New pool owner here looking for advice, hope this is the right forum. We just moved in a few months ago and this is our first time owning a pool. It's a 20X40 in ground salt water with an automatic cover (a Pool Cover I think)....sorry, I don't know much else being a newbie. My understanding is the pool was installed in 91 and the cover was installed at the same time and it's the original cover. We contracted with the pool service company that the previous owner used and had them open it for the season a few weeks ago. When the pool cleaner came to do the cleaning yesterday they knocked on the back door and said the the rope operating the cover broke, I checked it this morning and the rope is broken. The pool service company doesn't service covers but say they have a quote from a local company that does for a repair to replace the rope on both sides of $800-1000 and to replace the entire cover for $4700-5000.....they didn't ID the company.......they don't recommend simply replacing the rope since the cover is 15 years old. Any advice is appreciated. I've started doing some limited research and am going to get some contractors in for some bids but my initial thought is that the price of $4700 is a little high, about $1000-1500 too high. Since the cover is original I'm leaning toward replacing it.........
Automatic Cover Repair or Replace?
- Thread starter spur0701
- Start date
Welcome to the forum!
It sounds like that might be the best plan, and I'm sure you won't regret it. Enjoy your time on TFP!
It sounds like that might be the best plan, and I'm sure you won't regret it. Enjoy your time on TFP!
We are building a pool right now and will get an auto cover. From what I have learned 15 years is a better than average life span for a cover. As for costs, I don't know for sure. In our area I *think* a cover replacement is around $3000. The rope replacement adds too it. But I don't have any real knowledge on price, just conversational numbers. I'm hoping for the lesser $$. We are going with Coverstar. Good luck.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I was quoted ~$3,600 (based on $4.50 per SF) plus tax for a cover replacement when ours was installed new. They also said that expected longevity was 10 years for our 4-5 month season when not used as a winter cover. Reduce that by 2 years when used year-round here in MD, both based on what they see from their customer base. Southern climes may be harsher regarding UV. I've seen rope replacement costs online from $500-$1,000.
santacruzpool
Gold Supporter
There was a thread on here about a DIY rope replacement - you might look around for that...
I did find this thread
I did find this thread
UPDATE: Did some more research at lunch today and my quick google-fu skills seems to show that not all pool covers are created equal......people seem to particularly complain about Coverstar covers........and also ran across some info about replacing your own ropes and/or splicing ropes....found this youtube about replacing ropes with a kit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLXKa-QQlCA&list=UUQzbG67cgVRtPH5u0JN1QlA&index=11
When I got home I went out and crawled around mine and found out it is a Cover Pools Save T Cover II Diamond. Called Cover Pools and asked if they sold a splice kit, they directed me to the dealer that covered my geographic area. I called them and they saw who I was on their caller ID and said they had provided a quote already to my pool service company and that my cover had been installed by them in 2001, that it was way past it's service life and that it couldn't be spliced. This is where it gets a little interesting......I tell them that my pool company had quoted me about $800 for having the rope replaced and $4700 for the whole cover. They reply that they won't replace to rope at all and get real quite when I ask how much they quoted the pool company to replace the entire cover and refuse to answer.....they owner is suspossed to call me back on Tue..........so it looks like my pool company may be padding the repair cost.
I'm a cop so am more than a little jaded and distrustful at times, even when I maybe shouldn't be.....occupational hazard I guess. Another factor I think is that this area we just moved into (Great Falls) is a little exclusive and the neighbors have warned me about contractors jacking up prices and I've run into that in just the few months we've been here (already got some good stories about the offer to do the driveway for 75K and the plumber that wanted $975 to tap a new drain for a water softener into a main line that I ended up doing myself in 10 minutes with $20 in parts).
So I'm going to wait for the pool cover company to call back on Tue and see if I get a more reasonable price......and since the cover is 15 years old if I don't replace it I'll start doing research and getting bids on new covers.......