- Feb 18, 2013
- 16
New IG 18x36 breaking ground in a month....
I love the ClearDeck. Hate the price. So I came up with an alternative. If I have my PB put a concrete trough along the deep end, between the wall and the diving board, about 16" wide and deep, I'll have an area where a low profile reel could fit. (I might have to build it myself). With a small ledge built into the top of the trough, I could lay some deck panels..maybe four of them 5' wide, that could cover the trough whenever the cover was reeled in. Presto -- poor man's cleardeck. A slight improvement even..I'd leave the bottom concrete free, and lay in 4" of gravel for drainage of any runoff that accompanies the cover on it's way in. I'd need either a right angle mechanism, like the cleardeck, or even a small motor could help me reel the thing up.
A couple of crude renderings:
[attachment=1:1fuprnm5]Pool Reel Idea 2.png[/attachment:1fuprnm5]
[attachment=0:1fuprnm5]Pool Reel Idea.png[/attachment:1fuprnm5]
So, TFP readers, two questions:
1) Why won't this work?
2) I am guessing that I can reel a 36' long cover in 16" square because cleardeck is 15" in diameter -- but I'd like independent confirmation. Anyone with a cover that long or longer that can tell me the diameter of the cover when it's reeled up? Please include the diameter of your reel axle if possible. Any engineer types like me with a micrometer or calipers..can you tell me how thick your cover is (not the sheet thickness, the overall thickness including the 'bubbles' -- I'm guessing around .250" or so?)
Thanks
I love the ClearDeck. Hate the price. So I came up with an alternative. If I have my PB put a concrete trough along the deep end, between the wall and the diving board, about 16" wide and deep, I'll have an area where a low profile reel could fit. (I might have to build it myself). With a small ledge built into the top of the trough, I could lay some deck panels..maybe four of them 5' wide, that could cover the trough whenever the cover was reeled in. Presto -- poor man's cleardeck. A slight improvement even..I'd leave the bottom concrete free, and lay in 4" of gravel for drainage of any runoff that accompanies the cover on it's way in. I'd need either a right angle mechanism, like the cleardeck, or even a small motor could help me reel the thing up.
A couple of crude renderings:
[attachment=1:1fuprnm5]Pool Reel Idea 2.png[/attachment:1fuprnm5]
[attachment=0:1fuprnm5]Pool Reel Idea.png[/attachment:1fuprnm5]
So, TFP readers, two questions:
1) Why won't this work?
2) I am guessing that I can reel a 36' long cover in 16" square because cleardeck is 15" in diameter -- but I'd like independent confirmation. Anyone with a cover that long or longer that can tell me the diameter of the cover when it's reeled up? Please include the diameter of your reel axle if possible. Any engineer types like me with a micrometer or calipers..can you tell me how thick your cover is (not the sheet thickness, the overall thickness including the 'bubbles' -- I'm guessing around .250" or so?)
Thanks