diy winter cover

[photo2u]

Hello friends,
Have any of you used heavy duty tarp material as winter covers?
I am trying to keep all of tree leafs and pine debris from going in to the pool. Safety covers are great but they are out of my budget. I also looked in to winter covers but I do not like all of the water bags that hold it in place. I decided to look at this 5oz fabric and perhaps cut it to so that it can get somewhat of a custom size.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT
I am planning in holding the cover in place with some kind of anchoring system, similar to those in the safety covers. I want to keep the budget under two hundred dollars.

Please advice,
George

 

[JohnT]

Are you planning a cover that floats on the pool or one that remains above the water like a safety cover?

The tension on a safety cover is pretty high, since the force on the cover can be very high with snow or ice (or a baby elephant )

If you try to hold it taut, a tarp like you are considering would hold water and put an enourmous load on the support system. I don't believe the fabric would hold. Safety covers have nylon straps sewn in to handle the stresses from the anchor points.

If you try to float it on the water, you'd require a pump to empty the cover regularly, and I don't see any benefit over a standard cover. All of the leaves and debris would be in the tarp, with no easy way to get it out in the spring.

I installed my safety cover myself for a total cost of $1200. Worth every dime.

 

[midtngal]

Hey John...curious...where did you get your safety cover?? I'm going to break down and close the pool next year since the winters here seem to be getting colder every year. I want a safety cover with at least a mesh center or maybe even all mesh so the water can seep through and I won't need a sump pump. $1200 sounds a lot better than the $2400 I was looking at a couple of years ago!

BTW...nice taste in avatars!! :lol:

 

[photo2u]

Are you planning a cover that floats on the pool or one that remains above the water like a safety cover?

The tension on a safety cover is pretty high, since the force on the cover can be very high with snow or ice (or a baby elephant )

If you try to hold it taut, a tarp like you are considering would hold water and put an enourmous load on the support system. I don't believe the fabric would hold. Safety covers have nylon straps sewn in to handle the stresses from the anchor points.

If you try to float it on the water, you'd require a pump to empty the cover regularly, and I don't see any benefit over a standard cover. All of the leaves and debris would be in the tarp, with no easy way to get it out in the spring.

I installed my safety cover myself for a total cost of $1200. Worth every dime.

Thanks for your advice and I see your point!

I live in S. Cal my problem will be only water on top of the cover. I was thinking in making the cover like a safety cover with anchors. To solve the water weight problem, I was going to make sure to have some king of drainining system like the safety covers have. For the leaf I would clean blow clean as needed.

Can you please let me know where you purchase you safety cover?

Please advice,
George

 

[waste]

George, welcome to TFP!!

The cover I saw on your link was the same as a cover we use with the waterbags. As I believe was said, if you go that way, you'll need to police the amount of water on the cover!

If you don't want to use the waterbags to hold it in place, you can tie it (via the grommets) to the fence or other things around the pool - cinderblocks or other sharp, heavy items could cause damage to the pool if (and possibly, when) the cover gets pulled into the pool

A true safety cover would be optimal for you, but if the $$ just isn't there, so be it

Karen, I'll agree that John stole your avatar (it took me a small while to realize that his posts weren't yours ) We can all share avatars, look at how many folks use mine :lol:
BTW - I love the avatar

 

[JohnT]

I got my Loop-Loc from poolcenter.com

 

[midtngal]

Karen, I'll agree that John stole your avatar (it took me a small while to realize that his posts weren't yours ) We can all share avatars, look at how many folks use mine
BTW - I love the avatar

Oh, I wasn't trying to accuse him of stealing it! I'm glad to share the mentality.. :lol: I really was complimenting him on his good taste!

So, John...how easy/difficult was it to install??

TIA
Karen

 

[JohnT]

So, John...how easy/difficult was it to install??

TIA
Karen

It wasn't hard. It requires a hammer drill and 3/4" bit. Drilling the holes is fairly jarring, so I didn't do them all in one night. I strung ropes across the pool to hold the cover until I had enough anchors in to hold its weight. That let me see where the straps were to figure out where to put the holes.

 

[photo2u]

Hello friends,

I was able to do a little research regarding the materials that I might use for my winter cover project.
Bungee http://cgi.ebay.com/25-Feet-3-8-Black-S ... 56387d57b3
Hooks http://cgi.ebay.com/3-8-Bungee-Shock-Co ... 4a92961903
Anchors http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/de ... 403&ucst=t
Eye hooks http://www.boltdepot.com/product.aspx?c ... m=7&cd=280
Tarp http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

I might just do a little smaller diameter bolts and anchors.
Please let me know what you guys think?
George

 

[bk406]

My honest opinion? I dont think this will work too well. Too much tension on the cover, even if its just rain water. Loop loc type covers are made for the weight. The anchors are made for the application. I think this will be nothing but trouble. Stick with the tarp and water bags for your cover. Save your bucks and get a proper Loop Loc. Just my 2 cents.