Pool Net Cover Questions, skimmer, pool vacuum

[Kurt/Shelley]

So the leaves have started to fall and the pool had so many today it almost looked like we had a pool leave design cover. That being said I have a few questions and looking for suggestions on which approach / method to use moving forward. Being in Central, Northern CA, not quite ready to close up for the winter, plenty of warm days left in the season. We have an oak tree right next to the pool so prior to a few days ago not much of a problem. Have the Hayward skimmer and it has been full the last few days. There has been a lot of dirt on the bottom so thoughts of getting a vacuum but what about all the leaves? Looking at a pool net cover for now to help with the daily onslaught of falling leaves and acorns but not looking forward to removing everyday.

Will the vacuum work while a cover is on? Also the vacuum won't help with all the leaves on top of the water and with the full skimmer guessing the cover is overall the best idea moving forward.

Any thoughts / suggestions appreciated.

Thank you,

 

[Swampwoman]

I get a lot of leaves here and in the old days, closed by Oct 20thish before the big overhead maple did its final drop.

Last year I had to stay open into Nov. because I was installing a winter dome that hadn't shipped in time.

I used a leaf net cover over top of a solar cover, and secured the leaf net with bungee cords and hooks into eye screws I'd installed. In the am, I'd walk the net off on side, dump the leaves, then open the cover to swim

It totally reduced my maintenance and skimmer clogging. Another thing that helps is having a Pool Skim on a return, but I don't know if that works for above-ground pools.

My robot is a wall climber, so if I used it under the cover, I had to be careful it didn't get ahold of any guide lines, etc. my robot is good at grabbing leaves, but for huge volumes, nothing beats a manual leaf rake.

Here's a pic of what things look like around the 3rd week of Oct. here