Covering pool during kitchen & bedroom renovations

ThirstyFish · Mar 28, 2021

First time pool owner, first time posting, and asking for your patience with me to understand this.
My husband and I recently bought a house and we’re doing kitchen & bedroom renovations. The contractors will be accessing the space through the back doors. Our flooring guy mentioned debris getting into the pool, so we want to cover it with a tarp. My questions are: What should we leave on (pump, filters, vacuum..)?
What should we turn off?
How long can we leave the tarp over the pool, or should we give it some air now and then? Total renovations will take 2-3months. The pool has been fairly well maintained up until now, but we are discontinuing the professional pool service this month. Thank you in advance for anyone who can provide advice!!

mknauss · Mar 28, 2021

Welcome to the forum!
You can cover the pool. Big issue will be how to secure the tarp so wind does not catch. Also safety because if a pet or person steps on the tarp, they can easily drown.
You will want to continue to run the pump and manage your pool water chemistry. Great job in taking control of your pool water chemistry. I assume you have a proper test kit. Be sure to review Recommended Levels
You will want to remove the tarp or at least a portion of it every few days to let the sun shine on the surface of the pool. This allows destruction of CC's that can build up as well as CO2 outgassing. You do not say what type of vacuum you have. I suspect you will not want to run it when the tarp is on the pool.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

ThirstyFish · Mar 28, 2021

mknauss said:
Welcome to the forum!
You can cover the pool. Big issue will be how to secure the tarp so wind does not catch. Also safety because if a pet or person steps on the tarp, they can easily drown.
You will want to continue to run the pump and manage your pool water chemistry. Great job in taking control of your pool water chemistry. I assume you have a proper test kit. Be sure to review Recommended Levels
You will want to remove the tarp or at least a portion of it every few days to let the sun shine on the surface of the pool. This allows destruction of CC's that can build up as well as CO2 outgassing. You do not say what type of vacuum you have. I suspect you will not want to run it when the tarp is on the pool.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

Thank you for this quick response! I’ve read other beginning threads where you provided invaluable advice too. The experts on here have empowered me to manage my own pool.
My TF100, smart stir, standard sampler delivered earlier this week and I played with them twice so far. I am still familiarizing myself with the equipment, and I don’t know what kind of vacuum I have but my husband did pull it out of the pool. We bought a bunch of bricks to weigh the tarp down and lined them 6inches from the edges of the pool. No pets, no one living there yet, only contractors will be in and out. Demolition is starting in two days so we scrambled to cover things before I could understand how to properly close a pool.
Also, thanks for the additional links. Very helpful but it’s completely new territory for me so I’ll need to read them 3 more times

Newdude · Mar 29, 2021

ThirstyFish said:
We bought a bunch of bricks to weigh the tarp down and lined them 6inches from the edges of the pool

Hey TF !!! Bricks are asking for trouble when a gust of wind gets under the tarp or a raccoon tries to take a shortcut. 5 gallon buckets filled with water provide plenty of weight, and aren’t the prettiest, but when they fall into the pool they float and won’t cause damage to the walls/floor.

ThirstyFish · Mar 29, 2021

Newdude said:
Hey TF !!! Bricks are asking for trouble when a gust of wind gets under the tarp or a raccoon tries to take a shortcut. 5 gallon buckets filled with water provide plenty of weight, and aren’t the prettiest, but when they fall into the pool they float and won’t cause damage to the walls/floor.

Oh my thanks for this insight. How spaced out can the buckets be? Back to the hardware store!

Newdude · Mar 29, 2021

ThirstyFish said:
Oh my thanks for this insight. How spaced out can the buckets be

There are many factors to consider and hard to guess. Start every 8-10 feet and add more if the wind still bothers it.

derekm · Mar 29, 2021

We've had LOTS of renovations in 28 years of pool ownership, including the entire downstairs not far from the pool, installation of cement patio stones (with LOTS of cement dust!) between the pool and the house, replacement of the entire wooden pool deck, the upstairs deck on the front of the house (see picture), etc. and we have never closed or even shut down the pool during any of these projects. We just roll the solar cover over the pool when the workers are here, run the pump on low and roll the cover back when they have gone. That way we can vacuum and then use the pool in the evenings and on weekends. I couldn't imagine shutting a pool down for 2-3 months (our season runs 4 months at the most).
As for putting bricks onto a tarp, I wouldn't do it - they will tear the tarp, cause a tripping hazard, fall in the pool etc.
Here in Canada, during the off-season we install a "winter cover" which has loops in it for vinyl tubes that we fill with water. You can see them (blue) in this photo from a couple of days ago, along the edges of the tan-coloured cover, which is sized large enough to have room on all sides for them. But again, I wouldn't shut the pool down, at all.

bmoreswim · Mar 30, 2021

Make sure they don't prop the pool gate open or else there could be a safety and liability issue if a neighborhood kids wanders in. No one will be there to lifeguard if it's propped open.

ThirstyFish · Mar 30, 2021

derekm said:
We've had LOTS of renovations in 28 years of pool ownership, including the entire downstairs not far from the pool, installation of cement patio stones (with LOTS of cement dust!) between the pool and the house, replacement of the entire wooden pool deck, the upstairs deck on the front of the house (see picture), etc. and we have never closed or even shut down the pool during any of these projects. We just roll the solar cover over the pool when the workers are here, run the pump on low and roll the cover back when they have gone. That way we can vacuum and then use the pool in the evenings and on weekends. I couldn't imagine shutting a pool down for 2-3 months (our season runs 4 months at the most).
As for putting bricks onto a tarp, I wouldn't do it - they will tear the tarp, cause a tripping hazard, fall in the pool etc.
Here in Canada, during the off-season we install a "winter cover" which has loops in it for vinyl tubes that we fill with water. You can see them (blue) in this photo from a couple of days ago, along the edges of the tan-coloured cover, which is sized large enough to have room on all sides for them. But again, I wouldn't shut the pool down, at all.

Thank you for this insight. We don’t have a solar cover, and I didn’t know it existed until your post. It looks like a huge sheet of bubble wrap. How does the solar cover stay anchored? Since I already have the 20x50ft tarp, could I cut it to fit exactly over the pool so it floats on the water like the solar cover?

ThirstyFish · Mar 30, 2021

ThirstyFish said:
Thank you for this insight. We don’t have a solar cover, and I didn’t know it existed until your post. I’m looking into how quickly I can have one delivered to me

Also, how do you clean the cover from renovation debris?

derekm · Apr 1, 2021

bmoreswim said:
Make sure they don't prop the pool gate open or else there could be a safety and liability issue if a neighborhood kids wanders in. No one will be there to lifeguard if it's propped open.

ThirstyFish said:
Thank you for this insight. We don’t have a solar cover, and I didn’t know it existed until your post. It looks like a huge sheet of bubble wrap. How does the solar cover stay anchored? Since I already have the 20x50ft tarp, could I cut it to fit exactly over the pool so it floats on the water like the solar cover?

ThirstyFish said:
Also, how do you clean the cover from renovation debris?

The solar cover stays on the pool by surface tension. Doesn't need anchoring. You need to buy a roller so it goes on and off easily. Solar covers cut evaporative cooling by 90%, provide a bit of solar gain, and are essential here in Canada, where we put them on most nights during pool season. They also cut down on chemical usage, water evaporation and stuff blowing into the pool on days we aren't using the pool, especially when we go away for a week or two in the summer.
A tarp would sink, and would not be suitable for a temporary cover. My winter cover, held on by water bags, is basically a tarp, but it goes into storage at pool opening in mid-April and is installed when the pool is closed in early November. As for renovation debris, much of it sticks to the cover, and I remove it as I roll it off. Also some blows off. It certainly doesn't get everything, and we have to vacuum more frequently during renovations.

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