Water and leaves on winter cover/tarp

[tlevy]

Hi all

Newbie question - this is our first winter with the pool. Do i need to regularly remove standing water and leaves from the tarp, or can I do it all at once in the spring? We have a fair bit accumulated now, and once the snow comes, will all be locked in place until the spring thaw.

If I am to remove the water now, what sort of pump set up do i need in order to avoid damaging the tarp?

Thanks for advice and guidance.
Tom


68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG

 

[Catanzaro]

The water is not as important to remove, but the leaves are. They could clog the suction side of the pump. I have a submersible pump that you place on the tarp. if there is enough slack in the tarp and you are free of leaves, pumping water is a breeze. Only pump water when the levels become to high. Below is the other thread on this subject matter. Thanks!.

Tarp type cover with water bags ...when to pump or lave pump on the cover?

I have a Flo-Tec that a friend gave me. If you search images on "Google", you will find so many to choose from under "Submersible Pumps".

Flotec 1/6 HP motor Submersible sump pump (FP0S1300X) - Utility Pumps - Ace Hardware

 

[JohnT]

It depends on what you are calling a tarp. Is this a floating mesh cover or a tight safety cover?

 

[Husky25]

Living in Ontario, I am going to assume you have a genuine pool cover. When I had a solid cover, I liked to keep as little water and debris from accumulating in the cover in the Fall before it froze. Once the ice comes, there is very little that can be done until Spring. If you wait until Spring to do anything, remember that some leaves will have decomposed over the winter and it will be a bit messier to scope up. Then use a pump for the excess water. The least amount of water on the cover the easier it is to pull the cover out of the pool when opening. Water is indeed heavy.

I also have a submersible electric pool cover pump. I now use it to pump water from under my mesh safety cover to make room for the snow that will fill up the pool. There is also a syphon pump on the market, but it may not be the best bet for an in-ground pool.

 

[tlevy]

It is a thick green tarp. Not a safety cover, which i believe is secured with anchors. I have water bags holding my tarp down.

68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG

 

[tlevy]

I just scooped all the leaves out. Time to go purchase a new submersible pump it seems!


68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG

 

[Husky25]

That's a solid pool cover. When you said tarp, I envisioned the light blue/gray general-purpose tarps available at a hardware store. It looks like you have one on the other side of your fence.

 

[tlevy]

Yup - one of those is on the other side - good eyes husky!


68,000litre, IG vinyl, LorentzPS 600 Solar Pump & 1/2 HP Tristar, Sandfilter, Aquarite T-15 SWG

 

[JohnT]

When the cover gets filled with water, it will pull tight and take on the same shape as the pool liner. It looks like the cover is tight in the far end, but the water bags are far enough from the edge that it will be able to pull the cover without putting the bags in the pool. I'm not sure you aren't too tight at the sharp corner on the closer side.

You kind of have to think about everything you do with that cover. Very common for the bags to be pulled into the pool and all of the leaves etc. to end up in the pool. Even a small leak in the tarp can result in your pumping water out of the pool when you try to clear the cover. There is a reason people pay a couple of grand for safety covers.

 

[Husky25]

There is a reason people pay a couple of grand for safety covers.

Quite honestly, I did it for two reasons:

1) I was buying a new cover every 3 or 4 years at $125 or so a piece (on top of replacing water bags every year) for an ill-fitting cover.
2) Safety. My son likes to follow me around when I'm working in the pool area. No matter the cost, the cover paid for itself the day the anchors were sunk. My then 2 year old walked right out on to it.

Ease and low-maintenance are secondary perks as far as I'm concerned.