Why My Small Fiberglass Pool Feels Bigger and Better Thanks to Beatbot

When we first put in the small fiberglass pool, I thought it was going to be the easiest, breeziest thing in the world. It fit perfectly in our backyard — a compact, glossy-blue slice of summer heaven. My husband and I even joked that it would be so low-maintenance we might forget it was there. Fast forward to three months later, and guess who was out there every Saturday morning, skimming leaves and muttering about pine needles? Me. Absolutely me.

I’m not being dramatic when I say the pool was starting to feel like a second job. Maybe it was the size — because it’s small, every little piece of debris felt ten times more noticeable. A single leaf would float around like it owned the place. And don't even get me started on bugs. Mosquitoes, beetles, some unidentifiable winged things. They all found a new home in our beautiful little fiberglass oasis.

I tried everything. Manual nets, cheap vacuums from online marketplaces, even bribing my teenage son to clean it — which worked exactly once. I felt this mix of guilt and frustration every time we had guests over and I had to say, “Sorry, the pool’s kind of a mess right now.” I hated that. I hated that I had this lovely thing I couldn’t fully enjoy.

A friend of mine — the type who’s always trying new gadgets before they’re cool — sent me a video one night of this little robot zipping around her pool. It looked like a tiny underwater Roomba, doing elegant little turns and somehow not getting stuck. She called it her “pool wizard.” I was intrigued.

A week later, after too much scrolling and too little patience, I ordered a Beatbot from the AquaSense 2 series. I didn’t read every single spec (that’s my husband’s department), but I liked the look of it, and more importantly, I liked the idea of not having to stress about cleaning anymore.

I don’t know if it’s just our family or if everyone does this, but we name our gadgets. The pool cleaner became “Dave” by unanimous vote. Dave is punctual. Dave doesn’t complain. Dave doesn’t get distracted by his phone mid-task. Honestly, Dave is more reliable than most humans I know.

The first time we used him, I sat back with a cold drink just to watch. He zipped along the smooth fiberglass walls like he was born for it. No slipping. No stuttering. He reached corners that I didn’t even realize were collecting gunk. The whole process was kind of mesmerizing — like pool ASMR.

I think there’s a misconception that if you have a small pool, it doesn’t need the same level of attention. But actually, the opposite is true. There’s nowhere for dirt to hide — everything is visible. Every footprint. Every twig. Every shimmer of sunscreen film. And because fiberglass is so smooth and shiny, any mark stands out like a highlighter on white paper.

Dave gets it. He glides with just the right amount of pressure. He doesn’t scratch or scuff. And he’s gentle enough that I never worry about him damaging the pool’s surface. It’s like he respects the space, which sounds weird for a robot, but you’ll understand if you ever see one in action.

Something changed once Beatbot  came into the picture. Suddenly I wasn’t obsessing over cleaning. I wasn’t spending my Sunday mornings hunched over the pool with a skimmer pole like some stressed-out water janitor. I was floating. Reading. Laughing with my kid in the pool without secretly scanning for debris.

There’s this moment — it happens at least once a week now — when I walk outside, look at the pool, and smile because it’s just… perfect. Clear. Inviting. Effortless. I didn’t realize how much mental space that pool mess had been taking up until it was gone.

Last weekend we had some neighbors over for a barbecue. Someone casually asked how I keep the pool so clean. I pointed at Dave, who was taking a well-earned break in the corner. They stared like I’d just introduced them to a talking dog. Five days later, I got a message from one of them: “Okay, what was that robot thing called again?”

I can’t say I blame them. Beatbot didn’t just help me keep the pool clean — it made me fall in love with it all over again. My small fiberglass pool, once a source of low-key stress, is now my favorite part of the house.

These days, I slip into the water without hesitation. I float on my back and look up at the sky, not a single leaf in sight. I don’t think about cleaning. I don’t think about algae or bugs or the corner behind the steps that used to drive me crazy. I just think, This is nice.

And somewhere below the surface, Dave is probably doing a final lap — quiet, efficient, loyal. Honestly, every pool needs a Dave. I’m just glad I found mine when I did.

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