Educate me on auto cover. Is it worth it?

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Pavlin

Member
Jul 20, 2024
11
Hopkinton, MA
Hi, I'm about to start a new inground pool construction and can't make my mind whether or not I should install auto cover or do without. I'm in MA and was quoted just shy of 30K for auto cover option.
Those who have it, is it worth it? As of now the only justification I can think of is I'll save some on heat (electric heat pump) and chemicals since there'll be reduced evaporation, these are the only two benefits I can think of. Will these savings cover/justify 30K expense and in how many years?
Not too mention the cover itself needs to be replaced every 5-7 years so that's another expense
 
Most jurisdictions require some number of safety features, and the autocover counts as one.

But for me, the main benefit is that it keeps the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. I have an old rectangular pool & spa from the 1980s, and the autocover is its best feature.

I did find myself replacing the fabric every 5 years - until I re-plastered & re-tiled. With the old tile, the cover was dragging over some fairly rough-edged tiles, resulting in pinholes and eventually requiring patching. My new tile is very smooth and I've developed no pinholes since it was installed in 2018. With a new build, you can ensure the edge tiles the cover drags over are smooth quarter-rounds.

Fabric size is also important for longevity. Too wide a cover will result in wrinkled fabric. Wrinkles are OK, but only until they develop into creases. Repeated open/close cycles over creases can create tears too big to patch and it's replacement time. My original cover developed creases. When I replaced it, I asked the company to make the fabric one inch narrower. That solved that problem.

If you will need to winterize your pool by lowering water level, plugging returns, etc., that's another story. An autocover must rest on the water. If you lower your water level for winter, you'll need to leave the autocover open and cover the pool with a cover that doesn't need to rest on water. My pool runs year-round, so this isn't an issue for me.

I personally love my autocover, but every pool is different and every climate area is different. Maybe you can locate some neighbors with pools and ask them their opinions.
 
Rocket J Squirrel said:
Most jurisdictions require some number of safety features, and the autocover counts as one.
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I forgot to mention that I'm debating between auto cover and fence so yes there'll be at least one layer of security.
Having good stuff in and bad stuff out is a valid point and I thought about it but then looked around and the closest tree is 50 yards away so the only dirt will probably be rain and pollen dujring polen season.
When i told my wife that after it rains if I'm not home you can't just open it up, you have to plug the pump, connect the hose and wait till it's done pumping. She said forget about it i'm not doing it. In MA it can rain every other day then scorching sun for weeks so you never know. So she kind of has a point.
Me personally I really like the idea of the cover though and actually want it but so far I have more cons and pros
 
Newdude said:
It depends if you have a safety need, either real or imagined. There's no dollar sign on peace of mind, they say. :)

I have no such safety needs and went without.
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there'll be either an auto cover or fence. Not really because there are safety issues but because I'm required to have at least one by code. So from safety standpoint there'll be safety)))) Suprisingly my town allows having just cover without a fence however it appears my home insurance (Safety) does not and having both is stupid expensive so I have to decide on either one.
 
Pavlin said:
there'll be either an auto cover or fence. Not really because there are safety issues but because I'm required to have at least one by code. So from safety standpoint there'll be safety)))) Suprisingly my town allows having just cover without a fence however it appears my home insurance (Safety) does not and having both is stupid expensive so I have to decide on either one.
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$5k for a manual safety cover in the winter sounds like a decent compromise. (Along with a fence) Mine lasted close to 16 years.
 
Budget slash price is a consideration. Size determines pricing in most cases. How many estimates did you receive? I have a 40 x 25 rectangular pool. Safety, price and convenience were our factors.

We received two estimates, one from Cover Pools the other from Coverstar. The estimates were within $500 dollars of each other and I selected the authorized installer closest to me so Cover Pools.

Our install was 4 years ago but it wasn't for $30k. And we have a large pool.
 
I'm in Southern CT and have had a rectangular pool (20' x 40') with a motorized cover for about 12 years. I had to replace the cover last year and it cost around 15K. It probably should have been done 2 years earlier because there were small leaks throughout and the cover kept filling with water. Getting it installed as part of the pool build of course is more expensive since they need to put in the tracks, the pneumatic system, the cement box and cantilever the bluestone over the end, etc. It is a big added expense and honestly some work as you need to leave a pump on it in case of rain, moving it on and off. The plus side is that it does keep leaves, dirt, worms (yes worms will crawl into the pool when it rains) and other stuff out of your pool. It does actually help heat the pool. It wasn't as much with our first cover (light-med grey) but since we replaced it with charcoal grey it seems to really boost the temp. The water was up to 94 degrees at one point and people go in and ask "Are you heating the pool?". I have not turned on the heater all summer. We actually do open and close it often. It is expensive but if I was building a pool again and it was a straight rectangle I would probably do the cover.
 
Pavlin said:
I'm debating between auto cover and fence so yes there'll be at least one layer of security.
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Perfect example. When we built the 1st pool, the kids were little so there was extra concern. I fenced the pool area instead of the yard so we could still run free in rest of the yard. An autocover would have also solved this safety need.

When we moved and built again, I had older teens so I fenced the yard, with my only concern being all the neighbors small kids going awol before the parents realize it.
 
davedive said:
I'm in Southern CT and have had a rectangular pool (20' x 40') with a motorized cover for about 12 years. I had to replace the cover last year and it cost around 15K. It probably should have been done 2 years earlier because there were small leaks throughout and the cover kept filling with water. Getting it installed as part of the pool build of course is more expensive since they need to put in the tracks, the pneumatic system, the cement box and cantilever the bluestone over the end, etc. It is a big added expense and honestly some work as you need to leave a pump on it in case of rain, moving it on and off. The plus side is that it does keep leaves, dirt, worms (yes worms will crawl into the pool when it rains) and other stuff out of your pool. It does actually help heat the pool. It wasn't as much with our first cover (light-med grey) but since we replaced it with charcoal grey it seems to really boost the temp. The water was up to 94 degrees at one point and people go in and ask "Are you heating the pool?". I have not turned on the heater all summer. We actually do open and close it often. It is expensive but if I was building a pool again and it was a straight rectangle I would probably do the cover.
Click to expand...
From what I understood reading other posts and reviews people with darker color covers end up replacing it much earlier (5-7 years) Dark attracts more UV/Sun and therefore deteriorates faster. That's also the reason why people with darker color cover will have a much warmer pool and exactly the reason why your light gray cover wasn't giving you much of the heat you expected. 15K cover replacement cost:eek: ouch
Do you have to place the pump on the cover every time it rains? What if I'm not home? Or it can be pumped in the end when it stopped raining? I know you are not supposed to open the cover with water still on it but running home every time there's a rain in the forecast is a bit too much. Or do you place it on the cover regardless every time you close it just in case it rains?
 

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