smart Mapping Technology: Modern robotic cleaners are equipped with advanced microprocessors and sensors. They actively scan and map your pool’s dimensions, calculating the most efficient cleaning route rather than wandering aimlessly.
- Comprehensive Scrubbing: Equipped with active scrubbing brushes, these machines don’t just vacuum; they actively scrub the floor, the walls, and even the tricky waterline where sunscreen and oils tend to build up.
- Superior Water Circulation: As they move, robotic cleaners expel filtered water back into the pool. This constant movement acts as a secondary circulation system, ensuring your pool chemicals are evenly distributed and eliminating cold spots.
Who is this for? Robotic pool cleaners are ideal for pool owners who want a “set-and-forget” solution. If you want pristine water with minimal manual intervention and want to save money on energy and water bills over time, we highly recommend exploring our robotic cleaner selection.
For decades, suction pool cleaners have been the staple of backyard pool maintenance. They are incredibly popular across New Zealand due to their affordable price point, ease of installation, and reliable performance. If you are looking for a straightforward solution to keep everyday dirt and debris at bay, our range of suction cleaners is a fantastic place to start.
How They Work: Suction cleaners operate by attaching a dedicated hose to your pool’s skimmer box or a dedicated vacuum line. They harness the suction power generated by your pool’s main pump. As the pump pulls water through the cleaner, the device moves around the bottom of the pool in a random or pre-programmed pattern, acting like a self-moving vacuum cleaner. The debris it collects is sucked through the hose, past the skimmer basket, and into your pool’s main filter.
Main Benefits:
- Budget-Friendly: Suction cleaners are generally the most affordable automatic cleaners on the market, both in terms of upfront cost and replacement parts.
- Simplicity and Durability: Because they have very few moving parts and lack complex internal electronics, suction cleaners are incredibly durable. When maintenance is required, parts like diaphragms or skirts are inexpensive and easy to replace yourself.
- Excellent for Fine Debris: If your pool is prone to collecting fine dust, dirt, sand, or small bugs, a suction cleaner is highly effective. It acts as a continuous vacuum, passing these fine particles directly into your high-capacity pool filter.
- Easy DIY Installation: Setting up a suction cleaner requires no special tools or professional installation. You simply assemble the hose lengths, purge the air, plug it into the skimmer, and let it go to work.
Who is this for? Suction cleaners are the perfect choice for budget-conscious pool owners or for those with pools in relatively open areas with little leaf fall. If you want a trusted, low-maintenance workhorse that keeps your pool floor spotless day in and day out, click through to explore our suction pool cleaner category.
If your swimming pool is surrounded by lush trees or heavy vegetation, or is prone to collecting large amounts of debris like gum nuts, acorns, and large leaves, a standard suction cleaner might struggle to keep up. This is where the sheer power of our pressure pool cleaners comes into play.
How They Work: Pressure cleaners operate on the opposite principle to suction cleaners. Instead of connecting to the skimmer (which sucks water out of the pool), they connect to the return line (which pushes clean water back into the pool). Some models operate on the pressure from your standard pool pump, while the most powerful models require a separate, dedicated “booster pump” to generate high-pressure water flow. The water is forced into the cleaner, creating a “Venturi effect” (a powerful upward suction) that lifts heavy debris off the pool floor and forces it into a specialised, high-capacity filter bag attached to the cleaner’s top.
Main Benefits:
- Handles Heavy, Large Debris: Pressure cleaners are unparalleled when it comes to tackling large leaves, twigs, and heavy organic matter that would normally clog a suction hose or a skimmer basket.
- Protects Your Filtration System: Because the debris is caught in the cleaner’s own attached bag, it never reaches your pool’s skimmer basket, pump basket, or main filter. This significantly reduces the strain on your filtration equipment and extends the lifespan of your pump.
- Fast and Aggressive Cleaning: With the power of pressurised water driving them, these cleaners move rapidly around the pool. They feature sweep hoses, or “tails,” that whip around, loosening algae and dirt from corners and steps so they can be filtered out.
- Continuous Skimmer Operation: Since the cleaner does not block the skimmer box, your pool’s surface skimmer is left completely free to pull floating leaves and bugs off the surface of the water while the cleaner tackles the bottom.
Who is this for? If you spend more time emptying clogged skimmer baskets than you do swimming, a pressure cleaner is your best solution. They are highly recommended for pools in leafy suburbs and for pool owners who need heavy-duty, robust cleaning power. Browse our pressure cleaner section to find a heavy-duty workhorse for your pool.
While automatic cleaners have revolutionised pool maintenance, there is still a vital role for the traditional manual pool vacuum. If you need to quickly touch up a specific area before guests arrive, or you are dealing with an unusually heavy algae bloom that needs to be vacuumed directly to waste, a manual vacuum setup offers unmatched control. For many pool owners across New Zealand, having a manual vacuum on hand is the perfect backup or primary tool for keeping water pristine on a budget.
How They Work: Manual vacuum pool cleaners are beautifully simple. The system consists of three main components: a vacuum head (often with integrated brushes), a telescopic pool pole, and a flexible vacuum hose. You attach the vacuum head to the pole and connect one end of the hose to the head. The other end of the hose is primed with water and plugged directly into your skimmer box using a vacuum plate. Once connected, your pool pump provides the suction, and you manually guide the vacuum head across the pool floor and walls, exactly like vacuuming a carpet in your home.
Main Benefits:
- Total Precision and Control: Because you are driving the vacuum, you can specifically target corners, steps, and stubborn dirt patches that an automatic cleaner might occasionally miss. You see the debris, and you suck it up immediately.
- Highly Cost-Effective: Manual vacuums are by far the most affordable cleaning option available. The upfront cost for a head, hose, and pole is minimal, making it an accessible choice for absolutely any pool owner.
- Ideal for Spot Cleaning: If a quick summer storm blows a pile of leaves into one corner of the pool, setting up a manual vacuum takes just minutes, allowing you to clear the mess without running a full automatic cleaning cycle.
- Essential for Severe Algae: When treating a severe green pool, you often need to vacuum the dead algae directly out of the pool (bypassing the filter entirely) by setting your multiport valve to “waste.” A manual vacuum is the only tool that allows you to perform this critical maintenance step effectively.
Who is this for? Manual vacuum pool cleaners are perfect for pool owners on a strict budget, those with very small pools or plunge pools, or anyone who enjoys the hands-on, therapeutic process of cleaning their pool. Furthermore, we highly recommend that every pool owner keep a manual vacuum setup in their shed as a reliable backup and for targeted spot cleaning alongside their primary automatic cleaner. Browse our selection of durable vacuum heads, hoses, and accessories to build your perfect manual cleaning kit.
Choosing to invest in any of our automatic pool cleaners offers benefits that go far beyond just saving time. While regaining your weekends is a massive plus, proper pool automation actually improves the overall health and safety of your swimming environment.
By ensuring your pool is cleaned consistently, you drastically reduce the chance of algae blooms and bacterial buildup. Automatic cleaners help to disturb the water at the deepest parts of the pool, bringing cold, unchlorinated water to the surface where it can be properly sanitised and heated. This means your pool chemicals work more efficiently, you use less chlorine, and your pool heater doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Still unsure which category to explore first? There are a number of factors to consider before purchasing including availability, as well as manual vs set-and-forget. Here is a quick checklist to help you get started:
- Pool Size and Shape: Larger pools or pools with complex shapes (like kidney or free-form) often benefit from the smart mapping of a robotic cleaner.
- Surrounding Environment: Lots of trees? Lean towards a pressure cleaner or a robotic cleaner with a large debris basket. Mostly dust and dirt? A suction cleaner will do a brilliant job.
- Pool Surface: Ensure the cleaner you choose is compatible with your pool’s interior. For example, some suction and robotic cleaners require specific types of brushes or tyres to effectively climb fibreglass or fully tiled walls without slipping.
- Your Budget: We offer solutions for every price point, from entry-level suction cleaners to premium, feature-rich robotic models.
A clean pool is safe, beautiful, and inviting. Don’t let pool maintenance become a chore. Explore the specific categories above to read detailed product descriptions, compare features, and find the perfect cleaning companion for your backyard oasis.
If you need further assistance, the expert team at Swimart is always here to help. Click through to our specific product pages to discover the technical specifications and see exactly how Swimart can help you achieve the perfect pool lifestyle today!