Although there are many things to enjoy about autumn, having leaves fall into your pool is not one of them. It’s too early to close your pool for the year – there are still weeks of great pool weather left in Atlanta – but having leaves in the pool all the time can make it seem like too much of a hassle to go swimming. Not to mention the effects of leaf debris on your pool: dirty water and clogged filters.
Here are steps you can take to keep the leaves out of your pool so that you can enjoy your pool all the way through the fall. Don’t be surprised if it takes more than one to really keep the leaves out, though.
The easiest way to keep leaves out of your pool is to use your pool cover more often. Ideally, you should have your pool cover out most of the time, anyway. Using your pool cover frequently can help you avoid evaporation, keep your pool’s chemicals in balance, and maintain your pool’s temperature. It can also keep leaves out of your pool.
If rolling the pool cover out and back manually is too much trouble, consider investing in an automatic pool cover.
Leaf nets are designed for just this purpose. They are lightweight, easy to carry, and very effective at keeping leaves out of your pool. You can use them on their own or combine them with your pool cover for even more effective leaf control.
In addition to commercial leaf nets, some people like to make a DIY leaf dome with PVC pipe and commonly available netting. Make sure whatever you put together is safe, manageable, and doesn’t damage your pool, but otherwise this can be an effective approach.
Another approach is to try to stop the leaves before they reach the pool by cleaning them up as soon as possible. Rake your leaves frequently or use your lawnmower to mulch and bag them. Don’t use a leaf blower: you will end up with more leaves in your pool. Even if you’re blowing them away from the pool, anything you blow one way can just blow back.
Remember to keep your tree limbs trimmed back so they aren’t hanging over your pool. Any leaves dropping from those branches will fall directly into your pool.
With increasing options for automating your pool maintenance, this is a good choice. Automated pool skimmers can come in several forms. Simple ones will just drift around the surface and catch whatever they float by.
More sophisticated models will make sure they skim the entire surface regularly to make sure you don’t have one section of the pool that’s clear with the rest all covered by leaves.
The most sophisticated pool skimmers can detect when there are leaves on the surface and will go after them to make sure your pool is always completely free of debris.
No matter what type of robotic pool skimmer you choose, make sure that you clean out the filter or reservoir more frequently at this time of year.
If you have regular pool maintenance scheduled, you can request a few extra visits in the fall to help deal with the leaf problem if you’d rather not mess with it yourself. If you don’t already have regular pool maintenance scheduled, maybe this is the time to start, especially if you’re having trouble dealing with the leaves at this time of year.
It’s probably too late to change your landscaping to protect your pool from leaves this year, but there are some things you can do in anticipation of next year’s leaf season if you want. Here are some landscaping strategies to reduce the number of leaves that fall into your pool.
All these solutions can reduce the leaf debris getting into your pool, making it much easier to maintain.
If you are tired of fighting the leaves every autumn, let Allen Pool help. Since 1972, we’ve been helping people in Atlanta get the most enjoyment out of their pools with the least hassle. We’ve seen a lot of solutions for managing leaves in the pool, and we know what works and what doesn’t.
We can help you implement any of these solutions. The pool-related ones we can handle ourselves. For yard and landscaping issues, we can give you recommendations for how to do it yourself or refer you to a reputable landscaping company.
To learn more about improving your enjoyment of your pool year-round, please contact Allen Pool today.
Please call (770) 451-1621 to request pool winterization by Allen Pool Service in Atlanta.
Request Now