My First Fall with this pool - Leaf Management Suggestions?

[Swampwoman]

Hi all. I've just ordered a pool skim. I presently use just the little aquatech pool blaster for frequent vacs. We decided to wait a year til we knew what we were dealing with to get a 'bot or suction side cleaner. That's because as you will see in the pics, we literally have a forest surrounding the pool...which might help explain why it was such a swamp when we bought it

I am looking for robot/cleaner advice PLUS any tips or suggestions overall for leaf management and closing this year. I'll give you some background:

We have one skimmer, 3 returns, octagonal shape. We keep the jets pointed up to get debris over to skimmer now.

I am hoping to "manage" to stay open until the water is good and cold, 50ish, in order to avoid a repeat of the 12 days of shock and awe I had this spring. This may turn out to be futile given the volume of leaf traffic I expect. I also hope to do an AA treatment for some iron staining this fall, and was debating a phosphate reduction ONLY because I'm at 25,000 ppb (which is crazy, but leaves leave a lot of phosphate behind, as does Jack's pink) and that level just seems like a wee bit much to overwinter...enough food to feed a season of algae. I've had no trouble with same -- just BBB chlorine daily and never let it drop. That won't however, be an option come winter.

Michigan gets good snow cover usually, but also has erratic unseasonally high temps now and then when it's supposed to be winter

I do not use a SOLAR cover at all (though I probably should) and we can live with the heating bills. The reason I am not using a cover is because my back is tricky and I find them awkward to handle. I don't really have a good footprint on the pool to work with. I also don't really have anywhere to put the cover, and with so much constant debris from flowers, etc. even during the summer, it actually seemed easier to just skim with a leaf net than having to clean a cover AND the pool NOTE: We have a solid winter cover with mesh square in the center that we WILL be using to close, just so there's no confusion!

I've read elsewhere on this board that geekgranny uses 2 pool skims, I believe, and I am wondering if I'm a candidate as well. Please feel free to chime in with any opinions on best cleaners that will WORK in tandem with pool skim and 1) Acorns 2) Maple Keys 3) lotsa leaves, as you can see.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions![attachment=2:tm2ukqj6]pool_longshotbymaple.jpg[/attachment:tm2ukqj6][attachment=1:tm2ukqj6]pool_terraceside.jpg[/attachment:tm2ukqj6][attachment=0:tm2ukqj6]PoolEnd_oakmaple.jpg[/attachment:tm2ukqj6]

 

[flyweed]

Re: My First Fall with this pool - Leaf Management Suggestio

yep..you have lots of tree's just like me!! However I have an AGP. I have leaves that drop in and around the pool pretty much year round from Box Elder tree's, long needle pines, oak trees, etc. I use a combination of items to keep the pool clean.

1. I have two leaf nets on long telescopic poles that my kids will use to keep stuff off the top of water.
2. I have a "leaf skimmer" that attaches to your intake/skimmer and basically is a large net that catches all the large garbage before it enters your skimmer basket and/or pump
3. a Dolphin Diagnostic pool robot. This thing is a WORKHORSE! When we have a storm or something that blows alot of debris into the pool, I'll get up the next day, and run the robot 3 or 4 times that day, cleaning the collection bag out after each time, and it'll clean the entire bottom wonderfully!!

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[duraleigh]

Re: My First Fall with this pool - Leaf Management Suggestio

I purchased a $10.00 leaf net at HD. It would pick up very little and broke very quickly.

I purchased a $100 leaf net and pole and it picks up huge amounts of leaves and has lasted me 5 years with little to no wear.

 

[CUTiger78]

Re: My First Fall with this pool - Leaf Management Suggestio

If the leaves get away from you and settle to the bottom, a big sucker leaf vac will be money well spent. It's powered by your garden hose and does a great job. Google for it and you'll find it available lots of places.

I try to close my pool after Columbus Day and sometimes the leaves fall pretty heavy by then. The first few years I had this pool, I tried to get them out using my regular pool skimmer with a big bag on it, scraping along the bottom to get the leaves. Not very efficient. This leaf sucker makes the job quick & easy.

Good luck!

 

[Swampwoman]

Re: My First Fall with this pool - Leaf Management Suggestio

Hey, thanks guys for the feedback! Flyweed, thanks for the tip on the Dolphin - will check into it more.

Duraleigh, my leaf net was somewhere in the middle in terms of price and it survived the swamp conversion so it should be good, but if it's not against board policy, please post the name of the super-duty one just in case I DO break this one

CUTiger -- I actually HAVE one of those and kind of forgot about it. I used it in the spring to get boatloads of leaves out, so obviously it'd be a champ.

What I wish was that there was the equivalent of a Zappos where you could buy automatic cleaners on "TRIAL" to pick the one that works for your pool, send the others back!

Cheers! SW