I was following this thread DIY Pool cover reel
Very interesting thread!
We have a 30' above ground pool, and I have had a great heavy duty 4" dia. reel that worked great for almost 15 seasons. Towards the end of last season it finally broke, pretty much in the center of the span. I had the reel sitting in the center of the pool, with the ends sitting on top of 4" x 4" posts, and I had a third post away from the pool, where I would swing the rolled cover to when the cover is off the pool. Like I said it worked great for 15 years.
When it broke I contacted the manufacturer of the reel, and was informed that replacing the 8' long portion of the 4" dia. aluminum tube would cost over $500! I emailed him back to verify that all I wanted was ONE section of the tube, and he verified that yes, one section will cost $500!
The only drawback that this reel had was the weight of the reel and the 30' dia. cover. My wife is just not able to uncover the pool by herself, so now that I am in the need of a new reel, I'm thinking the option in this thread may be what we try next.
I'm wondering about taking our 30' round cover and cutting it into 4 pieces of a pie, and then having 4 of these reels meeting like spokes in the center of the pool, to allow the weight of the cover to be a quarter of the weight of the old system. Does this make sense, or does anyone have any other suggestions?
To add to the difficulty, we have a pool deck along one "end", so all the cranking would be done off the deck, while standing on the ground.
I'm also thinking that I can install something on the outside of the deck to hold the 4 rolled up sections.
I would love to hear any suggestions from above ground pool owners.
Very interesting thread!
We have a 30' above ground pool, and I have had a great heavy duty 4" dia. reel that worked great for almost 15 seasons. Towards the end of last season it finally broke, pretty much in the center of the span. I had the reel sitting in the center of the pool, with the ends sitting on top of 4" x 4" posts, and I had a third post away from the pool, where I would swing the rolled cover to when the cover is off the pool. Like I said it worked great for 15 years.
When it broke I contacted the manufacturer of the reel, and was informed that replacing the 8' long portion of the 4" dia. aluminum tube would cost over $500! I emailed him back to verify that all I wanted was ONE section of the tube, and he verified that yes, one section will cost $500!
The only drawback that this reel had was the weight of the reel and the 30' dia. cover. My wife is just not able to uncover the pool by herself, so now that I am in the need of a new reel, I'm thinking the option in this thread may be what we try next.
I'm wondering about taking our 30' round cover and cutting it into 4 pieces of a pie, and then having 4 of these reels meeting like spokes in the center of the pool, to allow the weight of the cover to be a quarter of the weight of the old system. Does this make sense, or does anyone have any other suggestions?
To add to the difficulty, we have a pool deck along one "end", so all the cranking would be done off the deck, while standing on the ground.
I'm also thinking that I can install something on the outside of the deck to hold the 4 rolled up sections.
I would love to hear any suggestions from above ground pool owners.