What to do about falling leaves

[Txmat]

My pool is surrounded by Oak trees. They are beautiful and give relief from our hot Texas sun, but they drop leaves all year. My skimmer basket is on the small side, so it fills pretty fast and even if it is not full there are always some leaves that it does not catch and sink to the bottom. I am wondering what others who have a similar problem are doing to minimize the leaves in their pool?

Larry

 

[momov2]

You may not like this suggestion but cut the trees or keep on cleaning them out. When you are able to find a "tree whisperer" that will train them to not shed their leaves, let me know.
Just kidding around....
Tree debris is a common perasite for pool owners.

 

[Circle-D]

http://www.poolproducts4less.com/poolskim-pool-surface-skimmer.aspx

This is a skimmer that hooks up to a return jet and uses the Venturi effect to catch the leaves. Never used it but sounds like it would work.

Chris

 

[Txmat]

Thanks Chris. Wonder if anyone has used this device.?

 

[zea3]

Hi! Yes I have a Pool Skim and it works great! I have oak trees and crepe myrtles that constantly drop stuff into my pool and without it my skimmer basket would clog within minutes. The only way it will keep all the leaves off the bottom of the pool is to run it 24/7, but when it is on it works! It has greatly reduced the mess in my pool. You can't really see it in the picture but there is a mesh discharge bag that catches all the debris it pulls in.

 

[Circle-D]

Hi! Yes I have a Pool Skim and it works great! I have oak trees and crepe myrtles that constantly drop stuff into my pool and without it my skimmer basket would clog within minutes. The only way it will keep all the leaves off the bottom of the pool is to run it 24/7, but when it is on it works! It has greatly reduced the mess in my pool. You can't really see it in the picture but there is a mesh discharge bag that catches all the debris it pulls in.

Cool, good to know if my pool needs a little help.

Chris

 

[anonapersona]

You can also look into trimming the trees a bit. A good tree trimmer can thin out the crown of the tree, taking out up to 25% of the weight without affecting the shade too much.

Just be sure that they cut the branch without skinning the bark of the trunk. If they cut into the wood of the trunk, the tree will weep and ooze for several weeks and you can invite insect damage. Cutting the branch will not create oozing sap. If you look at the bark you can see where the trunk is and where the branch starts, typically a little bit further out than you might think it does. That bulge of the trunk is what seals over the wound, it has special cells there, so you don't want to cut into that part.

At the start of hurricane season I always give my trees a good looking over to see if any need lightening up. As Rita was bearing down on Houston my tree guy was thinning some of my trees and the neighbors were begging him to work on theirs but it was too late. When those harsh winds blow it is comforting to know that the wind can get through your trees with out breaking branches or uprooting the whole tree.

 

[Txmat]

Thanks Zea and AP for the information. Keeping the trees trimmed does help, but in my case the Oak trees I have drop leaves all year long. In addition to the Pool Skim I have seen references to the Pool Devil. Does anyone have experience with the Pool Devil. It is attractive because it is a 1/3 the price of the Pool Skim. Is the Pool Skim worth the difference?