Covering AGP....

[lulupalooza]

How do you cover your AGP? I typically have used a tarp like pool cover made especially for AGP. But every year, I have to pump off the cover, and remove the debris that has accumulated over the winter. This year was a disaster! Cover ripped as we were trying to pull it over the side and ALL the muck went into the pool. Made a HUGE mess to say the least. I am hoping someone has a better solution. We have a long leaf pine close to the pool, so the needles wide up on the cover, short of cutting the tree down, which I really want to, hubs is against.

 

[jeffchap]

The last year I had an AGP, I put an inner tube under the tarp over the winter to keep it from sinking in and getting full of muck.

 

[jonahex2099]

I use the cover that came with the pool and four airbags and a pump to keep the water from accumulating. Worked quite well. Some debris but was able to maneuver the cover off when it was time with minimal muck getting into the pool.

 

[Selenap]

I use a leaf net over a tarp.

 

[cj133]

I use a heavy winter cover with a pillow and the cable around the pool.

I use several 3/8" clear vinyl hoses and a cheap manual pump from Amazon to siphon the cover. Leaves get removed from time to time but it's not a priority.
I use several hoses so I can siphon from several spots at once.

This is the pump I use, but there are many different brands, colors etc of the same exact thing. It's just used to get the siphon going.

https://www.amazon.com/Koehler-Enterprises-RA990-Multi-Use-Transfer/dp/B0181EDCZ6/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=siphon+pump&qid=1627729556&sr=8-5

The 3/8" tubing can be found at many places very cheap including Home depot.
3/8" ID 1/2" OD vinyl tubing

UDP 3/8 in. I.D. x 1/2 in. O.D. x 20 ft. Clear Vinyl Tubing T10007008 - The Home Depot

Everbilt clear vinyl tubing is BPA-free and manufactured using FDA approved food grade compliant materials. The crystal clear and non-toxic tubing is great for low pressure applications such as beverage

www.homedepot.com

Before opening the pool I get as much siphoned off as I can by pulling the cover to make the water pool up in one spot. I close when the water is in the 40s and I try to open it with the water in the 40s. The 3 times I've opened this pool after winter I didn't even vacuum it and this past winter my FC level was still high enough it didn't even get chlorine.

 

[zea3]

Some folks only cover until leaves have fallen, then take the cover off. If you live in an area without hard freezes you can keep the pool open all winter. Its best not to close the pool until water is below 60 degrees. In my neck of the woods that doesn't happen until sometime in January, when air temps are consistently below 65. Opening should occur before water temps hit 70 degrees, or once the threat of a hard freeze has passed. If you keep the pool open you can continue to vacuum or run the robot as normal.

There is going to be a live Zoom discussion today on keeping a pool open over the winter.

TFP Expert Discussion - Non Closing Winter Prep

Come join us this Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT. Texas Splash (aka Pat), and Leebo (aka Lee) will be joining us for a discussion about Non-Closing Winter Prep for those pools in areas you do not fully close the pool. We will be using Zoom. Questions will be submitted via Chat...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[MITBeta]

The key is to understand that water is heavy, even very small amounts. 1 inch in a 24 foot round AGP weighs 600lbs. So as others have suggested, get all the water you can off the top, then let the rest evaporate, if possible. You can also use your pool leaf rake to keep the cover mostly clean all winter.

I switched to using big exercise balls inflated inside of a soccer ball storage bag as a pillow since the pillows sold for this purpose are so low quality.

 

[cj133]

The key is to understand that water is heavy, even very small amounts. 1 inch in a 24 foot round AGP weighs 600lbs. So as others have suggested, get all the water you can off the top, then let the rest evaporate, if possible. You can also use your pool leaf rake to keep the cover mostly clean all winter.

I switched to using big exercise balls inflated inside of a soccer ball storage bag as a pillow since the pillows sold for this purpose are so low quality.

I'm assuming you're talking about just before pulling the cover, but I think it needs to be mentioned that the water on top of the cover under normal conditions when the cover is installed correctly, is essentially weightless as far as the cover is concerned.

It simply lays on top of the pool water, but, it will raise that level more and more until it dumps out if your return is open. This is a big reason you need to keep it reasonably drained all winter. As the water in the pool gets pushed up and out, more weight will be applied to the cover.

But when the pool level is correct, and the cover and pillow are correct, the water on top doesn't weigh anything and will not put stress on the pool walls.

 

[Mdragger88]

I use my handy siphon cover pump, with a well placed brick (to make the water collect in one area) and a couple sunny days i can get the cover dry as a bone. I use the skim net to remove as much debris as possible & push the water towards the pump. **pro tip- flip it over so the holes face down & it doesn’t suck air**