no winter cover in metro detroit?

[mariane]

Our winter cover just tore and is unsalvagable.
Has anyone in metro detroit left their AGP uncovered all winter, with trees and a lot of leaves still ready to drop?
What would you recommend?
The water is already green and it's cold!
Thanks

 

[Leebo]

Not in Detroit but we did it a few years ago in South East Ohio. It was a major pain the next year getting all the leaves out, but it was do-able. I’d look into maybe using a “leaf net” to cover the pool as they’re cheap and you likely can add it over the pool easily.

 

[mariane]

I’d look into maybe using a “leaf net” to cover the pool as they’re cheap and you likely can add it over the pool easily.

Thanks Leebo. We're strongly considering leaving the cover off and using the leaf net. Most leaves are down but we have a couple stubborn trees that hang on to their leaves into December. Like Now. Still with leaves.

 

[mariane]

Not in Detroit but we did it a few years ago in South East Ohio. It was a major pain the next year getting all the leaves out, but it was do-able.

Do you cover your pool now?
Do I remember correctly a discussion on the zoom "chat" discussing cover vs. no cover for AGP in northern states that get snow and ice?

 

[Newdude]

Geographic Location is irrelevant for the cover / no cover debate. At my last house we had crazy oak trees that dropped stuff all winter. Once the levaves were done it was small branches and twigs. We moved to an open yard and I didn’t cover. The snow was the same snow except it sat directly on the frozen pool and not the on cover on top of the frozen pool.

 

[mariane]

Location is irrelevant for the cover / no cover debate. At my last house we had crazy oak trees that dropped stuff all winter. Once the leaves were done it was small branches and twigs. We moved to an open yard and I didn’t cover. The snow was the same snow except it sat directly on the frozen pool and not the on cover on top of the frozen pool.

Thanks, Newdude, for bringing it back to the common sense reminder. LOL
I've always been worried about leaving it open. I guess squirrels or racoons can fall in, whether it's too deep water for them in the cover or in the main pool.
Being in the city, it just looks strange for the 1st time ever leaving the cover off. It's now our experiment/trial run. It was a weird closing this year and the water already has a slight ting of green. It will be a very interesting experience come spring, especially when the grackles start cleaning out the nests and dropping the fecal sacs in our pool.

I guess we'll need to put a temporary cover on in the spring.

 

[Newdude]

Thanks, Newdude, for bringing it back to the common sense reminder

Lol. Covering is just what everybody does by me. I’ve helped more friends/family/neighbors than I can count over the years. None of us ever questioned it, specific to the yard it was in. TFP got it in my head that it could stay open and I put it to use in the new open yard. Sure there were some leaves in there come spring, but no worse than what blew under my looplock cover at the old house, and certainly WAY less than what inevitably falls in when pulling the tarp on an above ground pool come spring. You can pump and scoop all you want. A bucket or twos worth is still gonna dump in. Lol.