I have a 27' AGP and will be closing it soon and need to buy a cover. I'm curious as to which to buy since I have seen solid (water pools on top) and mesh (filters debris, but lets water past). If you had to do it over again, which would you get and why? Also, Should I cover the water with the solar blanket or should I roll that up and store it with the pump & filter? Last, I have a 100 sq/ft media filter and was wondering after cleaning, should I store it in a water filled container or allow it to dry out as well? Thanks in advance!

My personal preference is a solid cover. I opened our pool this year and it was perfectly clear. A mesh would allow dust, etc. into the pool over the winter. I roll up the solar cover on the reel and store it in the shop. You can store the cartridge dry.

Thanks Bama for the quick reply ... about the solid cover: How do you clear accumulated water off the top during the fall/winter/early spring? I assume you have a pump of some sort???

http://www.amazon.com/Rule-H53SP-24-Mar ... B000O8F71U

This is one of the best pumps I found so far. I've had one break on me in less then a year (which is under warranty) All the company requested was a faxed copy of the invoice of me selling it to the customer. They didn't want the broken pump in return (so no shipping cost lost) A new pump arrived shortly after.

Awesome, will add that to the list. About the cover install ... do I let a solid cover drape to touch the water inside the pool? I plan on installing cover rail clips and then using the shrink wrap around the edges. Any other advice?

Mine doesn't touch the water except when it gets water on it and then it gets pumped off pretty soon. I plan on using weighted jugs this year but last year I used the cable and winch system.

Well, jugs are one thing I have PLENTY of ... roughly 30+ empty 182oz Bleach jugs (rinsed) are piled up in the basement

It depends how much water is in the pool, if you have it high (like if you are using an aquador) it will probably touch the surface even when dry. If you have the water level below the skimmer it will probably only touch when a rain load gets on the cover. Regardless putting the auto-pump in the center of the cover will weight it down and the goal is to have the rain water want to collect around the pump so you are not left with deep puddles are parts of the cover.