The nice clean swimming pool available for everybody is not a dream anymore. The excellent level of automatic devices allows for maintaining the pool in the perfect order, which is surprising every day.
There are not only automatic robot cleaners, like dolphin models E10 or E20, that can clean all types of inground and above ground pools, but also automatic skimmers, floating the waterline collecting all debris, in addition to the already existing filtration system with a pump.
And the most current news that on the market are available the skimmers powered by the sunlight, making the only expense for the owner the original purchase of the machine itself. This eco-friendly solution allows us to save tons of electricity. Moreover, you can forget about nets and manual exercising; these skimmers can replace the man and a skimmer in the filtration system.
In some cases, this pool skimmer is enough to clean the overall pool without a robotic cleaner with constant usage. The promising examples of solar skimmers are Instapark Betta vs Solar Breeze models.
Comparison table
Main Difference Between the Models
Even though these two models are different in design, the overall working mode is the same. The main differences between the models are only possible to consider:
- Instapark Betta is not designed to work in salty pools.
- Solar Breeze does not have manual control, only one button to turn on/off; Betta has a remote controller additionally.
- Instapark’s disadvantage is that it could not be shipped outside of the USA.
- Filtration trays have the same capacity but different access.
- Betta has five stages of battery capacity LED indicators, and Ariel only one.
Also, Instapark Betta has a 2.0 version with more solid propellers and an improved turn-on button. However, the other excellent features, such as a solar panel and top debris basket, remain unchanged, proving the original design works flawlessly.
Detailed Product Reviews
Instapark Betta Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner Solar Powered Pool Skimmer
This solar-powered robotic pool skimmer is a perfect solution for collecting dead bugs, dog hair, leaves, dust, and other types of debris from any pool water surface. It floats noiselessly and does not require any cables or cords; the built-in battery is charged by solar power and, if required, will be charged automatically. The battery efficiency is enough to work the whole night.
In addition, 21.5% of solar energy is converted into robotic skimmer power to clean your pool.
A remote control controls the skimmer. The owner can operate it manually or use the program using the one-two button. The controller has four buttons for each direction and a power button in the middle.
All debris is collected in a large basket tray with a fine mesh with a top-load that can be emptied without taking out the model from the water. All garbage is safely stored in a basket without the possibility of going back to the swimming pool. It is accessed with only one click. The basket is easily cleaned with a water jet from a garden hose.
The ultrasonic sensors on the skimmer edges prevent hard facing of the pool’s walls, but as a consequence, it cannot collect debris just near the wall. As a result, it does not hit the walls and does not damage them or leave any marks. The sensors measure the distance from the wall on four sides of the cleaner. Flashing LED white lights at night show that the skimmer is working in the pool.
There are also guide wheels on both front sides of the cleaner, and on the backside, there are two red propellers to provide movement of the skimmer and one impeller in front. On the top is the solar panel; there is a battery under it. The red LED lights on the back with five sections show the rest of the battery life. The nearby red button turns on the power.
Turn on the red button and put the skimmer in the water to start working. Very easy in maintenance, only clean the basket and seldom the body from the pool’s chemicals. No change of battery or solar panel is required.
The one-year warranty provides the opportunity to cover all manufactured defects and some replacement parts during this period. Still, please follow the water instruction – the temperature, pH level, and amount of allowed chemicals (also salt) – to prevent its void. But the skimmer is designed for a high level of sun impact made from UV-resistant materials.
- Works only from solar energy
- Has remote control
- Automatically charged battery when necessary
- Two modes of working: manual and remote
- Good navigation by ultrasonic sensors
- Easy installed and cleaned tray for collecting debris
- Not recommended to use in salty water
- No possibility of charging from electricity
- Cannot clean walls of the pool
- It can be stuck near the pool skimmer; this can be avoided by putting some floating obstacle in front.
Solar Breeze Ariel Automatic Robot Solar Pool Skimmer
The Solar Breeze Ariel is another perfect solution for collecting leaves, flowers, bugs, and other garbage from the water surface to make it clean as a mirror. The construction of this model is relatively simple and similar to Instapark Betta. This eco-friendly model is absolutely independent of grid power, saves energy for filtration pumps, and allows fewer chemicals for water treatment. The owner’s observation shows that the pool pump working time can be reduced up to 60% thanks to Solar Breeze.
The purple no-slip grab handle could be easily put in and out of the water. The control process is connected only by pressing the black button near the solar button on the top. The black button is located near two indicators: the status of the LED indicator and the battery charging LED indicator.
All debris is collected in the oversized tray under the solar panel. It would help if you took the Solar Breeze out of the water to clean it. The tray can be extracted with one movement using the recessed handle and cleaned with a water jet. Afterward, it slides back in place. The fine mesh tray can collect particles up to 200 microns and have the capacity of two skimmer baskets.
Solar Breeze has front paddlewheels and two split rear paddlewheels. The front paddles direct the debris into the filter; the back ones are for the movement. The black solar panel on the top has a window to check the amount of debris in the chamber of a collection tray. Such construction allows Ariel to move freely in all four directions without getting stuck in any corner.
The solar panel collects the radiation to power the skimmer and charges the backup battery to work during the night and cloudy hours. No cords or hoses are required for Ariel.
The safe navigation is ensured by sensors on the corners, similar to the Betta model. The corners are also protected with stationary rubber bumpers, and in front, at night, there are two navigation LED lights. The speed of this skimmer is up to 20 feet per minute.
Solar Breeze perfectly cleans the water surface in pools of all shapes with chlorine or saltwater (up to 6500 ppm), indoors or outdoors. The allowable temperature of air and water is between 40 – 130 F.
- Eco-friendly, does not pollute the atmosphere, work only from solar radiation
- It has batteries that can be charged from the sun and used during night or on cloudy days
- Can work in salty water
- It has rubber bumpers to protect angles from scratching and sensors to avoid obstacles
- The collection tray has sufficient capacity
- No cords or cables are required for operation
- No remote control
- No possibility of charging from electricity
- Clean only water surface
- Can be stuck near the pool skimmer
Buyer’s Guide
The robotic skimmers are not so popular as robotic pool cleaners, but they also provide essential support for the owner in the pool cleaning. They can reduce the massive amount of manual work with a net collection of all garbage from the surface. Additionally, bacteria and algae are not created with constant use, providing the opportunity to use less filtration pumps and chemicals.
The most outstanding achievement of engineers is a combination of the robotic skimmer with solar panel making it eco-friendly. The choice of solar robotic skimmers is not so vivid, but the following aspects should be considered during your choice.
Disadvantages:
- Not all models have a remote control
- It cannot work if the battery is not charged on cloudy days or in indoor pools
- Challenging to clean at a narrow angle; it can get stuck for a while there
- Can be trapped by the pool skimmer, a protection shield should be installed there to avoid that
- Some models, even fully charged, have problems during the nighttime if there is no artificial light in the pool, constantly bumping at the swimming pool walls
- No possibility of charging it from electricity during days with a lack of sunlight
The detailed description of two solar skimmers, Solar Breeze vs. Instapark Betta, showed that they obtain all pros of robotic skimmers. The below comparisons will show the clear difference between models that may lead you to choose the best model for you:
Design and Dimensions
Instapark Betta
Instapark Betta has a stylish design; it will fleet around your pool like a white & black & red speed boat. It measures 22 x 19 x 8 inches and weighs only 14.12 pounds. In addition, the high-quality UV-resistance materials will ensure safe work during hot summer and direct sun radiation.
Solar Breeze
Solar Breeze has a simple flat design in bright colors – black & green & purple, and white. It has similar dimensions as Instapark Betta 24.05 x 20.08 x 10 inches and weighs 14.87 pounds, but its construction is even more straightforward, with only one button for turn on, and to extract the filter tray, you just need to pull it.
verdictThese two models have an absolutely different design; the only similarity is the black solar panel on top. You can choose the model that better suits your pool. Also, the Ariel Solar Breeze is constructed simpler, with fewer buttons and removable details, but both functionality and efficiency are the same.
Control functions
Instapark Betta
Betta has two options of control: manual and automatic. A remote controller with five buttons (4 directions and a turn on/off button) allows manually to dock or clean a specific pool part easily. Automatic control allows you to turn on the skimmer, start the propellers, put it in the water, and forget about all debris on the surface.
Solar Breeze
Solar Breeze has only one button – start or turn on/off on its body. That starts the skimmer’s propellers if it has enough battery or direct contact with the sun.
verdictSolar Breeze vs. Instapark Betta loses the second one in the battle in choice of control. Betta has an additional remote controller that allows you to navigate the skimmer. But if you prefer entirely autonomous work, this feature might not be essential.
Filtration system
Instapark Betta
Instapark has a fine mesh filter tray to store all collected garbage. The access to the tray is with one click of a button on the top near the solar panel, the lid will be open, and you are there. To take out the tray, there is a unique red handle attached. All operations for cleaning the tray can be executed without taking the skimmer out of the pool. The number of debris collected is visible through the small glass window in a solar panel.
Solar Breeze
Ariel Solar model has an effortless fine mesh filter tray installation. It is also located under the solar panel, but you need to pull the tray under the purple handle to take it out. It will quickly slide from the installation place. No additional buttons or handles are required. A square hole is foreseen to check out the stored garbage on a solar panel.
verdictEven though the Solar Breeze filter tray is more accessible, there are no buttons to push; you need to take the skimmer out from the pool to take it out. Betta tray extraction can be executed inside the pool. But both filters have to be washed from the garden hose. So, a few seconds of pulling out from the water with ergonomic handles is not a big difference.
Other technical parameters of both skimmers are the same:
- Operation principle of collection debris with front paddlewheel into filter tray
- Moving with two back wheels
- Solar energy as an energy source
- Battery backup for nights and cloudy days
- LED indicators of battery charge
- Sensors on body corners to avoid obstacles.
How to choose the Best Pool Skimmer?
The primary purpose of any skimmer is to collect all debris from the water surface. There are three different types of skimmers on the market: manual, automatic, and self-propelled.
Manual is the simplest and cheapest device – a net. But you can collect only big debris with it, be sure that you have a telescopic handle to reach all parts of the pool’s surface.
Automatic cleaners can automatically suck all nasty things from the surface, but they should be connected to the filtration pump or robotic pool cleaners (suction or pressure side).
Self-propelled skimmers are the most attractive as they do not require connection to pumps, filters, or even to energy resources as they have solar power energy resources. They are more expensive than previous types, but you save money on removable parts and electricity.
Some simple advice for choosing the best pool skimmer:
- Based on your budget and availability of equipment in the pool, choose a manual, automatic, or self-propelled skimmer.
- Check the type and size of the filter basket; if you have a lot of debris, you need a large one.
- Consider buying an eco-friendly automatic robot solar pool skimmer. It does not require constant maintenance and requires only solar power and frequent cleaning of the filter basket, no hoses or cables.
- Constant usage of skimmer decreases the necessity of a powerful filtration system and the frequency of starting the robotic cleaners for walls and water lines significantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much time is required to charge the battery of Instapark Betta?
Five to seven hours of direct solar radiation is required to fully charge the Instapark battery for the whole night and day. So, for a cloudy day, the charging time will be around 8-10 hours.Can Instapark Betta vs Solar Breeze work in the rain?
Is it possible to charge Solar Breeze from the electricity?
Do I need to change the filtration trays?
Conclusion
Solar-powered household devices are a now-how in the eco-friendly world; such devices are only starting to be popular on the market. The solar robotic self-propellered skimmer is an excellent opportunity to try this type of energy that does not require any maintenance expenses, just sun. With solar skimmers, your water surfaces will be out of dead dragonflies, flowers, leaves, and other unpleasant staff. Solar Breeze and Instapark Betta both present an excellent but equally expensive solution for the fully autonomic work of caring for your pool mirror.
Having a simple control function, you need the sun to power the solar panel to start them moving and collecting garbage in the filter trays. The differences in control functions, filter trays’ location, and the skimmer’s color allow the owner of the model to better suit his needs. But anyway, both models are equally effective, have similar battery capacity, and suit perfectly the purpose.
Hi! I’m Markus Robertson, and water is my passion.
Five years ago, I graduated from the University of California-Los Angeles and was going to become a professional marine biologist. However, my fate had other plans for me, and due to family problems, I had to find a more stable and well-paid job. I had only one wish for my job to be connected with water.
During this period of my life, I worked as a sales manager at Olympic Pool & Spa Supplies. The job helped me learn everything about swimming pools and related pool equipment, as well as how to choose the best option and what to pay attention to.
