Rinsing and Cleaning a Robot Pool Cleaner's Filter

A hose is what the manuals name. Both of them say it in the same short line: clean the filter basket with a hose¹².

That line is all either manual gives for the rinse. So this page stays close to it, and it points you to your own manual for anything more.

Before the hose

Empty the debris first. The page on emptying the filter has the steps. Start by switching the robot off and unplugging the power supply, as the Basic 11 instructions say².

Then the hose.

The rinse itself

Hold the basket and run water over it with a hose, as the manuals say¹. That's the whole instruction. The manuals don't give a water pressure, a time, or a way to tell when it's clean, so there's nothing here to quote on those points.

Look at the mesh once the water has run through. If it still looks coated, check your manual for what it allows. The two manuals here don't mention soaps or chemicals, and this site isn't going to guess.

Don't let it dry out first

Both manuals add a note. For the Basic 11, it says not to let the filter panels dry out before cleaning². For the Mass 12, it says not to let the filter basket dry out before cleaning¹.

The manuals don't give a reason, and this page won't guess at one.

Basket or panels?

The two manuals don't use quite the same word. The Basic 11 note talks about filter panels, in a section titled for a dual filter basket². The Mass 12 note talks about the filter basket¹. Both sit under a heading about cleaning the basket.

So don't be thrown if your manual says panels, screens or basket. Look for the section on cleaning the filter, and use the words it uses.

About cleaning methods in general

A general reference on filtration says filter media can be cleaned by rinsing with solvents or detergents or backwashing³. That's a broad statement about filters of many kinds, from labs to treatment plants. It isn't advice for a robot's filter. Don't use a solvent or detergent on yours unless your manual says it's fine.

What the water carries away

The robot's own filter is separate from the pool's main one, and the filtered water goes back into the pool⁴. What the hose removes is what the robot collected. If you hose it near the pool edge, that debris can wash back toward the water, so pick a spot away from the pool.

When the manual is the answer

Models differ. Your manual shows which one you have and how it comes apart. If you've lost it, ask the maker.

Next, how often to do all this.