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Baracuda G4 and G3 Pool Cleaner

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Baracuda G3 and G4 Pool Cleaner

We bought our Baracuda G4 Pool Cleaner on ebay at a price better than several stores in our area. If you do the research you can get the best price available through ebay and still know what you are getting. Many of the higher priced items have Free Shipping. My method is check out the neighborhood stores get some info, check Amazon and last check eBay.

The reviews on Amazon are a good research tool of the product. I tend to be a little skeptical of the reviews. You have to get past the pros and the detractors and analyze the points that only talk about the product and the conditions that apply to your situation. Now you may say, well, look at all the poor reviews on the Barracuda G4 Pool Cleaner on Amazon. I will give the reasons why I went beyond the customer reviews and bought the Baracuda G4, anyway.

The Baracuda line of products is under Zodiac Pool Systems Canada, Inc. They produce several kinds of attractive automatic swimming pool cleaners.

photo from Amazon.com

Review on G4 Zodiac Pool Cleaner

The following review is about a discontinued model, but there are still some available out there. Many parts are interchangeable between the G4 and the G3. I would not have qualms about purchasing the G3 after my experience with the G4.

Zodiac Baracuda G4 InGround Swimming Pool Cleaner New!

Amazon Price: $468.00 (as of 05/28/2012)

Following review by paperfacets

Baracuda G4 randomly covers pool surfaces including sides to keep your pool free of settling dirt and grime build up. Will pick up debris such as leaves and twigs. Our G4 runs quiet. The old Kreepy Krawley had a rather noticeable clicking noise that was even loader for a swimmer in the pool. I consider this a plus. Sometimes I want my short swim serene and relaxing without removing the hose and unit.

In the year we have had this unit I have not seen it caught in a corner. Our Krauley would get caught in corners on our hanging thermometer and the drain at the bottom of the pool. We have only witnessed the operation under 3400 RPM speed and we have not seen it caught up on anything. This winter when the equipment can be reduced in speed, because of infrequent use, I will update this review to highlight all the operation features.

The Barracuda G4 Pool Cleaner operates with pumps that change to lower speeds. We have a new variable speed pump we want the in-ground pool cleaner to operate on. Changing the inlet valve directions down, helps the random operation of the cleaner.

The new variable speed pump with Sun Touch controls is up and working. The Barracuda works fine in the lower speeds. We have had it running 7 hours a day for two years at various speeds.

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

The cleaner has a manual that is included and a Warrenty card for 2 years of normal wear and factory defects. The included manual is fine for installing the unit but I have found on the Internet an even better .pdf with more illustrations and clearer and simpler explanations for the steps to install. I highly recommend the pdf.

The kit comes with a Pool Plus® meter that you use to aid in checking the flow of water going through the Zodiac G4 pool cleaner. A must for proper installation. There is a ladder guard that can be purchased separately for in-pool ladders and if your pool has heavy leaf debris a leaf gathering attachment is available.

We were able to get our Baracuda G4 operating with the basic kit. Following this research I found that two of our inlet valves were not turned downward. That was easy to fix. The package manual did not say MUST be turned downward, the pdf did. Maybe we will get more randomness.

Why Buy The Discontinued Model?

Now that I have sold you on the G4 which is still available at stores and the Internet, the sad truth is it is a discontinued model. Many replacement parts are interchangeable between the G3 and G4.

The G3 is still available. While researching this review I found out the G4 cleaner my husband had me price research is no longer made. It is still supported by Zodiac on their official website. The G3 is still produced. The official site does not say why G4 is discontinued but I imagine to myself (and you) that with the launch of the X7 two mid-range models were no longer needed for marketing .

By what I can tell of the .pdf's of the G3 and G4 they are very similar only the housing is different. If you are looking for the mid-priced cleaner and are not comfortable with the G4 the G3 is a good buy. Do your price research on Amazon and look at eBay. If your pool system is air tight and the filter is cleaned regularly the cleaner should not give you trouble.

The G4 does work every good with the Pentair variable speed pump and Suntouch Control System.

One difference between the G3 and G4

G3 disk is of solid construction.

On the G4 the splits are visible. I believe this aids on cleaning tight corners. With our old Kreepy Krauly thie disk did not last very long and became torn within a year. We have new pool surfacing now and we are hoping the disk will last longer on this G4.

Zodiac Has 5 Suction Cleaners

One is just right for your pool

Do Pool Cleaner Research

Zodiac Pool Systems: See all the latest in Zodiac Pool System at the official website.

Zodiac Baracuda Pool Cleaners on ebay

We purchased our inground pool cleaner on Ebay from seller "poolsupplies" for $299 with free shipping. Product arrived within 4 days with tracking available via Fedex.