Why I Quit Swimming Pool Cleaning and Maintenance Services and Let a Robot Take Over

I never planned to fire my pool guy. It just kind of… happened. One day I was sitting by the water, watching a single leaf swirl in the shallow end, and the next I was questioning why I’d been paying for swimming pool cleaning and maintenance services all these years when I was still pulling junk out of the water myself every other day. That tiny leaf, believe it or not, kicked off a whole chain of events that ended with a robot named Beatbot quietly taking over my pool care.

So I’ve had a pool for about six years now. Nothing crazy — just a standard backyard setup with a few decent jets, some concrete, and an unreasonable number of bugs that think it’s a spa. For the first few years, we used a local cleaning service. Seemed like the thing to do, right? They’d show up every week, do the whole chlorine-balancing, net-scooping, brush-the-walls routine, and leave without much fuss.

But here’s the thing. They were never… great. Sometimes they’d miss spots. Other times I’d notice that the filter basket hadn’t been emptied in weeks. Once, I swear they left a trail of muddy footprints across my patio and pretended it wasn’t them. It wasn’t awful enough to cancel outright, but just annoying enough to start piling up in the back of my mind.

Then came the scheduling headaches. Rain delays, holiday conflicts, surprise price increases. And meanwhile, I was still buying extra chlorine, still skimming leaves myself, still googling “why does my pool look cloudy again.”

So one morning, out of nowhere, I decided to clean it myself. Just once. Just to see.

I spent the whole Saturday brushing algae off the walls, dragging the vacuum around like a toddler on a leash, and adjusting chemical levels with the grace of someone who passed high school chemistry by copying their lab partner’s notes. By the end of the day, the pool looked better — sure — but I was sunburned, exhausted, and my arms felt like spaghetti. My wife came outside and said, “Well… you did something,” which is basically a compliment in our household.

That’s when it hit me. I didn’t want to keep paying someone else and doing half the job myself. But I also didn’t want to go full DIY because, frankly, I have other things to do on weekends that aren’t scrubbing calcium stains off tile.

I’m not even sure how I came across Beatbot. Maybe it was an ad, maybe it was a Reddit comment — honestly, my brain’s a foggy mess these days. But something about the name stuck. Sounded kind of cool. Like a tiny submarine that dances.

I looked it up and saw a bunch of people raving about the  AquaSense 2 series  . I didn’t care about the specs (still don’t, to be honest), but what caught my attention was this one review that said: “I forgot what a leaf skimmer looks like.”That was it. 

That was the moment I clicked “buy.”

When the box showed up, I didn’t expect much. I’ve bought “smart” pool gear before that was basically a glorified Roomba with water wings. But the Beatbot was different. It was low-key. No drama, no long setup process, no need to sync it to 12 different apps. I dropped it into the pool like I was tossing a coin into a fountain and just… waited.

What happened next felt like watching someone who actually knew what they were doing. It didn’t just bump into the walls or go in circles. It mapped out the whole pool like it had a plan. It slid under the diving board, tackled the stairs (the stairs!), climbed walls, and got into those awkward corner spots I never touched.

And the best part? I did absolutely nothing.

I haven’t called the pool service company since. There wasn’t a big goodbye or some awkward cancellation phone call. I just… stopped needing them. I still check the water levels and toss in some chemicals now and then, but the cleaning? 100% handled. The Beatbot goes in when the pool looks dusty or leafy, and within a few hours, it’s crystal clear again. No drama. No chasing someone down to “reschedule.”

More importantly, the pool feels like mine again. Not some maintenance project I keep outsourcing, but something I actually enjoy without resenting. My kids swim more. I swim more. We have evening swims just because we can. The pool isn’t a chore anymore — it’s part of the rhythm of our home.

Sorry, man. You were fine. Mostly. But you can’t beat a robot that works weekends, doesn’t track mud, and never needs a bathroom break.

Also, if you want to borrow it — I mean, I probably won’t say no. But you’ll have to bring your own lemonade.

Relative Blogs

About the author