Leaf net or mesh net for very large Oak

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dhane3

dhane3

Active member
Jul 7, 2019
44
Merritt Island, Florida
My AGP has been up a few days and so far looks good, thanks to this forum. I knew from the start that my very large, mature, Oak tree will constantly drop leaves, sticks, and pollen. Right now, the leaves aren't too much trouble, but, looking forward I know they will be and I want to be prepared. Besides the normal leaf and pollen drop, bad storms can also leave quite a mess. Since we are in hurricane season, I want to get something right away. Do the leaf nets also catch pollen? I'm not sure if what I'm calling pollen is actually pollen since it is larger than what you see on your car. Has anyone made something from mesh? Any recommendations are appreciated.
 
Since your pool probably didn't come with a skimmer, I'd suggest getting one right away. The over the side one does work nicely when there's no splashing and the pump is on (the insert tends to pop out when kids are in the pool). Personally I prefer to install a through wall skimmer, but that involves cutting a big hole in your pool and adapting the hoses, so for a quick solution look for something like this that will attach to the top rail of your pool : Intex wall mount skimmer
 
frogabog said:
Since your pool probably didn't come with a skimmer, I'd suggest getting one right away. The over the side one does work nicely when there's no splashing and the pump is on (the insert tends to pop out when kids are in the pool). Personally I prefer to install a through wall skimmer, but that involves cutting a big hole in your pool and adapting the hoses, so for a quick solution look for something like this that will attach to the top rail of your pool : Intex wall mount skimmer
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Thanks for the suggestion. The pool did come with built in skimmer that works quite well for the daily dropping of leaves. I used the vacuum that attaches to a hose and I was surprised at how well that works, too. Maybe just using the skimmer, vacuum, and cleaning net will be enough. I did get in the pool to vacuum and I won't want to do it that way when the water gets cold.
 
When we first opened the pool and I got it cleaned up after a week or so, it was on a rare 80 degree day in May. My brother was over to help power-wash our patio and some other items. My kids wanted to swim but were whining about how our heater didn't work and the water was only 60 degrees. My brother got tired of their whining and took his shirt off and dove into the pool and swam around. The kids tried it but wouldn't stay in more than a few minutes.

Now the pool is up to 80 degrees and it's much nicer. It still feels cold when I get in but I move around a bit and it's fine.

Not sure what temp you'd consider cold in Florida. ;D
 
I don't know what variety of oak is in your yard, but mine is covered with California variety Live and coast oaks. When the oak flowers start dropping in the spring I have to scoop them with a pool rake type net. Its really bad for a couple of weeks and I have to scoop every day or I get huge mats floating in the pool and clogging up the skimmer basket. When the bloom is over then my skimmer and sweep can keep up.
 
IceShadow said:
Now the pool is up to 80 degrees and it's much nicer. It still feels cold when I get in but I move around a bit and it's fine.

Not sure what temp you'd consider cold in Florida. ;D
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I don't have a thermometer for my pool so I don't know what temperature it is. The air temp is 87 but with the humidity, it feels like 94. Lows at night are 77 but we have been getting daily rain. I would guess the pool temp is around 80. It feels great after I start swimming!:)
mguzzy said:
I don't know what variety of oak is in your yard, but mine is covered with California variety Live and coast oaks. When the oak flowers start dropping in the spring I have to scoop them with a pool rake type net. Its really bad for a couple of weeks and I have to scoop every day or I get huge mats floating in the pool and clogging up the skimmer basket. When the bloom is over then my skimmer and sweep can keep up.
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My oak might be a Live Oak but I'm not sure. I googled around and found out the following:
"The "tassels"that drop from oak trees are called catkins, and they are the spent male flowers whose purpose is to shed pollen that is carried by the wind to female flowers."

Yours sounds very similar to what happens with my tree. I know it's a lot and makes a huge mess. Do you think a leaf net would help?
 
Sorry for the confusion over the skimmer, glad to know your pool came with one. That was really all the advice I had!

Kids are pool and sun fun poor here in Oregon... when they were little they would jump in as soon as we filled it with 52 degree water, their lips would turn blue and death was only hindered by the fact that they played so hard. However as older teenagers/adults now, they wouldn't think of it!
 
dhane3 said:
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My oak might be a Live Oak but I'm not sure. I googled around and found out the following:
"The "tassels"that drop from oak trees are called catkins, and they are the spent male flowers whose purpose is to shed pollen that is carried by the wind to female flowers."

Yours sounds very similar to what happens with my tree. I know it's a lot and makes a huge mess. Do you think a leaf net would help?
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Just get a good leaf rake and scoop them out during that time of the season. The rest of the time my pool equipment does the rest. I didn't see see the point in refitting the pool with fancy gear for that short time frame that the trees are dropping. I already have a solar cover that kinda does the same thing. And that's why I had kids. So they could do their due diligence in the off season if they wanted to swim in the summer. :p ;)
 

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164E3E96-77D9-4858-80E6-6027FA5DE515.jpegMy pool sits directly under this oak. I’ve been looking at solar covers to hopefully kill two birds with one stone. Pool temp now is 84 degrees and I wouldn’t mind it being warmer. My concern would be the leaves falling back into the pool when I remove the solar cover. I’ve read that people cut them for easier handling. Any thoughts?
 
mguzzy said:
Just get a good leaf rake and scoop them out during that time of the season. The rest of the time my pool equipment does the rest. I didn't see see the point in refitting the pool with fancy gear for that short time frame that the trees are dropping. I already have a solar cover that kinda does the same thing. And that's why I had kids. So they could do their due diligence in the off season if they wanted to swim in the summer. :p ;)
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Lol,my kids are adults now so it's my job to deal with the leaves. I bought a leaf rake but I'm trying to decide between a leaf net and a solar cover. Is it easy to remove the solar cover without dumping the debris into the pool? I have a 16' AGP and thought I could cut the cover in half or smaller sections to make it easier to remove.
 
dhane3 said:
Is it easy to remove the solar cover without dumping the debris into the pool?
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If it’s dry, it’s very easy. You can gently sweep it all to the side and scoop/ shop vac it clean. If it rains when it’s dirty or pollen-y it all turns to sludge water which is much harder to contain. You’ll be able to get some of it but most will dump into the pool.
 
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Newdude said:
If it’s dry, it’s very easy. You can gently sweep it all to the side and scoop/ shop vac it clean. If it rains when it’s dirty or pollen-y it all turns to sludge water which is much harder to contain. You’ll be able to get some of it but most will dump into the pool.
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Thanks for your reply! I guess there is no perfect solution except tree removal which won't happen unless a hurricane takes it down.
 
Depending on your immediate area it may not even be that tree. I routinely watch stuff float sideways though the air from 100 to 200 ft away. Screaming at the leaves defying the laws of gravity the whole way. (The wind easily does it of course but still, its not fair sometimes)
 
Lol..It’s mostly my tree , my pool is under it. It shades most of my backyard, which I love, but it does make a huge mess. I’m getting a little obsessive about getting the leaves and twigs out that drop all day. I’ll probably use the cover that came with the pool for the big drop of leaves and pollen. I was hoping to be able to swim year round except for really cold days which is another reason I was considering the solar cover.
 
Wet or dry I use my leaf blower to blow everything off of my solar cover. It works pretty well, a bit more difficult when it’s wet. I then have my leaf rake ready to get anything that fell into the pool once the cover is off.

I have a Dewalt battery powered blower just for the pool area.
 
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