Winter Cover Woes

We have a 16X32 52"-6.5' AG pool but it's surrounded totally by decking so looks IG. We live in western PA where the winters can be wicked. Covering for the winters has been a challenge.

When I used the usual black woven tarp type cover I invariably opened to pea soup. I thought there had to be a better way so I bought one of those solid covers and used it last winter. It's supposed to lay on the water and be anchored by pins in the deck. I've been hesitating to drill holes in the composite decking to anchor it (not sure if the composite would hold up to the strain) so used concrete blocks which left some stains on the decking.

The good news was when I opened I had crystal clear water but...only half a pool full. Apparently the ice, snow and water load had sunk into the pool and forced the water out and over the rim. It busted the skimmer cover into little pieces. I think we were lucky last winter but I'm afraid that the walls will buckle if it does it again.

I contacted the cover maker who just said that the snow, ice, water, etc., must be removed from the cover to avoid that happening. Hello. Water I can pump, the rest I can't remove until it *turns* to water. "Because of liability issues" he couldn't suggest any other solution.

Does anyone have any experience with solid covers and if so, what do you do? It was really expensive so I'd like to not have to trash it in favor of another black mesher.

Thanks.

CoffeeBean

Coffee,
Well, I gave up on covering my IG. I'm in Northeast PA and likewise get some pretty nasty freezes, to the tune of 17" of ice one year as I recall. The record. I have a mesh Looplock and used that for several years and gave up. The snow, subsequent melting, freezing, thawing, refreezing would find the cover in a solid block of ice in late Winter with the springs stretched really tight. I guess I'm saying, why cover? Have not covered for 4-5 years now and find no problem. I keep the equipment going as late as possible so I can clean the leaves, dirt, and anything else. Anyone want a perfectly good cover? Actually, covers for IGs do serve a safety purpose in some situations...not in mine. I'm sure others will chime in with their comments.
Al

:) Hello. I have a 27' round AG and I put a solid cover over it every year. I drain the water using the return line. I diconnect it from the filter and just let water drain out of the pool. This leaves the water level just below the skimmer. Any rain that comes before freezing temps do will lower it a couple more inches (by way of the open return line). From what you described it sounds as if the water has no where to go but over the top of the pool. I would just leave the return line open. Any water that drains out of it does so very slowly. If you are concerned about water dropping too low you could always add water during the winter. You'll know when it's back up to the bottom of the return line when you see water coming out of the return. Of course this assumes that your return is a bit lower than your skimmer (mine is only slightly, but this is all that's needed).

My problem has been keeping the cover on during 40+ mph winds. Last year I used some milk jugs but it wasn't enough. This year every colum gets one.:)