Winter Pool Cover Survival Guide

The winter weather can destroy your pool cover fast if you do not take care of it properly. There are a few things that you should always do to your pool cover during the winter season including removing all the leaves from the cover, keeping the cover free of large amounts of rain and snow water and also keeping the cover fastened down correctly. Just taking these few simple steps every week will make your in-ground or above ground pool cover last for many years and that can save you lots of money in the long run.

Removing Excess Leaves

It is very important to remove the leaves from the trees off the top of your pool cover. The extra weight that the leaves add to the pool cover when they mix with water will make the pool cover slide further and further into the pool. After a while the edges around the pool will not be covered by the pool cover and the cover could fall into the pool. It is always best to use a leaf net to scopp the leaves from the pool cover as they fall off. If all of your leaves have already fallen from the trees and they are all already on the cover you can still scoop them from the top of the pool cover. Its always best to remove all the leaves from the pool cover as well so when you use the pool cover pump you will not have leaves jamming up the intake filter.

Keep The Cover Free Off Large Amounts Of Water

It is OK to keep some water on top of the pool cover to prevent the wind from catching it and blowing it off of the pool. But when you have large amounts of water on top of the pool cover it can cause the pool cover to become a messy swamp / puddle. You will always want to have a swimming pool cover pump standing by so you can remove the excess water from the top of the cover. You should not keep more then 1″ of water on top of the swimming pool cover during the winter season. Another reason to not keep large amounts of water on top of the pool cover is because it can freeze into large ice chucks and then also rip your cover.

Fasten Down The Pool Cover Correctly

The most common reason that a pool cover will come off during the winter season will be because the cover was not installed on the pool closing the correct way. You will not want to cut corners or try to cheat when it comes to install your winter pool cover. You will want to make sure you have enough water bags and Aqua Blocks on top of the pool cover if you have a solid in-ground pool cover. If you have an above ground pool you will make sure you tighten the winch really good and also use cover clips if you live in an area that gets real windy. If you have a Loop Loc Safety Cover or another style of mesh pool cover you will want to make sure that all anchors and straps are tightened and in good shape.