zigbee???

Why would you drain it for hurricane preparation?

You haven't seen our pool yet. It's freeform and huge:

People could, almost everywhere in the world. The main problems are unmanaged diseases (like HIV), poorly managed irrigation and farming, lack of education, socialist dictators, but foremost hardcore government corruption where 90+ percent of the population starve while a few percent live high on the hog. Plus, more lately, fundamentalists.

Sometimes very small changes in one of the above can work wonders. You just can't fix a whole country. Our church, for example, concentrates on a small area in Kenia (called Kabimoi) and slowly people over there realize that there is indeed hope.

Very nice! BTW, you can walk on most covers, even the ones held in place with water bags. It's not recommended, though, because if you do go in the cover will close in around you. I certainly didn't attempt fate.

Almost everywhere, agreed. The main issue is socialists, dictators, and corruption. Without changing these huge issues, you're pissing up a rope.

My brother and SIL spent two years in Kenya, in the Peace Corps (and whatever the Brit version is). Their problem was *our* governments.

The idea that really caught my attention was the various "micro capitalism" efforts.

You've never been through a hurricane. What happens to your pool if you can't use the pump & filter for a month or more? Do you want to deal with tons of leaves & small branches, dead bugs & mildew when the power is restored?

There are good covers for any size pool, if you are willing to pay for quality.

Yep. I've contemplated a powered one that forms a usable deck. ...Jim Thompson

No, we don't have hurricanes. But fierce winds at times. Then I have to do the dreaded job and fish it all out. Pretty intersting stuff in there. If the filter doesn't run and you don't have a generator (one should in your area) I guess the only option is to go heavy on the chlorine. An emptied pool out here could cause an insurance issue (gross negligence).

The deck railing is all new by now, looks much better. We had a floating cover but found that it doesn't last, it disintegrated on us. Lasted only two seasons.

Well, I don't have the bank account of the Rockefellers. We used to have a float cover but sun and chlorine bruised it badly and it was a pain to take at least half of it off so we could swim.

If all this saves one person's life it was worth it, IMHO.

Our group is from our church so they are largely left alone by governments. Well, not in all countries, of course, but at least over there.

Ah, I see. You invite folks from this here NG and seat the not so nice fellahs on that "usable deck", then go inside and press magic button ...

We use a floating cover, too, and just assume that, no matter how good a one you buy, it will only last one year. We just put the new one one a month ago. Three times I have had to go out and put it back on the pool after it blew off. I think we are going to buy some velcro, and try that to hold it on in a couple of spots...

Charlie

Bach when I was going to UCSB, one of my teachers had us up to his house one weekend, and showed us HIS pool cover. It was two patio covers made from wood and corrugated fiberglass panels that cantelevered down to cover the pool, and then came up to provide shade when you wanted to use the pool!

Unfortunately, a week later, the fires came and took the entire home... :-(

Charlie

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The one I checked out moved about 1" per second, not likely to dump anyone. ...Jim Thompson

I took two sticks of 3/4" PVC and four 90's, and made a big square. I then set it on top of the cover. When I want to use the pool, I just flip one end over the frame, and then start rolling. I can uncover the pool in about 20 seconds. Even from outside the pool I can do it in about a minute.

We have one of those fancy rollers for them that fits over the pool, but at that time we had bought a fancy, heavy diamond cover. What we didn't know was that it was TOO heavy for the roller, and was always breaking! I took it down, and have fixed it, but it was too much trouble to try and put it back on the pool. the PVC is easier and works better.

Charlie

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You'd be all set if Dimmi or BS ever showed up at your door. :)

The other issue we had was that we had a serious algae bloom start underneath there despite chlorine and other levels being ok. A cover turns the whole pool into a gigantic petri dish.

Also, continually throwing away covers ain't so nice from an environmental point of view.