Exercise ball instead of Air Pillow????

[Briant2468]

I can’t find a Air Pillow that has good reviews, they all say they deflate. Can I use a heavy duty Exercise ball instead?? Or can you recommend a good Air Pillow?

 

[zea3]

I don't know how well the ball would react to extreme cold. Part of the problem with air pillows is that people pump them full of air so they are nice and tight. Problem is there is no where for the air to go when the pool freezes and the ice compresses the pillow. The pillow pops, and then the gap where the pillow was freezes too. What ever you try, do not blow it up tight. Leave enough room for the pillow to absorb the pressure from the ice.

 

[Briant2468]

I think I found a solution. I saw another post where they used a huge inner tube and I think I might try that

 

[Mlange126]

I think I found a solution. I saw another post where they used a huge inner tube and I think I might try that

Hi Briant2468 - I’m curious how your inner tube worked out with your pool cover? We are going to try putting two large pool pillows in the center of our pool and then add a pool inner tube and top it off with an exercise ball. Sounds ridiculous, or genius….only time will tell. I swore I wouldn’t go another winter with just having the pool pillow that created wells of water that I had to perpetually get out with a pump. It was a huge headache and I’m desperate to try something different. We’re hoping the height will help direct the water off the pool if we have the cover taut enough.
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

 

[JoeSelf]

Floats for Closing.JPG

• JoeSelf
• Apr 10, 2019

 

[Mlange126]

Yes! That’s great! We plan to tie ours together too. Do the inner tubes lose air over the winter?

 

[JoeSelf]

Only had one year where one let loose but it was old. Just bought a new one the next year. The River Rat tubes are really thick. My kids took it sledding a couple of times.

 

[Newdude]

+1. We bought a bunch of snow tubes one spring on clearance at Target and a few years later with no snow, we repurposed them as pool tubes and they LASTED for years being so thick.

 

[Kevin-S]

pooltreesystem.com has a nice ball that is similar to a large exercise ball and harness to hold it.

 

[phonedave]

Hi Briant2468 - I’m curious how your inner tube worked out with your pool cover? We are going to try putting two large pool pillows in the center of our pool and then add a pool inner tube and top it off with an exercise ball. Sounds ridiculous, or genius….only time will tell. I swore I wouldn’t go another winter with just having the pool pillow that created wells of water that I had to perpetually get out with a pump. It was a huge headache and I’m desperate to try something different. We’re hoping the height will help direct the water off the pool if we have the cover taut enough.
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

Your cover is supposed to lay on the water. It should not be pulled so tight that it is a ski slope off of the pool.