Winter Help

[irburncycle]

Hello all,

2 years ago I bought a house that came with a swamp. Thats to TFP my first summer I got it clear and enjoyed it. That winter I closed it just fine but about 3/4 of the way through the winter the cover came mostly off and bunched itself inside the pool. In the spring I was planning on pulling it out of the now thawed pool and starting over but due to money constraints I never did and the pool went green again within a few days.

I never got to money to clear it and be able to maintain it over the summer so I was never able to open it. I was mad about not being able to use it and basically just left it as it was all summer. Cover half sunk in it only the pillow holding it afloat. At this point the cover is in pretty bad shape and even if I did fish it out of the now 30 something degree water, and get it back on I will probably freeze to death doing it and it will likely just fall in again.

I was thinking about buying a new cover and just thowing it over the top but once again money is a concern and it's already a swamp again.

That said...I did drain it below the skimmers etc it's just exposed and it's get cold REALLY fast here in Indiana. Since it will already need to start from scratch in the spring assuming I have to money to maintain it next year. Is there any real point in buying a new cover? What happens if it just....don't cover it?

Thanks!

 

[Bama Rambler]

If you just don't cover it it'll fill with leaves and debris but since it's been that way for a long time it won't matter much. Since you're not planning on clearing it up now, I'd just leave it like it is until opening and deal with it then. No use wasting money on a cover that's not going to gain you anything.

 

[irburncycle]

Ok that's what I thought thanks. Will the algae die in the winter? IE will the water go clear if I get the stuff off the bottom as soon as the ice melts and I start chlorine dosing, can I avoid a spring bloom to battle or is it just going to live through the winter?

 

[MikeInNH]

The water will not clear up on it's own but does seem to be easier to clear when it's cold. Once the ice melts, get as many leaves out as possible and start the shock process. There will be plenty of time to get it clear before it's warm enough to swim in. Save a few bucks a paycheck over the winter and come spring you'll have enough to buy a good amount of bleach.

 

[irburncycle]

Thanks for the help all!