Do i even need a cover??

[ship of fools]

I am in upstate NY ... all of the leaves are down and water is 54 degrees and crystal clear.

My neighbor doesn't cover his .... he just waits until now and gets it clean and winterizes it and then scoops the occasional leaf etc out over the rest of the fall and winter.

I have a plastic tarp and water bags so i don't see it as any safer.

It sure would be nice to not have to fill and empty all of those water bags.

Sooo ... why would i need to put the plastic cover on??

 

[UltraIntex]

Yes in my opinion you need a cover, if not to keep out leaves in your case, but to keep out light which algae needs to grow.
Prevention is better than cure.

 

[ship of fools]

Yes in my opinion you need a cover, if not to keep out leaves in your case, but to keep out light which algae needs to grow.
Prevention is better than cure.

The water is 50 degrees now .... and plummeting with 20 degree nights (i am a diehard ice fisherman so frozen water is good!)

Algae won't grow at low temps.

There are no leaves left.

Any other opinions??

 

[UltraIntex]

It may take hold in the shoulder periods when it's too cold to have the pool open but warm enough to grow: that's when the algae got started with me, after my winter cover disintegrated.
I assume you don't go from frozen to balmy, overnight.

 

[ship of fools]

It may take hold in the shoulder periods when it's too cold to have the pool open but warm enough to grow: that's when the algae got started with me, after my winter cover disintegrated.
I assume you don't go from frozen to balmy, overnight.

my plan is to open it when it hits 50 or 55 in the spring ..... i know i would be running the pump extra etc

 

[UltraIntex]

Unless you have a heater I cant see the point of opening at that temp; for the extra running expense/maintenance hassle you might as well just put the cover on put some polyquat algae inhibitor and have done with it until you can actually use the pool.