First, I see a lot of people calling this builder an idiot and he is not. I been building pools for 35 years. The flow thru a 1.5 line is 42 gallons a min. It will decrease slightly after you get a ways a way. If you have 2 skimmers, 2 main drains that are tied together and you get to the manifold which I use 2" you can only get so much thru a 2 inch anyway. Max thru the pump per min re-guardless of pump size is 72 gallons per min with because you have 2 inch feed. A bigger pump just causes more head pressure and that is what you need to get good movement in the pool. At the filter lets say a Pentair 24" sand dollar it is 1.5" in to the filter and 1.5 out. So here you are again at 44 gallons per min. You can control the pressure and movement of the pool by using small return jets if you are further away causing a little more head pressure. The standard for all residential pools is 1.5 inch pipe and best way is to run it all to a 2 inch manifold in to the pump. This will create good head pressure and the pool will be fine with a 1.5 horse power pump. The thing you need to do is make sure you have a good pump med. to high head. To the guy above,,,,there is no way to run 3 inch plumbing with a residential filter max size being 2 inch. You would need a commercial filter to achieve this. Like I said lots of these guys will take you to the bank these days making you believe you need bigger plumbing then you actually need. I build lots of ingrounds every year and always put the pumps and filters at the house and in some cases return lines are 150 feet away and all of these pools run fantastic with 1.5 inch plumbing as long as you run seperate return lines. The closer returns you use smaller eyeballs to make them all the same pressure! Just make sure you have a good high head pump!

I bought a T2 when it first came out in 2005. I have a free form 40x38 pool with water features and rocks in the pool. The T2 did an incredible job cleaning the pool and was extremely fast. It could clean the entire pool in about 4hrs. Unfortunately it was also a maintenance nightmare. I think that thing never went more then 6months without having to be sent in for a repair. The Aqua-bot company always repaired it at no cost, but the whole process meant going without a cleaner for about 3weeks. The T2 made it to August 2008 before it finally burned out its motor after just 3months out of the shop to have the pump replaced. It was at this point that they owned up to the fact that the original T2's had some serious design defects in them. After going back and forth with them over the amount of services issues I had, I ended up getting upgraded to the T4 at a nominal cost. I have to say the T4 is light years ahead of my old T2 and can clean my pool in about 2hrs. I love having the remote and actually do use it for spot cleaning and cleaning under my waterfall on the sun-shelf. Here are what I see as the big + and - of the T2/T4: Upside: + It cleans the pool very fast (I would assume faster then any of the non-robotic cleaners) + The company stands behind their product (so long as you buy from an authorized dealer) + The cleaning job is incredible and you will probably never see a cleaner pool then one cleaned by a robot. + The hose rewinds very easily and never gets twisted up since it floats on top of the water. + It stows away very easily. + It has no problem with a large free form pool with obstacles. + Remote for spot cleaning (T4) + Climbs walls to tile + Filters water + Great wanrranty. Downside: - The power supply is water resistant not water proof which means you have to make sure its protected in case it rains. -Set up and tear down can be taxing. If you are the type of person that leaves the garden hose unwound after using it, don't buy a T2. - When it breaks you most likely will have to package it up and send it back. You need to manually clean the pool while its gone, so don't throw away your vacuum. - You need some basic mechanical skills to change the belts and tracks once every year and a half. - They are very expensive compared to non-robotic cleaners. - If the pump seals blow, you will have a small oil slick in your pool for about a day. - When the warranty runs out, the parts are very expensive

It depends on how shallow the shallow end is. If the robotic cleaner won't go to a 3' area, then you need a warranty call. If the shallow end is inches deep (like on a beach entry), it is not going to clean that area. You will need to supplement your cleaning tools with a vacuum

I've owned the 4-wheeled version of "The Pool Cleaner" since 2002. Had a Polaris and hated it!!! My first "Pool Cleaner" was "used" and given to me by a friend in the pool business. I am on my 3rd now and love them! The first 2 were called "Trackers" and made by a company that went out of business (I believe). They are easy to maintain and do a great job on the floor and walls. Cleans my pool in a couple of hours. My pool has 90 degree angle walls-to-floor. No incline. The cleaner will nose into the wall and (eventually) turn or climb itself out. As a result, my wheels wear out on the inside hub/gears quicker. The manufacturers use metal drive shafts that tend to chew up the inside of the plastic front wheel hub gears after awhile (9 months to a year). I rotate my wheels and tires from front to rear to extend life. I use a Hayward Skim Vac plate that allows cleaning every other day. Mine runs +12 hours a day. Parts can also be pricey. Tires can cost as much as a set of tires for a small car (over $40 with shipping, each!) I bought my latest "Pool Cleaner" from INYOPools.com. Great price and quick delivery!