We finally got installed and are filling (pics to come). We are surrounded by trees and knew that debris would be an issue for us. We are considering starting out with a PoolSkim and a cleaner like an Aquabug, upgrading to something like a Dolphin in the future if we can't keep up with the demand. Anyone have any better suggestions for keeping a pool clean in a heavily wooded area?
Keeping pool clean in high debris area
- Thread starter BellaBuggy
- Start date
Do you have a skimmer installed? That will help a lot.
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I guess a pool skim is a skimmer probably.
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I guess a pool skim is a skimmer probably.
The pool has the standard skimmer in the wall, but because of the trees we think we need something extra.
I hope it is not a problem for me to post a link? http://poolskimusa.com/
I hope it is not a problem for me to post a link? http://poolskimusa.com/
My pool is much smaller, I have a over the wall skimmer that works great but I have to clean it a. Lille times a day. I have not installed the Hayward skimmer I bought yet. I have a lot of pine trees and I get a lot of the pine one seeds in my pool. Other than adding another skimmer I am not sure what you could do besides what you are doing. Just keep a close eye on the skimmer and clean it often. The more you run the filter the more it will catch. I run filter all day and shut it off at night. Because of all the debris from the trees.
My back yard is full of Crepe Myrtle blooms (my neighbor's), oak leaves and acorns (mine). Consequently my pool gets a lot of spent blossoms and acorns, and copious leaves. I have a pool skim and I love it! Before I got a pool skim my skimmer basket was always packed with debris. The Crepe Myrtles were especially problematic and I could not run the pool unless I was around to baby sit it. With the pool skim I can go longer before I need to empty my skimmer basket.
We do have that! But even though I'm home all day, I am not sure I could keep up with what is coming down. I wish I could hang by the pool all day but I have two year old twins that won't let that happen!
Take the twins out there and make a counting game out of it. Tell them you guys have to count the leaves that fall...lol
I have a leaf net that I use over the winter and through the spring when the stupid pain in the neck Bradford Pear tree in my rear neighbor's yard is dropping every manner of tree garbage into my pool.
It's a mesh cover for the whole pool. Right now I still have it on the pool because of the intriguing yet disgusting habits of mother grackles (an annoying black bird) who clean their nest by removing their babies "poop sacks" and dropping them in nearby water. aka...my pool.
The net doesn't technically keep stuff out but it keeps the large stuff from sinking which makes it easier for me to pull it out with my pole leaf net and skimmer.
The downside is that since it sits on the surface of the water my skimmer cannot do it's job. It's a trade off for the early season but I really think it is worth it for when the trees are dropping stuff at such a fast rate. Last year I had it off by this time but then I had to get that nasty bird poop off the bottom of the pool instead of just skimming it off the net. I can't wait to get it off once those baby birds are out of the nest!!!
I was thinking about trying the pool skim this year for "normal" skimming. It seems to have very good reviews.
It's a mesh cover for the whole pool. Right now I still have it on the pool because of the intriguing yet disgusting habits of mother grackles (an annoying black bird) who clean their nest by removing their babies "poop sacks" and dropping them in nearby water. aka...my pool.
The net doesn't technically keep stuff out but it keeps the large stuff from sinking which makes it easier for me to pull it out with my pole leaf net and skimmer.
The downside is that since it sits on the surface of the water my skimmer cannot do it's job. It's a trade off for the early season but I really think it is worth it for when the trees are dropping stuff at such a fast rate. Last year I had it off by this time but then I had to get that nasty bird poop off the bottom of the pool instead of just skimming it off the net. I can't wait to get it off once those baby birds are out of the nest!!!
I was thinking about trying the pool skim this year for "normal" skimming. It seems to have very good reviews.
I would never dream of sweeping or messing with our pool with our 2yr old granddaughter here. I let her play around the pool and my eyes are GLUED to her but I'm afraid I'd lose track of her If I got busy with the pool. And you have (2) 2 year olds. God bless you Momma! Lol
Yeah, they were a big surprise package, as our other kids are older, but the upside is built in babysitters. 
They do make actual work a little tricky though.
Thanks Beens - I will check into that! Something for early/late season would work well for us.
They do make actual work a little tricky though. Thanks Beens - I will check into that! Something for early/late season would work well for us.
I feel ya on the tree debris. I live in the woods so unless I plan on doing some deforesting, I'm kinda stuck. I am at a new location compared to last season. So I have yet to put up the pool yet.
But it will be going up within the next couple of weeks. I have picked out a nice clearing that will show some sun, but nevertheless I can see already this is going to be a battle.
One week ago I took the leaf blower and cleared the area of all debris. This week there are acorns, some fuzzy things I have no clue, leaves, twigs, etc.
I was thinking of doing what "Beens" had done with a mesh cover of a sort. Maybe even something built from screen which might be finer. Sounds like to much work though lol.
I did look at the reviews and video on that PoolSkim. Looks like it would work great for leaves and normal small debris. I don't know if acorns float or not, but that looks like it's going to be
one of my worst enemies.
Whatever the plan of attack, I don't want it to block the sun. I need all the warmth I can get without using a heater. That's why I thought a mesh would work better then a cover.
But it will be going up within the next couple of weeks. I have picked out a nice clearing that will show some sun, but nevertheless I can see already this is going to be a battle.
One week ago I took the leaf blower and cleared the area of all debris. This week there are acorns, some fuzzy things I have no clue, leaves, twigs, etc.
I was thinking of doing what "Beens" had done with a mesh cover of a sort. Maybe even something built from screen which might be finer. Sounds like to much work though lol.
I did look at the reviews and video on that PoolSkim. Looks like it would work great for leaves and normal small debris. I don't know if acorns float or not, but that looks like it's going to be
one of my worst enemies.
Whatever the plan of attack, I don't want it to block the sun. I need all the warmth I can get without using a heater. That's why I thought a mesh would work better then a cover.
Hi;
We use the PoolSkim skimmer and it is very effective at cleaning the debris from the pool surface. Also use a skimmer sock on the main skimmer, it keeps us from cleaning the pump basket constantly. Of course, we use the pool robot almost daily too.
Regards,
Gary R.
We use the PoolSkim skimmer and it is very effective at cleaning the debris from the pool surface. Also use a skimmer sock on the main skimmer, it keeps us from cleaning the pump basket constantly. Of course, we use the pool robot almost daily too.
Regards,
Gary R.
For anyone wondering what it looks like...here's my net. This was when I first got it and my ladder was not in the pool at this point.
Now I have it on the pool even with the ladder. Just requires a little rigging and a couple of bungee cords.
And here's how it looked in the fall when the evil bradford pear tree started dropping it's evil leaves.
And here's in the spring with the evil petals from the evil flowers on the evil bradford pear tree.
Also, the pile of petals after skimming with my leaf net.
And finally, that fateful day last spring when I thought about putting the net on because the weather forecast called for strong thunderstorms...but didn't get around to it.
Needless to say. I love my net. It comes in handy even in the summer. I will put it on if we're going to be having thunderstorms or tropical storm type weather.
Got it from amazon. Only 39.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WKF9ZW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Now I have it on the pool even with the ladder. Just requires a little rigging and a couple of bungee cords.
And here's how it looked in the fall when the evil bradford pear tree started dropping it's evil leaves.
And here's in the spring with the evil petals from the evil flowers on the evil bradford pear tree.
Also, the pile of petals after skimming with my leaf net.
And finally, that fateful day last spring when I thought about putting the net on because the weather forecast called for strong thunderstorms...but didn't get around to it.
Needless to say. I love my net. It comes in handy even in the summer. I will put it on if we're going to be having thunderstorms or tropical storm type weather.
Got it from amazon. Only 39.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WKF9ZW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks for those shots "Beens". Though I was having a bit of a problem seeing the exact hole size.
I fear that it might catch leaves and twigs but not those nasty acorns. I see a few questions on Amazon, but still leaves me hanging.
Q: How big are the holes in this cover?
A: It is a mesh cover, so they are small. They do catch the leaves.
Q: Would it be wiser to buy one of these slightly larger, as it would then be stretched out - above and out of the water?
A: It's big enough to stretch bright above the water. The biggest problem is that the mess is not fine enough. Small stuff slips through.
Possible to get a picture of the net showing the hole size?
I fear that it might catch leaves and twigs but not those nasty acorns. I see a few questions on Amazon, but still leaves me hanging.
Q: How big are the holes in this cover?
A: It is a mesh cover, so they are small. They do catch the leaves.
Q: Would it be wiser to buy one of these slightly larger, as it would then be stretched out - above and out of the water?
A: It's big enough to stretch bright above the water. The biggest problem is that the mess is not fine enough. Small stuff slips through.
Possible to get a picture of the net showing the hole size?
You can kind of see the hole size on the 2nd photo where it is draped over the side of the pool. It looks like it would catch acorns.
It would definitely catch acorns. I was lazy on Amazon and didn't answer that question when Amazon.com emailed me.
It's not as small as mosquito netting but small enough that it even catches the little "pear" things that will be falling in my pool in the summer. They are a little bigger than cherry pits.
As far as getting it to sit above the water.... It would require some stretching. I tried a couple of times but I feel like it would end up stretching out of shape little by little. Only way I could think to do it would be to somehow weigh it down by hanging something like half full (of water) Bleach jugs. Or maybe using bungee cords somehow to pull it down and hook to something on the lower part of the pool walls. I never ended up pursuing the idea.
It would be pretty awesome if it sat above the water but the material is pretty soft so it'd have to be pulled tight and again, I worried that it might just stretch out and require more stretching. (then the holes might be getting pulled bigger?)
That bungee cord idea has me thinking about it again though. lol
It's not as small as mosquito netting but small enough that it even catches the little "pear" things that will be falling in my pool in the summer. They are a little bigger than cherry pits.
As far as getting it to sit above the water.... It would require some stretching. I tried a couple of times but I feel like it would end up stretching out of shape little by little. Only way I could think to do it would be to somehow weigh it down by hanging something like half full (of water) Bleach jugs. Or maybe using bungee cords somehow to pull it down and hook to something on the lower part of the pool walls. I never ended up pursuing the idea.
It would be pretty awesome if it sat above the water but the material is pretty soft so it'd have to be pulled tight and again, I worried that it might just stretch out and require more stretching. (then the holes might be getting pulled bigger?)
That bungee cord idea has me thinking about it again though. lol
We are using the leaf cover on my brother's pool this year so he can just take it off and swim with his daughter. He's a bachelor and clearly has no time to clean! :lol:
Z7What
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I have woods about 12-15' from my pool and keeping leaves out of it was HARD! A tall Weeping Willow was the worst! I spent $150 total and now there isn't a single leaf in the pool.
I bought:
Leaf Canister
http://www.amazon.com/Leaf-Canister...&qid=1431450417&sr=8-8&keywords=leaf+canister
Lil' Shark
http://www.amazon.com/Pentair-36010...UTF8&qid=1431450471&sr=8-1&keywords=lil+shark
Net
http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Leaf-Ra...=UTF8&qid=1431450500&sr=8-4&keywords=pool+net
I took a scrap piece of deck board I had laying around and attach the net to the board and then mounted the board on the top rail just before the skimmer so the net opening is half way covered in water. It helps catch the large debris. The Lil' Shark & Leaf Canister takes care of the rest. I have NEVER needed to vacuum, scrub or net anything out of the pool since the day I installed them.
Wayne
I bought:
Leaf Canister
http://www.amazon.com/Leaf-Canister...&qid=1431450417&sr=8-8&keywords=leaf+canister
Lil' Shark
http://www.amazon.com/Pentair-36010...UTF8&qid=1431450471&sr=8-1&keywords=lil+shark
Net
http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Leaf-Ra...=UTF8&qid=1431450500&sr=8-4&keywords=pool+net
I took a scrap piece of deck board I had laying around and attach the net to the board and then mounted the board on the top rail just before the skimmer so the net opening is half way covered in water. It helps catch the large debris. The Lil' Shark & Leaf Canister takes care of the rest. I have NEVER needed to vacuum, scrub or net anything out of the pool since the day I installed them.
Wayne