I live in Wisconsin and that means we can get so brutal winters. I have not covered my above ground pool yet (24' round) and am thinking I may not cover it. I've done all the chemicals, drained some of the water and now it sits. Does it matter if I cover it or not? The cover I have is more like a tarp. We are expecting El Nino this year which means a milder and drier winter for us (hopefully!). What are the consequences of me not covering my pool? <br><br>FYI - I have disconnected the filter and such and stored it.<br><br>Thanks!
Do I have to cover my pool??
- Thread starter Beckin
- Start date
The only consequence is possibly your FC dropping to zero over the winter. Usually when closing, the FC is brought to shock levels (based on your CYA) and then when you cover the pool, you're likely to have some FC left in the pool even by spring if you close late enough with water temps well below 60 degrees. If you do not use a cover, your FC will likely be consumed by sunlight before spring. If you open early enough, this may not be an issue. When your FC drops to zero however, there is a greater chance, but still a small chance, that your CYA will be converted to ammonia by bacteria. This conversion is dependent on low or very little FC and your pool being exposed to a certain strain of soil bacteria. If the conversion were to occur, you'd lose your CYA over the winter and you'd have a very large chlorine demand in the spring to oxidize all the ammonia that was produced. That is unless the ammonia is fully oxidized and outgassed as nitrogen before spring. It's a very complicated process that is still a bit of a mystery to even folks here at TFP but there is a chance of it happening under the right (aka wrong) conditions.
Short story: If you close late and open early, you'll probably still be OK.
Short story: If you close late and open early, you'll probably still be OK.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,380
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I would also add that it depends on environmental factors - wind, temperature, rainfall, debris, etc.
You're not "expecting" much rain but mother nature rarely meets our expectations. If you should receive the same kind of snow and rainfall you did last winter, how will your pool fair?
Also, let's assume you get A LOT less rain and the relative humidity is low. If you experience a lot of evaporative water loss, how will that affect your pool?
Finally, what about wind blowing junk into your pool? Are you in an open area without many trees or a lot of debris? No cover means nothing to stop junk from getting into the pool.
And then there are animals. During a cold & dry winter, animals may go looking for water. You have an above ground pool but that's not likely to stop an industrious squirrel or raccoon from going for a drink. Are you ok with potentially fishing out dead critters from the water?
I'd cover the pool if it were me....
You're not "expecting" much rain but mother nature rarely meets our expectations. If you should receive the same kind of snow and rainfall you did last winter, how will your pool fair?
Also, let's assume you get A LOT less rain and the relative humidity is low. If you experience a lot of evaporative water loss, how will that affect your pool?
Finally, what about wind blowing junk into your pool? Are you in an open area without many trees or a lot of debris? No cover means nothing to stop junk from getting into the pool.
And then there are animals. During a cold & dry winter, animals may go looking for water. You have an above ground pool but that's not likely to stop an industrious squirrel or raccoon from going for a drink. Are you ok with potentially fishing out dead critters from the water?
I'd cover the pool if it were me....
Not to mention you will still have to winterize the pool (drain lines, take care of skimmer, etc) or else you are going to have a bunch of cracked leaking pipes come spring.
-dave
-dave
Similar threads
