Any recommendations on a solid cover for 20x42 gunite IGP?

[Vera]

Hello,
I am a newbie, we just purchased a home with an inground 20x42 gunite pool this spring. The previous owners used a regular cover with the water bags, but we ripped it when we opened the pool (I have a feeling it was pretty old). Now I am looking to replace it with a safety cover just because they look so much nicer. The pool area is visible from every window on the back of the house, including the kitchen.

This is a HUGE investment & I can't seem to find any reviews online for the solid covers. My question is...do any of you have experiece with them? Which brand or type is best? I've also debated between a mesh cover & a solid one...we don't have many trees and the pool is completely surrounded with a chain link fence, so I'm not sure it will get a lot of debris...then again & don't want a swamp in the springtime, so maybe I should go with a solid one.

I should mention we live in Michigan, so Looooonnnnggggg winters here with the potential for an abundance of snow.

Thanks for your help!

Vera

 

[Johnl]

Re: Any recommendations on a solid cover for 20x42 gunite IG

My cover is 7 yrs old, we got it when we purchased the pool. The cover was custom made due to our free form pool design. I like having the hard cover because no light gets in and the pool is crystal clear when we open it in the spring. Howeverh, it is very heavy and requires three of us to take it off. It also requires anchor in the decking (no water bags) and a pump for the cover to draing water off.

My neighbor has a mesh cover and opens to a completely green pool every year that requires a lot of cleaning every spring. I think there are mesh covers out now that are lighter than the hard covers, but don't allow light in, so they inhibit algae growth.

I hope that helps.