Baracuda G3 W03000 Advanced Suction Side Automatic Pool Cleaner Review

The Zodiac Baracuda G3 advanced is a side wall pool cleaner by a brand that’s made reliable pool cleaners for years. The Baracuda G3 by Zodiac has extra suction and a specially designed head to stick to steep walls. Let’s learn more about the pros and cons of this Zodiac brand pool cleaner. We’ll also share a number of observations about the model that aren’t specifically pros or cons but may affect your decision to buy it.

Suitable for In-Ground Pools

It works well with low speed and high speed pumps. You don’t have to worry about an electrical connection with this unit or having to replace expensive electronics like a control board or power supply. The greater the flow, on average, the faster it works.
It can clean the walls, steps and floors of your swimming pool. Most bottom cleaning models will only travel on the bottom of the pool. It will also travel along the stairs and even clean the vertical portion of pool stairs few other pool cleaners will touch.
The wheel deflector prevents it from getting stuck in corners. The disk around the pool cleaner’s suction head prevents it from getting stuck on drain covers, embedded lights and other features.
The hose resists scuffs, wear and tear. The rest of the unit is reliable thanks to its one-moving-part design. You’re not going to have to constantly replace and repair components. You can pay a little extra and get a second, replacement suction head for the pool cleaner.
The filter cassette is easily removed. And it can’t accidentally dump debris in the pool as you try to clean the filter.

What's Not Good About the Baracuda G3

The soft tube that lets debris pass through is less likely to get hung up, but it can be clogged by large debris. For example, it could stuck in a small stick that then gets literally caught in the maw. Large leaves can end up blocking flow. Then the unit can’t continue to move around the pool until you clean it. One solution is to scoop the largest debris yourself. The other is to baby sit the unit and clean things out if it essentially chokes on a large item. Detaching and reattaching the hose can eventually wear down the connection, causing it to eventually be unable to stay securely in place.
This model won’t just climb up the first foot or two of the floor but clean nearly to the water line. However, it will not go into the shallowest parts of a pool, such as when you have a gently sloping entry or a step just below the water line. If the suction head surfaces and gets air in the line, it will stop moving.

Observations

The unit can get stuck on top of a drain that lacks a drain cover. It can even get stuck when the main pool drain is turned off. The solution is to have a drain protector in place. This has the side benefit of preventing kids from getting trapped on the bottom of the pool.

Be careful if the hose seems loose, such as when you’ve constantly disconnected it to clear out debris. It may then disconnect during operations. Then your pool pump is going to take in air. You can minimize the risk of this happening by balancing the hose weight/lift ratio.

Because of the risk of disconnect if the hose connection is wearing out, always check the unit’s filter for leaves before you open up the hose.

The unit can climb walls, but if your pool has a sharp drop off for the deep end, you may have to manually move it to the shallow end. Otherwise, it will continue in the same pattern cleaning the deep end of the pool.

The unit has a design that will cause it to travel along the edges of the pool endlessly. It will sometimes bounce across the bottom of the pool, allowing it to pick up debris in the middle. This isn’t a “smart” model. You can’t order it to go clean up a particular spot. It won’t recognize that it is caught in a corner or indentation of the pool. It doesn’t run into this problem in a standard kidney, rectangular or oval pool, but a pool with lots of platforms, indentations or a weird shape is more prone to this.

Should You Buy the Baracuda G3?

This Baracuda pool cleaner is let down by its inability to reach the entire surface with ease and it can get more expensive than expected; however, the performance that it offers on the areas that it does reach and the ease of use still make it a recommendable product. The Zodiac G3 is easy to use, but it requires some supervision if you don’t have a basic flat pool bottom. It will clean the bottom and sides of the pool, including the unusually shaped niches that others may miss.

Comments

williams says
October 27, 2020 at 10:49 pm
good info, I couldnt figure out why pressure went down, leaves or something inside hose, this clean really good for price, however like stated it doesnt do on steps but it does go upside wall. good buy for money and cleans enough to make my life easier, the little brushes i do for step is theriputic ddx