Zodiac MX6 and MX6 Elite Suction Cleaners

The MX6 is Zodiac's compact tracked suction cleaner. It runs on your pump's suction through a skimmer or a 1½-inch vacuum line, on 32 feet of Twist-Lock hose, with a turbine engine inside driving a pair of tracks. Zodiac rates it for concrete, tile, vinyl and fiberglass, and Zodiac pitches it at smaller pools.

The MX6 Elite, MX6EL, adds scrubbing. Zodiac says its brushes spin to scrub fine and stuck-on debris. Both share one owner's manual with the larger MX8 and MX8 Elite, and both product pages give one year of warranty.

Like any suction cleaner, it sends debris to your pump basket and filter, which the cleaner type comparison covers.

MX6 or MX6 Elite

In Fluidra's 2026 catalog, the two parts lists match number for number except one: the turbine under the cleaner.

• MX6: a cyclonic turbine, R0525000. Zodiac says the turbine creates down force for climbing and stability and steers debris into the cleaner's mouth.
• MX6 Elite: a cyclonic scrubbing turbine, R0829200 on its own, carrying the brushes.

How it differs from the MX8

The MX8 and MX8 Elite are the bigger versions. From Zodiac's comparison table, manual and the catalog:

• Cleaning footprint: 10 inches, against the MX8's 15.
• Hose: 32 feet, 9 sections and a leader, against 39 feet.
• Navigation: Zodiac calls the MX6's X-Drive and the MX8's maX-Drive.
• No debris modes. The manual's small- and large-debris modes, and its check that each track reverses direction, are for the MX8 and MX8 Elite only.
• One turbine underneath. The MX8 Elite's parts list has two scrubbing turbines; the MX6 Elite's has one.

Before you connect it

1. Turn off the pump.
2. Vacuum the pool by hand, and make sure the filter and pump basket are clean.
3. Close the main drain line.
4. Aim the returns down.

Zodiac's safety rules: the suction fittings you connect to should be certified to a safety standard such as IAPMO SPS 4, and wall vacuum fittings should have a safety vac lock. On a vinyl pool, don't install it on a liner that's brittle or has stones, wrinkles, roots or corroded metal against its underside until it's repaired; Zodiac says it isn't responsible for liner damage.

Connecting it

The hose: push and twist each connector until it clicks. Zodiac says each cuff has three connection positions, and any of them seals.

On a dedicated suction line: twist the male end of the hose into the large end of the extended 45° elbow, connect the elbow to the safety vac wall fitting, which is sold separately, and angle the elbow up toward the surface.

On a skimmer: Zodiac says the FlowKeeper valve must always be used when the pool has only one skimmer. With more than one, use the skimmer closest to the pump. Take out the skimmer basket, fit the valve cuff, FlowKeeper valve and 45° elbow together with the FlowKeeper's arrow pointing down, twist the hose into the elbow, and put the assembly into the skimmer's suction port. Zodiac says the parts and their order depend on your skimmer.

The length: connect enough sections to reach the farthest point of the pool from the skimmer or suction line and take off any extra. Then add the leader hose, the one with the float, at the cleaner end, so the cleaner can still reach the far point if a loop forms.

The cleaner: put the flow regulator valve on the leader hose. Submerge the hose until no bubbles come out, then do the same with the cleaner. Push the valve onto the cleaner, let it sink, and turn the pump on.

Checking the flow

Zodiac's flow check is how fast the wheels turn:

1. With the pump on, bring the cleaner up and hold it fully underwater, just below the surface.
2. Find the yellow wheel speed indicator on the rear right wheel.
3. Time 10 turns. If the wheels change direction while you count, wait and start again.

What the count means:

• 20 to 25 seconds: optimal flow, no change needed.
• 26 to 50 seconds: too slow, so increase the flow.
• 10 to 19 seconds: too fast, so decrease the flow, or the cleaner could be damaged.

To adjust, use the valves at the equipment pad or move the FlowKeeper valve up or down at the skimmer.

Clearing the engine

Disconnect the hose and turn the pump off first.

1. Push the latch release button on top of the cleaner.
2. Rotate the top back until it clicks into the upright position.
3. Look into the engine and pull out any debris.
4. If something's stuck, slowly push the engine paddles forward or back to move it where you can reach it. Let the tracks move freely, because they turn with the paddles.
5. Close the top and make sure the latch clicks.

Replacing the drive parts

Zodiac sells its factory tune-up kit, R0796200, for the MX8 and MX8 Elite only. The MX6 parts lists share that kit's engine, drive shaft, bearing, track and side A direction control device numbers. But the MX6 has one drive shaft where the MX8 Elite has two, a drive pulley assembly the MX8 Elite list doesn't have, and no side B direction control device, and Zodiac doesn't say the kit fits. The parts are listed individually on this page.

Routine care and storage

• Empty the pump basket regularly, more often when there's more debris. Zodiac's Cyclonic Leaf Catcher, CLC500, listed on both product pages, traps debris before it reaches the skimmer, pump or filter.
• Disconnect the cleaner before cleaning or backwashing the filter, and let the system run at least five minutes before reconnecting.
• Take it out before adding chemicals or shocking, and wait at least four hours after super chlorination before putting it back.
• Replace the Elite's brushes every season or when they're visibly worn.
• Keep it out of direct sun, and store it on its side or back so the turbine isn't damaged.
• Never coil the hose, even briefly. Zodiac says it can develop a memory that affects how the cleaner moves.
• Before winter, drain all the water out, since freeze damage isn't covered by the warranty. Take all connectors and adapters out of the suction line or skimmer, and take the hose apart and lay it flat.

What the troubleshooting says

From Zodiac's MX6 and MX6 Elite product pages:

• Doesn't move, or moves slowly: close the main drain; check the wheel speed; check for worn teeth inside the tracks; backwash the filter and empty the pump basket; check for debris in the engine; and make sure the flow regulator valve moves freely. If the pump basket's water level drops, or you see bubbles in the basket or at the returns, there's air in the system: check the hose connections, tighten the fittings at the pump and check the pump basket o-ring.
• Doesn't cover the whole pool: check the hose length and the wheel speed, aim the returns down or add a return diverter, straighten a kinked or coiled hose in the sun, and put the float about 9 inches from the cleaner.
• Stuck at stairs: make sure the swivel on top turns freely, check the wheel speed, and shorten the hose if it's too long.
• Won't climb walls: check the wheel speed and the float. The manual adds that algae on the pool surface makes it slippery and hurts traction.
• Riding on its side: check the float is about 9 inches from the cleaner.

Buying one

Both versions carry one year, with no labor. Zodiac's warranty covers only the first retail purchaser and isn't transferable, so a secondhand MX6 comes with none, and it excludes wear items, naming tires and track tires.

The Amazon listing on this page is the MX6, with Zodiac as the brand. Zodiac's 2018 sell sheet calls the MX6 Elite a Trade Series exclusive, and no Amazon listing for it turned up.

Where Zodiac's documents disagree

• Above-ground pools. The spec tables on both product pages list in-ground and above-ground pools. The model tables on the same pages call them in-ground cleaners, and the catalog's valve cuff is an in-ground valve cuff.
• The Elite's brushes. The manual's brush section is headed for the MX6 Elite and MX8 Elite, but its text and its storage advice mention only the MX8 Elite's brushes. The MX6 Elite page sells brushes, R0714400, that its catalog parts list doesn't include.
• Where they're sold. Fluidra's 2026 catalog lists the MX6 Elite for sale but not the MX6, and still prints the MX6's parts page. Zodiac's site lists both as current products, not in its product archive.
• The front body panel. The catalog marks R0567600 "TBD" on the MX6 parts page without saying what that means, and lists the same number unmarked for the MX6 Elite.