Water pillows: are they necessary?

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W

Wannaknow

Bronze Supporter
May 5, 2021
43
lexington, ky
Pool Size
5246
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Newbie here. Just closed pool. Water temps were running about 50F. Got a slightly bigger cover so I would have more side coverage. Do I really need air/water pillows? Pool has been drained
at least 5-6 inches below return jet and all equipment has been removed. Water parameters are good; just bumped Cl to shock level. I typically run a SWG. My overhang is about right; it's covering my returns and pump ports, so I'm hoping squirrels and other "friends" won't go poking around and fall in. So, am I going to be ok when the weather decides to be -16 for 3 days in a row? If ice expands upwards, I fell like I've got that covered. However, I'm not an ice whisperer, so I don't know what kind of horizontal expansion i should expect. Thoughts, reassurances, condolences? TiA
 
Wanna,
Water bags for an AG pool won't work unless you have a deck all around. Yes for the tarp and just tie off the cover hem all around so it stays on. Make sure the cover is sitting pretty on the water completely otherwise the gathering of water will pull in your walls so, as long as there's tarp material across the water surface and up the walls you should be fine.
 
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Hey WK !! There are tons of them by me and pretty much everyone I know with ABG pools did pillows until they got sick of replacing them every year, or not even making the whole winter. Everybody had their own limit before quitting. 3 years, 15 years, etc.
 
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I am team no pillow 🤣🤣
Never had one - last year my pool froze solid, we had historic snow & ice & i had no issues. Just be sure the cover is resting on the water & not pulling on the walls. I also keep my cover pumped off as much as possible so if freezing occurs it won’t be that much weight on top of the cover.
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I use a pillow. I like it because it makes removing leaves and excess water easier. I also do not know what other people do to their pillows. People who complain that they deflate after a week, or they only last a season. Mine is going on it's 5th season. I only replaced my last one because the grommets where you tie it off ripped, the pillow was still inflated. I use a normal pillow from the pool store. Maybe cost me $20. I just don't understand all this pillow destruction.

Anyway, I wonder about just how necessary it is. Water expands about 9% when it freezes, but my pool never freezes 100%. There is water under the ice - it's not one giant 17,000 gallon block of ice.

My pool is 27' across, which means 9% is over 2 feet. If all of that expansion was going horizontally, I would see the pillow being compressed. My pillow seems to be the same size all year long based on my highly unscientific observation.
 
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Althoguh my setup has changed this is still the way I close my pool...

Intex Closing (pictures)

Well first summer is now behind us and it was time to close. Being in New England and wanting to keep the pool up vs disassembly, I thought I would post a few pictures of my current setup and its closing. I think I am just going to shrink wrap the entire pool seeing as I have more of that...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Woodstock1234 said:
I have no idea if they are necessary, but I use one. It keeps stuff away from the middle, which I am too short to reach.
I bought one off Amazon and it stayed inflated all last winter.
Click to expand...
I’ve thought of using one in the past for just this reason but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. I can get my pump to the middle with a pole or brush stuff towards me if I need to.
 
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Thank you so much! I had even debated putting on a cover. But, I figured there were enough organics that would blow in, drop in, fall in (flyovers) and spring pollen issues that merited a wee bit of protection. I've noticed some places sell a 2' roll plastic wrap as extra insurance against wind getting under the cover. Is this helpful? I've mine as tight as it will go with some ground anchors, but I am seeing some "mushroom clouds" when the strong winds blow. The big box stores have this stuff but not under the name of pool wrap. Is it worthwhile or a waste of $ ?
 
Hi Wannaknow, the pool wrap won't keep your cover from billowing but will help keeping debris from getting under if your cover is lifting around the edges. The billowing is normal during high winds and even with a couple of inches of water on top to weigh things down it will still billow! Amazingly enough after the winds die down, things settle and cover returns to original position. As long as the cover is secure you should be fine so you can relax, have a beer and think of Spring.
 
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Wannaknow said:
Thank you so much! I had even debated putting on a cover. But, I figured there were enough organics that would blow in, drop in, fall in (flyovers) and spring pollen issues that merited a wee bit of protection. I've noticed some places sell a 2' roll plastic wrap as extra insurance against wind getting under the cover. Is this helpful? I've mine as tight as it will go with some ground anchors, but I am seeing some "mushroom clouds" when the strong winds blow. The big box stores have this stuff but not under the name of pool wrap. Is it worthwhile or a waste of $ ?
Click to expand...

It's just stretch film used for moving or wrapping pallets. No need to overpay for something with a poo lable.

Here is an example...

Flagship Cast Stretch Film, 18" x 1,500', 80GA, Clear, 4 Rolls/Case - W.B. Mason

www.wbmason.com www.wbmason.com
 
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Pool store came out to close mine this year (free first year thing) I asked, and the tech that came out lives about 3 blocks from me recommended against them. He has a 27' AGP and this was while covering my 21' AGP.
 
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My pool water freezes into a solid block. I used a pillow the first 8 winters or so and they were a minor annoyance in terms of having trouble getting them to or staying in the middle, and some times completely deflating. I went no pillow last winter and didn't notice a difference. Maybe the water and debris doesn't get pushed to the edges as naturally, but a 5 lb weight and the submersible pump put on the cover in the same area causes the water on top to gather into that low spot for periodic pumping.

Keeping some water on top of the cover is a HUGE help in terms of it not turning into a parachute in high winds. I have found those clips to be the most useful and easiest to use in terms of securing the cover compared to the pool wrap or tying down.
 
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I don’t use the special pool cover clips but i do use jumbo binder clips on the side that’s not surrounded by the deck - they seem to help w/ the flapping.
also they are double duty as they have many uses during the off season, like chip clips 😄
 
Wannaknow said:
Thank you so much! I had even debated putting on a cover. But, I figured there were enough organics that would blow in, drop in, fall in (flyovers) and spring pollen issues that merited a wee bit of protection. I've noticed some places sell a 2' roll plastic wrap as extra insurance against wind getting under the cover. Is this helpful? I've mine as tight as it will go with some ground anchors, but I am seeing some "mushroom clouds" when the strong winds blow. The big box stores have this stuff but not under the name of pool wrap. Is it worthwhile or a waste of $ ?
Click to expand...
I bought this last year from Amazon:

Stretch Wrap Industrial Strength Extra Thick 17" x 900 Sq Ft with 3" Core | 80 Gauge(20 Micron) Clear Cling Plastic| Durable Self-Adhering Packing ● Moving ● Packaging ● Heavy Duty Shrink Film Roll​

It was enough to wrap my pool last year and this year. Still have some left over. Currently $18.99. It kept my cover on and was easy to cut off in the spring. I just winch the cover and then wrap it.
 
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