About Aiper

Aiper makes cordless robotic pool cleaners that run on an internal battery, so there is no floating hose and nothing plugged into the mains at the poolside.

Floor, walls and waterline are three different jobs

The range steps up by what the machine can reach. The entry models clean the floor, mid-range machines climb the walls, and the top of the range adds the waterline, where the greasy band of sun cream and pollen actually collects. Separate from the robots are the solar surface skimmers, which drift across the top collecting leaves before they sink, and a handheld vacuum for spot-cleaning steps and corners. A skimmer and a floor robot together often solve more than one expensive machine on its own.

Choosing one for the pool you actually have

Match the machine to three things: the size of the pool, its shape, and the surface. Published runtimes are measured under favourable conditions, so a cleaner quoted at a couple of hours will want that whole charge for a large pool and may need two runs. Steep walls, tiled finishes and complicated shapes are harder than a plain rectangular liner, and a floor-only model in a pool with a lot of wall area will leave a visible line. Check the stated maximum depth, because that is a hard limit rather than a guide.

Filter baskets are the maintenance

These machines fail slowly rather than suddenly, and the usual cause is a basket nobody empties. Rinse the filter after every run, before it dries into a mat, and keep a spare cartridge so one can dry while the other works. Brushes and tracks wear and are replaceable. Check that consumables for the model you are buying are actually sold before you commit, because a robot whose filters are discontinued is scrap.

Batteries over winter, and what the robot does not do

Lithium packs dislike being stored flat and they dislike being stored hot. At the end of the season, charge to roughly half, dry the machine thoroughly and keep it somewhere frost-free rather than in an unheated shed. And be clear about the division of labour: a robot handles debris, not chemistry. Water balance, sanitiser levels and filtration time remain yours, and a spotless floor in badly balanced water is still badly balanced water.