I'm still running and chlorinating mine in middle Tennessee with a stand-alone leaf cover on it (something I thought I'd try out this year), which has allowed me to feel more comfortable about not covering it early. Something I usually do just so I don't have to deal with all the leaves.
It's hit right near freezing only once this Fall a couple mornings, but that was low temps that went right back up to 60 on those same days. I think I'll just be watching the weather and put the cover on before a deep freeze gets here and minimize the chance of algae when I open back up in the Spring.
The stand-alone leaf cover is really designed to go over a winter cover and I will use it for that as well, but it has been beneficial as a leaf catcher since we're no longer swimming this late in the season. The one thing I didn't think about, however, is that, although the leaf cover does a good job keeping out all those big, Fall, leaves; pieces of leaves and other debris do fall down into the pool, so I have had to pull it off twice this Fall to vacuum and brush. Another issue is that when I pull off the leaf cover after removing the big leaves, some debris falls down into the pool, and more again when I put it back on, because the cover keeps some small debris on it that can't be easily removed that can fall down in the pool each time it's pulled off or on. Overall though, I think it's been a hassle and time cutting technique. Since the net sits in the pool, it's not a problem with the wind trying to blow it off; so I don't really have to spend much time ratcheting it tight.
