Automatic pool covers and trees/debris New construction

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

motleynm

0
Feb 20, 2018
23
Wyomissing Pa
Hello!
We are located in South Eastern PA (outside Philly...way outside)....... We are starting construction as soon as the ground thaws, we are the first dig on the books for our builder. I am getting excited but also am pretty scared, this is a big investment and leap, I want it right.

Becuase of being in PA where the vegetation is lush and our home location I am worried about tree debris. We have many many oak trees that are easily 50-75 feet tall. They drop pollen, acorns, sticks, squirrels, voles, opossums and everything else. We will be taking 2-3 down before our dig.

Now that the picture is painted, tell me is this mission impossible to keep the pool clean? I have heard both good and bad. I suggested to my husband that we install an automatic cover that opens and closes electronically. He has shot me down due to price up front and reviews he has read online, stating they frequently fail. With a $12k-15k price tag, I want it to be perfect.
What says the TFP community? Do you have a retractable cover? DO you like it, are there issues?

Who in here has a lot of tree coverage and debris? What do you do???

Thanks!
PS - I will work on my signature line once I am a little more familiar with the pool world. :D
 
Automatic covers have a lot of positives, less evaporation, more stability with chemicals, less frequency of cleaning, extending the life of your pool's surface, SECURITY and the time savings associated with all of the above. Do they fail? Yes, but not as a matter of course and not "frequently" unless they're abused or improperly installed.. A robot will help with cleaning issues, but not having to clean as much is a big plus.

I have a kidney-shaped pool in a n awkward placement in my backyard, so I can't get an automatic cover. If I were building new, I'd absolutely get one.
 
We are surrounded by tree's (Maples, White Pines, Birch and several flowering tree's). The cover keeps all of the debris out of the pool when not in use. I have never hand vaccumned our pool in 8 years and just use our Polaris. The spring time is especially bad with the tree's but you either blow the crud off the closed cover or if it rains you open the cover with water on it until there is about three feet left before fully opening. I then use our skimmer to skim all the leaves and debris out and pump off the excess water before fully opening. Our pool would be a disaster if we didn't have it. We had just recently had to replace the cover at around $2k but the original had lasted about 10 years. We never really have any issues with ours mechanical wise.
 
Generally agree with the above. Our cover is 5 years old and should last 10 years also. It has failed to open once in 5 years. A failed fancy internet switch I never used the features of. Replaced with a regular switch. It can be manually opened with a breaker bar and socket, which I did while I troubleshot the issue.

They can be expensive to repair if it is needed. Really like a car. Usually good but there could be an issue. And you will need to replace the fabric at some point. A varmint has chewed a hole the last two years in the same place. So had to patch. I recommend a Dolphin robot for your debris. We have very little though.

But the pool can be completely secured if needed. Think teens, neighbors, etc. No liability if covered and a cover pump is on it to pump off rain so a wee one couldn’t crawl on and drown in the water that would pool around them.
 
Our previous pool (came with the house) had an auto cover and it was great. It's a wooded area, and I can't imagine not having it. It also kept the heat in, chemical consumption down, we rarely had to vacuum or empty skimmers. Some municipalities, such as ours, even wave the fence requirement with the proper auto cover. It provides a better barrier to the water and as it was explained to me, "anyone can get on the other side of a fence if they really want to."

They do require some routine maintenance but nothing difficult or time consuming. If you can swing it, I would highly recommend it. Because of the size and shape of our new pool, an auto cover just isn't in the budget. Unfortunately, I know what I'll be missing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply