Pillow under winter cover

[DianeF1]

We are planning on covering our pool this year. I would like to put some pillows down the center to help keep the water accumulation towards the sides so we can easily get to it (16x32 Intex - so rectangle shape). Oh and our pool is in a VERY windy location.

I had read either here or on another pool site where folks found that the official pool pillows tend to leak and just basiclly not work. There was a recommendation to use tractor tire inner tubes.

It seems like a good idea to hook a few of these together but wanted to see if anyone else had tried inner tubes.

Thoughts?
Diane

 

[JVTrain]

I haven't tried them, but sounds like a great idea. Some of those tubes have very long valve stems so just make sure those are pointing downwards so they don't stick into the cover when it sags.

 

[phonedave]

I never used one as a pillow replacement - but it sounds like a good idea.

When I was a kid, my neighbor worked for a bus company. He had a half dozen or so of them that he used to use as inner tubes in his pool. They worked great (but got hot in the sun). As JVTrain said, keep those valve stems down - we learned that quickly.

In hindsight, I am suprised that none of us ever hurt outselves on them. They are also very "bouncy" - we used to stack them up and jump off the diving board and try and land on them. By all rights we should have cracked out heads open on the coping multiple times. That was safety in the 70's for you.

-dave

 

[DarrelB]

Anyone think of just knotting a few pool noodles and making it into a ball shape and using that? A plastic barrel works great too (the one with screw on lid, not snap on)

 

[sbn56]

Every year I take the rattiest 1-2 air mattresses that are still holding air, roll them while inflated, and tie them with a piece of nylon cord. Do this a week before closing so that I can tell if they have a slow leak - cheapest most reliable air pillows I have found!

 

[MJF54]

I have been told by my Brother in Law that he uses a truck tire tube and adds an exercise ball in the center of it. I'm going to try it this winter myself.