Having a pool is the family dream. Being able to retreat to your pool on a hot summer day is something that many of us wish we had. Taking a nice dip in the cool water and following it up by soaking in some sun can make for a fun and relaxing afternoon.
There is a lot of work that goes into maintaining that pool, though. Keeping it clean – both chemically and from debris such as leaves and twigs – covering it during the colder months, and all of the other things that need to be done to keep your pool looking pristine.
So, it goes without saying that you don’t want anything coming along and messing that all up. There are plenty of things that can present problems for the cleanliness of your pool. One of those things are those friendly waterfowls known as ducks.
You may be asking yourself what the problem with ducks is. They’re cute and can be fun to watch from time to time, after all. But it won’t be so cute when you are dealing with their droppings or looking to get some peace and quiet amidst all of the quacking.
Why it Is a Good Idea to Keep Ducks Out
Sure, it is a pain to have bird droppings in and around your pool. That can be enough of a reason to want to keep them away. But there are actually several reasons why it is a good idea to keep those ducks from coming back and taking up residence.
The first is that once they do decide that your pool area is a safe area for them, they are hard to get rid of without taking action. Ducks can be persistent if they feel that your pool is safe from predators and it can be a pain to keep them away.
Secondly, having any kind of wildlife increases the overall risk of germs and disease. This can include things such as salmonella, E.coli, and crypto, among others.
The fortunate thing here is that most of these types of bacteria will die fairly quickly when they are contacted by the chlorine. This is why it is so important to maintain a proper chlorine level in your pool.
Lastly, there are already natural contaminants to deal with such as phosphates and nitrates. Having birds or ducks present means contaminating the water even further.
Instead of constantly shooing them away, find a way to keep them away. There are more than a few simple tips that you can implement to keep the ducks away from your pool area so you can keep it clean and enjoy the peace.
1 – Solar Covers
Don’t get this confused with a basic pool cover. Pool covers are fine and all, but they are very basic in their application. Solar covers can provide more benefits than simply keeping your pool area protected from the elements.
Generally speaking, solar covers are used to trap in solar radiation and prevent any water evaporation.
This will not only keep you from having to refill your pool more often, it can actually raise the temperature of the water by 15 degrees. That will make your pool ready to use right away instead of having to take the time to heat it up.
Even better, solar covers come in a wide array of sizes and shapes. This makes it easier to find the shape that you need to best fit your pool.
Make sure to get the right size; an ill-fitting solar cover can leave enough room for ducklings to sneak underneath and become trapped.
So, not only is a solar cover a great way to prevent debris and leaves from falling into it, it will keep the ducks away and keep your pool warmer. That is quality protection for your pool.
2 – Try Some Animal Toys
Like any other type of smaller animal, ducks don’t like to be near predators. If the waters that they traverse have predators in them, they will likely look for another landing spot. So, if you aren’t using a cover on your pool, try using inflatable animal toys to keep them away.
There are plenty of different animals to choose from with these inflatable toys. You could go with a killer whale, a snake, an alligator, a dolphin, really anything that will potentially scare the ducks from landing in your pool.
The caveat to this is that the ducks may figure out that the floating animals aren’t actually moving. If they figure this out, they may not be deterred from landing in your pool for very long.
This can be especially aggravating as it can feel like the ducks are being especially defiant.
While this may be one of the less expensive methods of keeping ducks away from your pool, it may also wind up being one of the least effective methods.
3 – Automatic Pool Cleaner
Let’s face facts: these pool cleaners can scare far bigger things than a duck. Since ducks are scared pretty easily, having the automatic cleaner should be enough to keep them away. That big machine moving around also has the double benefit of keeping the bottom of your pool clean, too.
Even if the sight of this big pool cleaner isn’t what scares the ducks away, the sound should be. Vacuums can be quite loud, and that noise can be enough to make the ducks choose another area to land and frolic in.
There are some people that don’t have an automatic pool cleaner, though. If you didn’t plan to get one to clean your pool, this is an expensive way to simply get rid of some ducks.
Having one already makes this an effortless fix, but it may not be readily available for some pool owners.
4 – Man’s Best Friend
Going back to the idea of presenting a predator to scare the ducks away, a fake one might not work so well but a real one should.
Having a dog should be a pretty easy way to keep the ducks away. Even a little dog, which often barks quite a bit, should be enough to keep those pesky waterfowl away.
Dogs are a natural predator for ducks, who already scare easily. Even seeing the dog should be enough for the ducks to think twice about landing in your pool.
The caveat here is that people who keep their dogs indoors run the risk of the ducks still landing in the pool. Sure, the dog can scare them away, but this might be too reactive rather than proactive.
It is important to know that not every breed of dog will be bothered to bark at or chase the ducks. There will no doubt be a few ducks that have more courage than others, essentially daring the dogs to come and get them.
It bears mentioning that a cat is probably not a good idea for this task. They tend to be soundless, sneaking up on the ducks to kill them. We generally don’t want to kill the ducks, just get rid of them.
Dogs that bark and chase the ducks can be good at causing a commotion without actually hurting the ducks in the process.
5 – Duck Off
Yes, this is a very common problem for pool owners. So, it should come as no surprise that there is actually a product out there meant to specifically address this issue. That product is known as Duck Off and it can safely remove the ducks from your pool.
This product works by breaking the water’s surface tension. What does this do, exactly? It makes swimming in the water uncomfortable for the ducks. They might land in the water, but they won’t stay for long.
With consistent use, they should come to figure out that your pool isn’t a suitable landing spot for them to use.
The caveat here is that some pool owners don’t want to add any more chemicals to their pool than they have to. This can make for a great last resort if you are simply fed up with the ducks and want to keep them from coming back.
6 – Basic Maintenance
While a properly maintained pool is not exactly a predator, it can be a natural deterrent for ducks.
Make sure that there isn’t debris, leaves, or sticks floating in your pool. Keep your pool’s chlorine levels at an adequate level to keep away bacteria and disease, too.
Ducks prefer pond water. Clean water that has a proper level of chlorine in it doesn’t look or smell the same as pond water. This can be enough to keep the ducks away and send them off looking for a new destination.
The same principal goes for the pool area, too. If there are lots of leaves and other pieces of debris, it can act as an attraction for the ducks.
Give them all of the reasons that you can to stay away from your pool and find another area to congregate in.
7 – Plastic Owls
Going back to the predator method, owls are one of the duck’s natural predators. Since owls are often quite stationary, it might not be so easy to figure out that the plastic owls you use aren’t real.
Having plastic owls set up around the pool area can be enough to keep them scared away. For the full effect, and to keep the ducks believing it is the real thing, invest in decoys that hoot and turn their head.
These simple things can go a long way toward convincing the ducks that they are the real deal and not to be messed with.
Buying some of these realistic-looking and realistic-sounding owls can also be far easier than some of the other methods listed. You want to keep the ducks away but shouldn’t have to spend a ton of time doing so, either.
8 – Go Ultrasonic
Ducks might not be the only thing that you are contending with around your pool area. There can be small animals that provide a constant annoyance, leaving you in need of a method that will deal with them as well as the ducks.
Buying an ultrasonic pet repellent could be the way to go. These machines are relatively inexpensive and work by emitting a high-frequency sound.
Best of all, humans can’t hear this sound and it is incredibly irritating to birds and other animals.
Not only that, the sound is completely harmless to any wildlife. All it does is shock the animal, triggering their natural flight instinct.
This scares it away without doing any harm and keeps your pool area safe from any pesky critters that mean to cause trouble.
Setting up a couple of these around the perimeter of your pool can be a highly effective way of keeping the ducks and other critters out of your yard entirely.
9 – Remove the Enticements
It is completely understandable that adding flowers and bird feeders to a yard might make it look more attractive.
The downside here is that they also look quite attractive to birds and ducks, too. The last thing you want to do is give these birds a reason to land in your yard and mess it up.
With bird feeders especially, this can act as a reason for the ducks to come back time and again. After all, what better a situation than free food and a predator-free space?
So, while it might make your yard look more attractive, it may also be the reason that the ducks will not leave your yard alone.
10 – Try Bird Netting
This is the same general concept as the pool cover only for a far more cost-effective price. The netting can act as somewhat of a roof for the pool. The ducks won’t be able to land in the pool and should quickly fly off when they realize this.
Not only that, the netting should become additionally beneficial in that it keeps leaves from falling into your pool. Find these at your local hardware store and address the issue in relatively short order.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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