Winter Pool Cover - Page 2

Doghouse Riley · 19-10-2011, 05:52 PM

I've finally got round to floating this on. I was waiting until I found some Visqueen to make a window panel at one end, but haven't found any yet, so I've folded back the end nearest the filter return so I can see "what's going on."
The fish are still feeding well despite the temperature having dropped to 54F.

The net will stay on until the wisteria leaves have fallen, that might not be until the end of November as the heat from the pool means that these leaves are the last to fall.
As I need to get at the skimmer/overflow to insert a plug when I pump the sump to waste to stop it being pumped back into the pool, I needed an easy way to lift off that corner of the net. So I made these short posts from speedfit pipe screwed into the bridge. It works a treat.

I've used the surplus cover as insulation for the filters. I've still to stuff the gaps with some cheap bubble wrap.
I use rolls of wide clear plastic tape with a re-enforcing mesh, sold by Wilko's for many things. I've found using it on the pool cover is very successful as the cover is strong enough for you to peel it off if need be, whereas ordinary bubble wrap would just tear.

miles41 · 19-10-2011, 07:08 PM

Looks very efficient...great effort

Doghouse Riley · 12-11-2011, 11:02 AM

Came back from golf around half two yesterday afternoon, went into the garden to check the fish and found one had jumped out and landed about a couple of feet onto the pool cover, I've no idea how long it had been there.
Luckily, there was some surface water on the cover from the previous day's rain so its head was half covered and I could see it breathing. I netted it,checked it out and it seemed in good condition so I popped it back in the pool, it swam away quite happily.

Checked again this morning and have seen it swimming with the rest, so hopefully no harm done.
It happened once before about this time of the year when I used bubble wrap to cover the pool, I think at that time a fish had been trying to get at some food and got itself stranded.

As they say "these things happen" there doesn't always have to be a reason for it.

Limey · 19-11-2011, 10:17 AM

Glad the fish is ok! Looks like a good economical option to me, you do come up with some useful alternative solutions!

Doghouse Riley · 19-11-2011, 10:51 AM

Thanks for that Limey, I've since re-folded the cover to cut down the open end of the pool by half that of which it was in the photo.

Doghouse Riley · 03-01-2012, 07:37 PM

Just to add that despite the strong winds recently, the pool cover has stayed in place, despite there being a gap of a foot between it and the net.
If I were still using bubblewrap it'd have kept blowing up towards one end.

miles41 · 03-01-2012, 07:40 PM

After todays' storm, it's done well

Certainly been rough here!

Doghouse Riley · 03-02-2012, 01:22 PM

Now it's got really cold I've totally covered the pool, as the air pump is still running 24/7 (air stones raised and at a reduced rate) I'm not worried about a gas build up as it can escape around the edges of the cover. I've given up looking for some visqueen in a short length to make a viewing panel, as the only stuff I could find isn't clear and is very flimsy, I've thrown yards of the decent stuff away many years ago. But that's how it goes.

I'll just have to lift the cover occasionally to check on the fish.

To make this easier as there's a net suspended over the cover, I've since attached a length washing line to the far end. So I can slowly pull the cover towards me to see the fish, then go up the other end and use the line to gently pull it back again without having to mess with the net.

Doghouse Riley · 12-03-2012, 06:28 PM

I've taken this off now.

The smooth top surface stayed quite clean, but as it was on the water "bubble side down" that was quite green.
I stretched it over a clothes line I rigged up in the drive and scrubbed it down with hot soapy water.
The bubbles are resilient enough not to be damaged by a scrubbing brush. It was a lot of hard work but all the green came off.
I rinsed it off and sterilized it, let it dry and then folded it up and put it back in the zip up bag in which it came.
The bag has two long handles, so it was easy to hang up on a hook in the garage ready for next year.

Doghouse Riley · 15-03-2012, 04:34 PM

It’s a always a relief to get through the winter without any casualties.
I’ve removed the net as well as the cover, the net was mostly to keep the autumn leaves out.
I’ve a piece of net folded over some wire stretched diagonally across the corner of the pool in front of the waterfall. This is the only easy access for a heron as the lip of the waterfall is only a few inches above the level of the pool. The other vulnerable point was the bridge over the filter return, but I've put a line of loose granite sets there, I may get round to cementing them in, but I've resisted as they don't match the York stone. I did once have a low ornamental rail there, but over the last 25 years it started to rot, so I removed it. I might re-make the rail, when I've nothing better to do, but that isn't often.