Market guide
Will it clean this pool
A pool-by-pool check for steps, ledges, slopes, drains, finish, depth, waterline, and the debris that actually arrivesFloor, wall, and waterline are useful labels but incomplete promises. A robot can clean an open wall and still miss a shallow ledge, lose grip on a slope, hang on a drain, or carry the wrong filter for the material that settles in the pool.
Draw the pool
Mark every transition before reading a feature list
Record length, shape, finish, deep end, slopes, beach entry, steps, benches, sun shelf, drains, corners, and the water depth over each raised area. Compare those measurements with the maker's stated operating limits.
- Shallow areas
- Beatbot states that steps need enough width and at least 1.31 feet of water for AquaSense 2 Ultra.
- Floor fittings
- Raised drains and covers can interrupt tracks or trap a cleaner that otherwise navigates the floor well.
- Finish
- Brush choice, traction, and possible scuffing differ across plaster, pebble, tile, vinyl, and fiberglass.
Separate the jobs
Surface, waterline, walls, and floor are different work
A robot that climbs the wall may not travel the waterline. A submerged cleaner does not necessarily skim leaves. Steps and ledges are a separate test even when the maker describes full-pool coverage.
- Surface
- Floating leaves and pollen may justify a surface-capable robot or a separate skimmer.
- Waterline
- Look for lateral travel and scrubbing at the surface, not only a wall climb.
- Floor
- Fine dust, sand, hair, and large leaves ask different things of the basket and filter.
Return-window test
Start with the hardest place and the worst debris
A clean rectangular section proves little. Run the robot after normal debris arrives, inspect the steps and corners, check whether it escapes the main drain, and weigh the retrieval routine while a return remains possible.
- Coverage map
- Photograph the missed material after a complete cycle instead of relying on app animation.
- Filter check
- Open the basket before rinsing and note which material passed through or clogged it.
- Second cycle
- Record charge, cooldown, or cable reset work when one cycle is insufficient.
Evidence used
First-party sources behind this guide
- 01AquaSense 2 Ultra pool and depth requirementsBeatbot · checked August 13, 2026Open source
- 02Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme coverageMaytronics · checked August 13, 2026Open source
- 03AquaSense 2 Ultra irregular-pool discussionr/Beatbot_Tech · checked August 13, 2026Open source