Leave Pool Uncovered Over Winter?

[Guest]

I live in the Northeast & have an above ground pool. The past few years we've had problems with our winter covers & it seems to be such a pain. My question is whether or not I can leave the pool uncovered over the winter? I thought I had read something about this before but can't seem to find it. I wondered if I could just use a leaf net to keep the big debris out. Obviously, I would probably need to keep the pump running until the temps dropped regularly below 50 (that would be my guess) and I would probably need to open up a little earlier in the spring. Any thoughts or comments? Has anyone tried this before?

I should add that I have an Aquador skimmer cover so I don't need to lower the water.

 

[matt4x4]

I do not recommend letting a leaf net freeze into the ice - it will get killed very quickly.
I never cover my pool, matter of fact, I think a cover under certain circumstances creates more damage/problems.
The water freezes no matter what, really, all a cover does is keep Crud out of your pool, i can live with Crud cleanup in spring since I do not have any big trees in teh near vicinity.
Maybe, keep the leaf net on until the leaves are down and it's almost time for freezing temps, in all likelyhood you won't get too many blowing in after that time.
The high winds that blow though my place (country - open space) cause all sorts of cover problems that I'd rather not have one at all.
Cleaning up leaves in spring is easy, I just throw in the cuda and let it go to town, emptying the basket daily and in a week I have a spotless pool and it'll still be a month before it's warm enough to use.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I could put a leaf cover on & take off when all the leaves are gone; we do have a lot of trees around. How long do you keep your pool running before turning off the pump & disconnecting hoses? And, what part of the country do you live in?

 

[matt4x4]

usually end of September is when I shut everything down and winterize.
I live in Ontario, Canada - Similar climate as you in the north east.

 

[cherylandco]

I use a leaf net with no cover. It's been fine with the ice. I have it on right now, but the water - for the moment - is still high enough to run the filter. When it gets colder - in October or so - I'll take the pump out. I still dump bleach in there whenever the water is in liquid form and just take my skimmer and agitate the water.

I LOVE using a leaf net. The water is clear in the spring and I don't have to worry about anything (my cats especially!!!) falling in the pool. I worried about the ice and wind - were are on the top of a nob in the middle of cornfields - but it worked out just fine.

If you have more questions, let me know.