Great idea! Did you just put the concrete mix in dry or did you add water? Thinking about the same idea but using 4" sewer pipe and filling the whole thing with water.
water bag alternatives
- Thread starter Diver
- Start date
I have to replace more then half my stupid water bags and don't feel like going that route again. Question with the "custom" PVC way... Are they water tight? My main worry would be if something crazy did happen and a couple did get dragged into the pool, sand or cement would be a HUGE pain to get out of the pool compared to water or ice from the bags or plastic bins. I was originally thinking of filling something (was actually considering new plastic bags) with sand instead of water to avoid the freezing/expanding issue (Washington state, they WILL freeze and thaw multiple times) but I doubt there would be any good way to try to empty them again and I'm a little concerned about dumping pounds of sand into the pool in a worst case scenario...
Some of the home centers have 70lb pre filled sand bags for like $3.50 (Menards),, those seem like they would work well.
This year I picked through my tubes for the ones that still hold water and I didn't have enough, so I supplemented with cinder blocks. A few days ago I went out to the back yard and noticed that an entire corner of the cover was in the pool. After looking around I've come to the conclusion that a bear must have fallen in. There have been bears in the area, and the day before, there were 2 just a few houses away.
One cinder block was hanging on the edge but, luckily, none fell in. I'll have to find something safer than cinder blocks!
I wonder what would happen with the PVC pipe idea if a large animal walked onto the cover? The pipes down the long side may or may not pull in but the cover would no doubt get trashed.
One cinder block was hanging on the edge but, luckily, none fell in. I'll have to find something safer than cinder blocks!
I wonder what would happen with the PVC pipe idea if a large animal walked onto the cover? The pipes down the long side may or may not pull in but the cover would no doubt get trashed.
I have a fence, but if I didn't and thought I had bears (or elephants) in the area, I would get one of those loop locs, they advertise their covers will support an elephant
The pipes I have might or might not be water tight. I had a round wooden pole that had a diameter slightly larger then inside of the 2" pvc pipe. I cut bunch of 1in think slices from it and plugged one end of each pipe before standing them up and filling them with concrete. Once concrete set, I also plugged the other ends.
The plugs are pretty tight in the pipes and they show no signs of trying to come out of the pipes. This is season number 5 for this solution and I'm still pretty happy.
The only downside is they are super heavy and moving them around require a lot of work.
The plugs are pretty tight in the pipes and they show no signs of trying to come out of the pipes. This is season number 5 for this solution and I'm still pretty happy.
The only downside is they are super heavy and moving them around require a lot of work.
My neighbor uses 5 gal pails, I didn't get a close look but I could see 5 gal homer pails about 10 feet apart around his pool (surely filled with water), holding down his tarp. I still think the 50lb bags of sand would also work if you don't want to fight with the leaky water bags I read about.
raterus
0
- Jun 24, 2013
- 34
I tried the PVC approach this past winter and it worked great! In fact, my cover survived some sustained winds 40mph+ for a few days with no ill result. All my other attempts using buckets or something else heavy couldn't hold up to the wind.
Setup:
Based on my pool dimensions, I had to fill 12, 10 foot, 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe with concrete. To do this, I put all the ends in a bucket full of water, and on the other end I bungee'd all the pipes together and used a scoop to fill all of them at the same time. It was a mess, but the bucket caught most of it. Fortunately on my land I had a retaining wall where I could do the filling and not have to be on a ladder. After they were filled, I poured water down the tops, just enough to harden the first foot or so of the pipe, I wanted to keep the flex throughout the main part of the pipe. Had I to do it again, I'd have probably just used sand and found another way to plug the ends. The 1 1/2" pipe could probably have just been smaller, but it worked.
I spread out my cover and centered it then used something heavy to weigh down the covers. Then I put the pipes on using 90" elbows and connectors. I was shooting for the pipe to be about 1 foot away from the edges of the pool, and made my cuts accordingly. I have a rectangle pool, so how my dimensions worked out (20x40), I was able to size a small piece of pipe without concrete to space everything out nicely. In the end, I don't think the weight of the pipe held the cover all that great, but tying the cover to the pipe using the loops worked amazing. I used a makeshift slip knot and they didn't come undone all winter.
Pulling off the cover was an absolute cinch, I just disassembled the pipe, pulled it out of the cover loops and I was free to lift the cover off.
I'd highly recommend the approach for anyone tired of water bags.
Setup:
Based on my pool dimensions, I had to fill 12, 10 foot, 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe with concrete. To do this, I put all the ends in a bucket full of water, and on the other end I bungee'd all the pipes together and used a scoop to fill all of them at the same time. It was a mess, but the bucket caught most of it. Fortunately on my land I had a retaining wall where I could do the filling and not have to be on a ladder. After they were filled, I poured water down the tops, just enough to harden the first foot or so of the pipe, I wanted to keep the flex throughout the main part of the pipe. Had I to do it again, I'd have probably just used sand and found another way to plug the ends. The 1 1/2" pipe could probably have just been smaller, but it worked.
I spread out my cover and centered it then used something heavy to weigh down the covers. Then I put the pipes on using 90" elbows and connectors. I was shooting for the pipe to be about 1 foot away from the edges of the pool, and made my cuts accordingly. I have a rectangle pool, so how my dimensions worked out (20x40), I was able to size a small piece of pipe without concrete to space everything out nicely. In the end, I don't think the weight of the pipe held the cover all that great, but tying the cover to the pipe using the loops worked amazing. I used a makeshift slip knot and they didn't come undone all winter.
Pulling off the cover was an absolute cinch, I just disassembled the pipe, pulled it out of the cover loops and I was free to lift the cover off.
I'd highly recommend the approach for anyone tired of water bags.
Can you post a picture so I can see how it looked on the pool? I’m trying to tell my husband about this and it might be easier to show him how it works.
Hey Raterus. Are you saying it is not the weight of the pipe that holds the cover in place but more the solid frame the pipes created, through the loops, that kept the cover in place? I want to do the pvc pipe idea but I don't want to deal with filling them with concrete. Sand sounds good but not sure how to close the ends of the pipe and still connect the pipes together. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
Look at the aqua blocks ($50 for like 12-15 of them). I ordered 2 sets. Mine are filled with concrete 3/4 of the way up. Probably about 30 lbs. each. My cover is so large, that it extends 4' - 6' out on the concrete, way past the pool. I would rather use a square long cover, than a round PVC with caps, etc. I believe the PVC will be more expensive as well. My covers have black ties on them (2 of them) so the cover does not blow away. These blocks did not move one inch.
dcrowdus
0
Do the PVC pipes really need to be fitted together? Seems like you could use a bunch of stand-alone sections and not worry about interior plugs. You can just cap each section of tube using the PVC end caps they sell. You could keep them permanently full of water, or sand, by using the PVC glue (the stuff that comes with the purple primer). Its very easy to apply and will not leak or ever come loose.
If the pieces are not connected, you would need less length of pipe overall. I'm not sure what the spacing would need to be though.
If you did want to connect them, and not worry about finding a special type of plug, what about filling it up about 80% with sand - then spraying some great stuff in the ends to plug them? Then you cut off the excess after it hardens, and used standard connectors. I'm sure there are other ideas for plugging as well.
I'm going to run some numbers to see what it would take. If anyone else is interested and doesn't know already, Sand is about 115 to 125 pcf, concrete is about 150 pcf, and water is 62.4 pcf. The volume of the tube is just the area of the circle (internal diameter) times the length.
If the pieces are not connected, you would need less length of pipe overall. I'm not sure what the spacing would need to be though.
If you did want to connect them, and not worry about finding a special type of plug, what about filling it up about 80% with sand - then spraying some great stuff in the ends to plug them? Then you cut off the excess after it hardens, and used standard connectors. I'm sure there are other ideas for plugging as well.
I'm going to run some numbers to see what it would take. If anyone else is interested and doesn't know already, Sand is about 115 to 125 pcf, concrete is about 150 pcf, and water is 62.4 pcf. The volume of the tube is just the area of the circle (internal diameter) times the length.
Are we talking about 3"-4" round PVC? Individually, they could still roll in or away from the pool and off the tarp. I know that there are straight sections of PVC, like fence posts, but do they make end caps that can be glued? I like the idea of sand, over concrete. My aqua blocks are filled with concrete. Easy to move around and stack on top of each other (crises crossed).
I paid $54.50 for a 12 pack in 2015. Save More on Pool Supplies. Now, they are like $114 for 12 of them. If anyone can find them less expensive, please notify us.
Amazon.com : Swimline Aqua Blocks Pool Cover Weights for In Ground Pool Covers - 12 Pack : Swimming Pool Covers : Garden Outdoor
E-Bay has 12 Aqua Blocks for around $70, which is the least expensive. Everything has gone up and through the roof. Same company that sold on Amazon prior for anyone interested. I think these 12 will be filled up with sand.
12 Pack-Swimming Pool Inground Winterizing Winter Aqua Blok Water Block Tubes | eBay
I paid $54.50 for a 12 pack in 2015. Save More on Pool Supplies. Now, they are like $114 for 12 of them. If anyone can find them less expensive, please notify us.
Amazon.com : Swimline Aqua Blocks Pool Cover Weights for In Ground Pool Covers - 12 Pack : Swimming Pool Covers : Garden Outdoor
E-Bay has 12 Aqua Blocks for around $70, which is the least expensive. Everything has gone up and through the roof. Same company that sold on Amazon prior for anyone interested. I think these 12 will be filled up with sand.
12 Pack-Swimming Pool Inground Winterizing Winter Aqua Blok Water Block Tubes | eBay
I wanted to update this thread, as looking through the Amazon orders, the 12 pack of Aqua Blocks were $55 back in 2015. Now, they are $119.99. What is going on with the price of goods? It would be less expensive to purchase a extra large tarp, lay 5' out and use 4*8 pressure treated plywood. Truly unbelievable!
Alicgmood10
Member
Hello! Is anyone used pool cover pumps? I'm choosing it here www.bestadvisor.com/pool-cover-pumps Need advice
I use a basic tarp and pump the water back underneath. Usually, add a little bit of borax and bleach (days apart) as rainwater lowers the PH and kills off any algae on the cover. I find that water evaporates under the cover yearly, and cover drops, so I bring it back up, etc. Flo-Tec is the brand I have, I beleive. Do not spend a lot of money on a pump (Less than $75) is best.