After getting ripped off by the pool store I won't make the mistake of asking them for advice again! I have to buy a pool cover for winter. What should I be looking for in an above ground cover?
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After getting ripped off by the pool store I won't make the mistake of asking them for advice again! I have to buy a pool cover for winter. What should I be looking for in an above ground cover?
What do you want your cover to do?
+ Just keep out leaves and debris? ($)
+ Be a 'safety cover' -- so pets and children can't drown ($$$)
+ Be a pool cover, so you can open to clear water next spring? ($$)
Since the OP hasn't responded yet. I'm going to jump in on her post, because I have the same question. I am in need of a cover for my IG pool. When I moved in the house, the pool company that I used suggested one of those tarps with the water bladders. That thing is a big pain in the neck. I would like a suggestion for a cover I would be able to use, remove that would keep out leaves and debris, so I can open and close it myself.
Thanks!
For appearance and safety, a mesh cover from LoopLoc or Meyco is best. (Google their sites). But, you have to maintain the water underneath, because they are NOT opaque.
Mesh cover pluses: safer, much nicer looking, longer life (10+ years), with practice quick and easy to install.
Mesh cover minuses: more expensive, block light but do NOT stop the pool from getting slimy if you don't maintain the water.
By the way, an all black cover will last longer (the green threads die from UV after 8+ years), but costs more.
A fairly easy way to use them is to install the cover when you're done with the pool, clean up the water, but do NOT winterize. Set your timer to run just a couple of hours per day, and continue maintaining the water. Do not actually winterize till freezing weather is on the way. Make sure the pool is ABSOLUTELY algae free before winterizing -- this is pretty easy to do with the cover on, since a shock dose of chlorine will last for days, with most of the light blocked.
Close with a double dose of Polyquat. Pour a dose of chlorine bleach into the pool every couple of weeks till the water gets really cold -- rinse the cover with a hose. Unwinterize and start the pump back up as soon as freeze danger is past. But do NOT uncover the pool till you are ready to swim.