30+ inches of snow on my pool cover. Now what?

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ashmoussa

ashmoussa

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LifeTime Supporter
Sep 6, 2014
113
Jefferson (Lake Hopatcong), NJ
Hi TFP,
The blizzard here in the NE just finished dumping 30+ inches of snow on my pool cover (tarp style cover). Now what??
Do I leave all the snow on top? Any harm doing so? I've heard some people would remove/shovel the snow off of the cover. That's the last thing I want to do after cleaning the front of my home.
Will it eventually melt and overflow my pool?
Do I pump off the water when it starts melting? And what if I have a few holes in the cover and it mixes with the melted snow?? Do I still pump??
Thanks for all your input in advance!!ImageUploadedByTapatalk1453607890.954387.jpg
 
I think I would loosen up the attachments and let the snow berg sink as if you had no cover. It's just not designed to suspend that much weight.
You'll save your cover, but you will sacrifice your chemicals and have a certain amount of organic mess, but that is part of opening up your pool anyway.
 
My back hurts as well! :( Thank God for snowblowers!
I read somewhere that the "tarp" style covers are installed in a way where they lay on top of the water. Then as the temps drop, the water freezes underneath and even though snow/ice/water falls on top of the cover with the frozen water underneath, it holds it up. True? False?Thoughts?
As for the cover, it seems like every year I will be buying a new cover, which is perfectly fine. They are somewhat cheap anyway.
So, when and if the snow starts to melt, what do I do?
Stay safe and warm.
Thanks again.
 
Ash, that is my understanding as well as far as saftety style covers are concerned...not sure about regular tarps without anchors...which kind do you have?

If you have an anchored, true pool cover (with the strapping, etc.), I just want to reassure you that two years back I had the same amount of snow on my cover, did nothing, and all was fine ;)

Mine does have a mesh square in the center that, in spring, causes excess water to drain into the pool, overflowing if necessary.

If yours doesn't, you may want to put a cover pump on it in spring.

Stay warm!
 
Swampwoman said:
Ash, that is my understanding as well as far as saftety style covers are concerned...not sure about regular tarps without anchors...which kind do you have?

If you have an anchored, true pool cover (with the strapping, etc.), I just want to reassure you that two years back I had the same amount of snow on my cover, did nothing, and all was fine ;)

Mine does have a mesh square in the center that, in spring, causes excess water to drain into the pool, overflowing if necessary.

If yours doesn't, you may want to put a cover pump on it in spring.

Stay warm!
Click to expand...

Thanks Swampwoman, my pool cover is the plain Jane tarp looking secured with water bags. The cover is not on tight on top of the pool but kind of laying on top of the water (floating).
 

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The frozen water beneath should hold the cover up so I wouldn't be overly concerned about the weight of the snow. Depending on the wet density of the snow, it could be about 5-20 inches of snow equals 1 inch of rain. What were the temps during the snow storm? Colder snow has a lower density, warmer snow as a higher density per inch. 5/inch equivalent of rain when warm, 30+ degrees, 20/inch when colder (<20 degrees). That will give you an estimate of how much water will be deposited on your cover when it melts. A cover pump wouldn't be a bad idea when it melts, if the cover is solid and does not allow water through. Mesh cover or cover with mesh spots = just let it melt.
 
I too have a mesh safety cover and this was my first year with it. So far the 30" of snow has just melted through. Real problem is the dogs staying off of it...lol


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vbertone said:
I too have a mesh safety cover and this was my first year with it. So far the 30" of snow has just melted through. Real problem is the dogs staying off of it...lol


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Click to expand...

Lucky you!! My snow melted a very little but still quite a bit lays on top.
I have the same problem with the dogs. Mine stay off of the cover, when no snow, and out of the pool, when uncovered. However, with all the snow they can't tell the pools there and have been leaving mines all over it. What's worse is trying to search for the brown bombs and dig them out with long poles and what have you.
The neighbors think I'm crazy since every time I let them out I start screaming "NOT THERE!! GO OVER THERE!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!" Lol
Oh well...
 
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