We are in FL, so we don't drain any water for closing. We have a solid winter cover on and a leaf net cover over that. We need to maintain the water level so that we can run the pump during nights when it does freeze. But what is happening is that water soaks through the winter cover and evaporates faster than any kind of evaporation I usually get in the summer months. I am losing like 4 inches of water a week and constantly have to top off to ensure I have enough water to run the pump if it freezes. Anyone else ever have this problem? I don't remember it happening before, so maybe my winter cover has reached the end of its lifespan?
Losing water with winter cover on
- Thread starter MeSue
- Start date
I'm still fairly new at this, but it sounds to me that you have a leak in the pool, not the cover. Even with a huge hole in the cover, there would less evaporation than with no cover. Also, it must be somewhat cooler now than it was in the summer which would also decrease the evaporation rate.
I don't think the pool has a leak. If that were the case we would have seen the water level dropping before we covered it and it wasn't. I checked all around the filter and hoses and nothing is wet. My husband had a look around and he came up with the theory that the winter cover is wicking water out of the pool.
I think your husband's on the right track. Allowing the water to "wick" up into the cover will certainly speed up evaporation.....apparently quite dramatically.
Is the solid cover on there to support the leaf net or does it have another purpose? If it's primary function is to support the net, a solar cover will do the same thing and actually reduce evaporation considerably. That said, it's probably cheaper to let it evaporate than to purchase a solar cover.
Is the solid cover on there to support the leaf net or does it have another purpose? If it's primary function is to support the net, a solar cover will do the same thing and actually reduce evaporation considerably. That said, it's probably cheaper to let it evaporate than to purchase a solar cover.
The solid cover is there because we have always used one... LOL. The leaf net is a new addition this year. We never used that before. I'm in Florida, where it could be dipping down in the 20's one night and be in the 80's 2 days later (like this week!). The trees get very confused the first several months of the year. There is a lot of pollen and those crumbly things that the oak trees drop. We have a lot of blackjack oaks and they make a huge mess. In the past the winter cover gets so loaded with leaf sludge that it is hard to siphon off before opening, so I decided to try the leaf net this time. I think just a leaf net and solar cover would pass far too much mess into the water.
Anyway, the water loss has not been happening like it did those first few weeks after we covered it. Maybe having a layer of leaves on there is cutting down the wicking and evaporation.
Anyway, the water loss has not been happening like it did those first few weeks after we covered it. Maybe having a layer of leaves on there is cutting down the wicking and evaporation.
Do you have a cover pump? With a cover pump any water that leaks through the cover gets pumped out of the pool.
No cover pump. We have always left the water on the cover (I think that's what its instructions said to do) and then we siphon with a hose right before we open it.