What Pool Cover Choices Do I Have?

Last time we touched briefly on pool covers, for those of us in cold climates. Today I will go over the different types available.

First you have the solid water bag type cover. These covers have been around forever. These covers just lay over the water surface and are held down by water bags(vinyl bags that you fill with water to weigh down the edges of the cover) These covers, as long as there are no holes in them, keep the water looking good. The condition that you close the pool in is usually the way it looks when you uncover the pool in the spring. These are the dirtiest of all the covers to deal with in the spring.

Next you have the safety covers. these come in several forms, mesch(water passes through tiny holes in the cover) solid safety(water can not pass through)and solid safety with a drain panel(this type is 90% solid with a small square 2' x 2' panel to allow water to drain off the cover) All these type covers use a brass anchor system that has to be drilled into your existing deck and a spring is attached to the strapping of the cover then looped over the brass anchor for support. When installed properly these covers will allow someone to accidentally fall on the cover and they can crawl or stand up and walk off safely.

You will need to have a cover pump for most of these covers. Try not to let water build up on these covers as it will freeze and put undo stress on the cover and it's anchors.  Above ground covers are solid covers but instead of water bags they use a wire and winch system that go around the body of the pool to secure it. If you have a deck surrounding your above ground pool you can order a safety cover and use wooden deck anchors for support. A lot of manufacturers stock the basic shape and size covers, ex: 15x30, 16x32, 20x40 for free form or odd shapes the covers will have to be special ordered.

Until next time....