Which winter cover should I get??

[adl6009]

I know most people are just getting into their pools right now, but to be honest I have allways hated that solid cover and the big puddle in my backyard all winter. I am looking for your opinions about the "safety" covers. Which ones are the best, or worst. Should I get a pourous one or one with a center drain? Shoud I not get one at all? Is the pool really dirty with these covers when you open them? Someone once told me his was real easy to put on and remove, he would put it on when he went away for weekends. What else do I need to know to make an intelligent decision?
Thanks.

[adl6009]

No opinions?? I find that hard to believe. I gotta tell ya I really hate my old covert and water bag routine. Just finshed it about 730 tonight after a day of pool work. Those water bads are disgusting after a winter of sitting in muck. And the cover I am throwing out after only 3 years. Its probably good for another season but I just cant stand to clean it again. So if you have any advice for me I would appreciate it. Type of cover, brands, war stories, anything.
I should have said in my original post I have an 18x36 IG pool.

[les_smith]

We have only had our pool three years now, it's an 24' AG. We bought a 10 year waranty rcover and we threw it away this year after only three years. I'm going to the pool store this year and I'm going to buy a $60.00 cover. I'm going to throw it away when I open up next. If that works out that's what I'll do from here on out. No more cleaning a cover, no more folding an old cover, no more stinkyness, etc. I'll just figure the price of the cover into the price of having a pool. So, in my opinion the best cover is a "new cover".

[billk]

I feel you pain there ADL. One year I tried a leaf net over the solid cover. This didn't work as I had hoped. The instructions with the leaf net say to remove the net before snow accumulates but we usually get our first snow here before all the leaves have fallen. That's what happened the year I tried it and the whole thing sank on top of the solid cover making it more difficult in the spring. I now know why all the pictures of these things have the leaves super-imposed on the net.

I'm thinking of using a safety cover instead but do I need to worry about the pool's water level thoughout the winter then? There's also the option of a solid saftey cover but the water still needs to be drained from that or it can have a mesh drain panel but then I'd still have to be concerned with the water level.

The only idea I have and might try for next year is to raise the solid cover above the pool by using air pillows. First I'll lower the water below the skimmer then put 8 4' x 15' air pillows in my 16x32 pool and put the solid cover over those. I'll leave enough room between the water bags for the water to run off. Doing it this way hopefully I can just blow the leaves off of the cover and there won't be any standing water. Unless of course there's a better way....

[Tredge]

I put one of these on last year. http://www.amerimerc.com/pool_supply/safety_covers/safety_covers.asp

I installed it myself and drilled the anchors with a hammer drill I rented for a day.

Looks great and seems to be a quality product. I've only had it for one season but I'm happy so far.

It does let a lot of fine particles through and algae will grow under it because enough sunlight gets through.
If you have a freezing climate the snow and ice will pull the material into the pool no matter how tight you make it. Generally this isnt a problem and it pulls back into its drum-like position after it melts.

I'm going to get a "black-out" blanket for underneath that is supposed to keep the pool cleaner over the winter and block all sunlight.

Overall I'm happy with my decision and prefer it over a solid cover. It is easy to put on and off (30 minutes) but I wouldnt want to do it very often or by myself.

[tmack]

Hi. I have a had a 15x30 AG for 3 years now. The first two springs I cleaned the cover, dried, folded and stored it (time consuming and a hassle). This year I just threw it out, figuring I'll get a new one in the fall when I close the pool up. It cost about $40, so I figure if I get 3 years out of each one that's no bad. After i put the cover on, I try my best to rake leaves off and pump any rain/melted snow off before it accumulates. Usually after a bad rain or snow storm the water will freeze and then it won't thaw for months, so sometimes it puts a lot of weight/stress on the cover and i think that is the cause of them deteriorating so quickly.

I was wondering if I should have saved the old cover and put that over the new cover this winter, it might extend the life of the new cover by a year or two. Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

[MarkC]

I have a 16X32 kidney inground and have a loop lock style mesh cover. The only downside is I have to periodically drain some water out during the winter or the water level will be up to the coping with rain and snow. I wish I had an overflow in the pool. I open to a slightly cloudy pool with lots of worms in the bottom but it cleans up nicely in less than a day.

[billk]

How far down does everyone drain their pools? Are there any special procedures you do with your skimmers?

[MaxxFusion]

The only idea I have and might try for next year is to raise the solid cover above the pool by using air pillows. First I'll lower the water below the skimmer then put 8 4' x 15' air pillows in my 16x32 pool and put the solid cover over those. I'll leave enough room between the water bags for the water to run off. Doing it this way hopefully I can just blow the leaves off of the cover and there won't be any standing water. Unless of course there's a better way....

This wont work. I thought about doing this but my bro in law did go ahead with this method and he was sorry. It doesnt work like you think it would.

[MaxxFusion]

How far down does everyone drain their pools? Are there any special procedures you do with your skimmers?

I go a few inches past the skimmer. Most guys use the Aquador on the skimmer. That way you dont have to drain the water. You just snap the cover on.

[adl6009]

I knew there had to be a few informed opinions out there somewhere ;)
I am leaning towards the safety mesh cover because 1. They look nice and clean in the backyards I have seen them in. 2. They are supposed to provide a layer of safety against accidental or unauthorized entry. 3. I have been told they are easyto put on and take off.
I am worried about them because of the overflow potential. Do you have to pump out the pool thru the winter? I guess the water in the skimmer isn't a big deal as my skimmers as yet haven't been destroyed. Will the thing I screw into the skimmer port protect a skimmer FULL of water??
I am glad Tredge said he installed his own, I am kinda on a do it myself kick right now.

[bryjen]

Heres my 2 cents. Our inground pool was installed last summer. It came with a solid safety cover (blue). They lowered the water level about 12" below skimmer when they winterized it. The cover also came with a pump that automatically pumped water off cover when needed. When we opened the pool in april after 5 mo's of being covered the water was just as blue as the day we closed it. My neighbor has the mesh cover and everything seems to go thru it. His water is never as clean as mine was, and during winter is when the stains have come.

[billk]

This wont work. I thought about doing this but my bro in law did go ahead with this method and he was sorry. It doesnt work like you think it would.

What happened when your B-I-L tried it?

[MaxxFusion]

The biggest problem was that water still would sit on the cover but since there was not one pillow just in the middle the water would sit mostly to one side. He had to keep a close eye on the water levels. Luckily we had a mild winter so the water didnt really freeze much and he was able to pump it off.

I on the other hand used the one big pillow in the middle and my water evenly spread around the pool.

Frank

[billk]

The biggest problem was that water still would sit on the cover but since there was not one pillow just in the middle the water would sit mostly to one side. He had to keep a close eye on the water levels. Luckily we had a mild winter so the water didnt really freeze much and he was able to pump it off.

I on the other hand used the one big pillow in the middle and my water evenly spread around the pool.

Frank

But in my case, the pillows would cover the entire surface of the pool. I can deal with water collecting on the cover, that's easy enough to pump off. It's the leaves that I'm trying to avoid. I'm hoping that this setup will allow the leaves to dry and blow off, or be blown off by a leaf blower, and not have a chance to settle on a cover that needs to be pulled out of the pool.

billk

[MarkC]

While I do get worms in the pool I don't get leaves under the mesh cover. The person with the solid cover and automatic pump does sound nice though. I did get something that must have laid in the pool all winter because I opened and noticed a small stain on the bottom.

[stualden]

I knew there had to be a few informed opinions out there somewhere ;)
I am leaning towards the safety mesh cover because 1. They look nice and clean in the backyards I have seen them in. 2. They are supposed to provide a layer of safety against accidental or unauthorized entry. 3. I have been told they are easyto put on and take off.
I am worried about them because of the overflow potential. Do you have to pump out the pool thru the winter? I guess the water in the skimmer isn't a big deal as my skimmers as yet haven't been destroyed. Will the thing I screw into the skimmer port protect a skimmer FULL of water??
I am glad Tredge said he installed his own, I am kinda on a do it myself kick right now.

We have an Anchor Industries mesh cover for our 23x41 kidney-shaped. It looks very good (straps are on the underside) and is relatively light and easy to put on / take off (but still a 2-person job). Quite a bit of junk falls through over the winter (Eastern PA, lots of trees around) but one thorough spring vacuum takes care of it. Overflow has not been a problem because I leave the cleaner line (which comes out slightly below the tile line) open and it acts as a drain to the woods behind. If I can, I try to brush a heavy snow off the cover; otherwise it pulls the cover down to the water until everything thaws, but so far no damage (have had the cover for 6 years). I always put something crushable in the skimmer and have not had a problem in 15 years (knock on wood).

We considered but rejected the solid "safety" cover (also Anchor), which comes either with a mesh panel in the center or with a pump that sits at the low spot on the cover. Besides being much heavier (harder to handle) and somewhat more expensive than mesh, I didn't like the idea of all the debris piling up right under the mesh panel (although that might be okay) or having to remove the pump during freezing conditions (according to the instructions). If it weren't for that freezing problem, I think the solid cover with a pump would be ideal for my conditions. Mesh is certainly ideal for warmer, tree-free conditions.

[Tredge]

I knew there had to be a few informed opinions out there somewhere
I am leaning towards the safety mesh cover because 1. They look nice and clean in the backyards I have seen them in. 2. They are supposed to provide a layer of safety against accidental or unauthorized entry. 3. I have been told they are easyto put on and take off.
I am worried about them because of the overflow potential. Do you have to pump out the pool thru the winter? I guess the water in the skimmer isn't a big deal as my skimmers as yet haven't been destroyed. Will the thing I screw into the skimmer port protect a skimmer FULL of water??
I am glad Tredge said he installed his own, I am kinda on a do it myself kick right now.

Not sure what you mean by an overflow potential....I didnt touch mine all winter and in the spring it looked just like when I put it on.

I drained below my skimmers and left somthing crushable in them, no problems. The thing you screw into the skimmer port works....so does an empty bottle of eq size.
This year I dont plan to drain at all and cover the skimmers with a cover that keeps water out even when the pool is full.

Leaves were no trouble at all and I have 3 huge oak trees surrounding the pool.

[bryjen]

We considered but rejected the solid "safety" cover (also Anchor), which comes either with a mesh panel in the center or with a pump that sits at the low spot on the cover. Besides being much heavier (harder to handle) and somewhat more expensive than mesh, I didn't like the idea of all the debris piling up right under the mesh panel (although that might be okay) or having to remove the pump during freezing conditions (according to the instructions). If it weren't for that freezing problem, I think the solid cover with a pump would be ideal for my conditions. Mesh is certainly ideal for warmer, tree-free conditions.

The pump we use with our Anchor solid safety cover has freeze protection.

[shadowman]

I have only weathered two winters with our inground vinyl and a mesh safety cover. The first year I carefully winterized it, draining below the skimmer and everything. We had more than our usual winter rainfall and I had to run the pump to drain the excess several times. Last winter I decided to forget the winterizing and take my chances with freezing. It worked out OK but I think I will open it earlier next year to try to get ahead of the algae. I kept some chlorine in it but it was still green on the bottom when I uncovered it. A few jugs of bleach and some vacuuming over a few weeks and it cleaned up nice. A lot of dirt and sediment, maybe decomposed leaves, kept settling out. I'm sure there are pros and cons for both covers but they all mean work of some kind. :rolleyes:

Good luck!

[ladybug_3777]

I did a lot of research in the spring on this exact topic. I ended up putting a down payment on a ultra-loc cover. Its made by loop-loc but its a step up from their regular full mesh saftey cover. Its the mix of a solid AND mesh cover. It allows water to drain through mesh panals in the center, but the rest of the cover is a solid so you won't get the sunlight coming in that leads to green pool in the spring. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about the ultra-loc. Plus it comes with a 12 year warrenty. We have young children so its important to us to have a cover that will keep the pool SAFE as well as clean.

www.looploc.com for more information.

Also, there are merlin safety covers, they are supposed to be VERY similar to loop-loc but they have a neat filter within the mesh to help keep out small dirt particles.

Good luck! I can't wait to have mine installed this fall!

[adl6009]

I knew this would be the right time to post this question, while the event of opening the pool was fresh in our minds. Thanks for the information. I am still not sure which one to get. The one with the ultra fine mesh looks like a good prospect. I am going to be shopping for a do it yourself kit so if you have any recomendations about a good discount supplier who doesn't mind a phone call for help from a panicked homeowner please let me know.