People with auto covers/safety covers...

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806pool

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LifeTime Supporter
Apr 4, 2015
139
So. Cal.
For those of you with an auto cover, im curious what your vault looks like. The actual vault /enclosure itself and also the bracketry for the lid. I cleaned mine when we first moved in 8 months ago and didnt think much of it. I cleaned it out again today and something dawned on me. We have the cover on 90%of the time when we arent swimming, maybe more. I would think the pool would be spotless upon opening. Also the KK runs almost all the time the pump is on. Pool always has debris in it. Always.

I realized today the vault isnt encased in concrete. The bottom of it is just dirt. Im thinking now that as the cover rolls up, if its hitting the dirt..its obviously sticking to the underside of the cover. So when i close it...that debris is being strung along the pool from the underside of the cover. Just a theory, didnt have much time to look into it more.

So it makes me curious what your vaults/enclosures are made of and design. This one is from late 80's so i would assume they are a little better design now.

Wouldnt you assume with the cover in place so much and the KK on top of that the pool would be pretty spotless upon opening the cover?
Any pics of your enclosures are appreciated as well as thoughts or comments.

Thanks!
 
@806pool, you can check out my build thread (see link in sig below) .. I have some hi res pics of the cover box. The whole cover box is concrete - made when gunite is shot. Debris inside the cover box is normal, if it hasn't been cleaned for a while.. but it very well could be that the cover box in the 80s were not completely enclosed... I thought covers were are recent 'tech' till I read your post!
You can browse my build thread or look at this post for more details..
 
Took a look at your build. Awesome! Your enclosure is much nicer than ours! Like I said this one was from late eighties from what I was told. So it's not the best design, lol. Wonder what it would take to update it. It seems to me that the vault should be deeper so that the cover cannot contact the bottom of it.

From the records we were given, the cover was replaced the last time in 2007. So it's near the end of its life span. It's definitely faded and has seen better days. I'm sure out of chemistry water plays a role in the life span of the cover also. Not sure how the cover or water was cared for either. Probably not very good.:brickwall:
 

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Hmmm gravel would be better than dirt I guess. The drainage part makes sense. Do you have a drain pipe in the vault also? It would matter what the floor is I guess as long as the cover doesn't touch it when the cover is being rolled in or out. Kinda wondering what the standard for a vault is...is yours fairly new? Any pics of the vault set up?

Are your sides wood? My floors on each end are wood and are very deteriorated/rotted.

You can see what I assume is the drain pipe in the pic below as well as the wood under the pump. Maybe it was really nice 20years ago....seems cheap now.

Maybe I should stick a hose in that pipe and see if it drains!
 

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:grrrr::grrrr::grrrr:So as I walked back outside after taking that last pic....look what I saw:brickwall::brickwall::brickwall::brickwall::-:)-(

This was NOT part of the plan!!!!!!! Guess when I said its near the end of its life, I was pretty close...unfortunately.
 

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I just got home from celebrating hubby's BD. late. Tired. Will respond tomorrow. Sorry about your cover! Perfect time, though, to make adjustments.

Be prepared. When we got a new cover 2 years ago, our pump was not happy. The weight of the new cover compared to the old, worn one, put a real strain on the motor.
 
Ours is a concrete surround with wood bolted into it. I don't have pics as to get in there I have to remove the diving board and that ain't happening today. Mine doesn't have a drain pipe. We usually clean the well out in the spring with a shop vac.
 
No worries on the pics! Tomorrow I'm going to start making some calls and see who offers what as far as replacement covers and how their vault/lid construction is done.

Wonder if home warranty covers auto pool covers?

If anyone has any recommendations on replacement cover companies let me know your experience, good or bad.

Thanks.
 
If your home warranty covers pool stuff, wow! Certainly not here in IL with any company I researched. We had a potential claim once and they said "too bad, so sad"...

I don't know anything about installers in your area, but we are very happy with our Cover Star CS-500.
 

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I'll have to look at the home warranty. Doubt it, but I think they added pool coverage, just not sure what it covers.

You mentioned you have the cover pump....is that CoverStar pump that swings out from the vault lid? How do you like it? Where does it pump the water to? Pump fast?

Edit: just realized it wasn't a cover pump you mentioned. If anyone else has a cover pump, is it worth it?

Not that we ever get much rain here, but the little we had, it would have been nice since we weren't home at the time to open it up...
 
Our vault is all concrete, built recently. You can see pics on our build thread in my signature. I will say thought that the cover does come in contact with the bottom of the vault, which is somewhat rough gunite. This was putting some scratches on it at the beginning...frustrating. So I bought some industrial mats like this...

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/cactus-mat-3525-c3-vip-tuffdek-3-x-3-black-heavy-duty-rubber-anti-fatigue-floor-mat-7-8-thick/844352533BLK.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=CNjcv4CD98cCFYKQHwodfdwIlg

I cut them along the 1' dividers and lined the entire length of the pit with them. Perfect solution because it allows dirt and pebbles to drop to the bottom. Leaves would theoretically still be there but I think leaves tend to wash/drain out of my pit. Then the cover just drags on the surface of the mats for the first few rotations.

Our pit has a 4" drain that goes out to a lower part of the yard - our yard is sloped so no issue. I will occasionally direct the hose from our cover pump to the pit to provide a flushing effect, especially during a high rainfall event. I have the same blue pump referenced above. It works great. It is submersible too. I use it in the winter to drop in occasionally to lower the water level.

I am not a fan of the CoverStar automated pump you mention. The movement of it seems a bit hokey and prone to issues over time. It is no issue for me to place the pump on and remove it as appropriate. I like the separate pump flexibility.
 
Thanks for all of the replies! Seems like "shallow" vaults are more commkn than i would have thought. Great build threads! Im going to bave to do something witht the vault if i get a new cover soon. Those mats are a great idea. I still have to check the drain pipe to see if it actually drains.

Got one quite for a CoverStar today . $2500 The cost for the replacement cover includes: Tax, Shipping, Labor, Rope, Sliders and disposal of existing fabric, a Seven Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty, and a 90 day Service Labor Guarantee for adjustments. They clean, adjust and inspect system during installation. Have a call in to a few other places to compare warranties, product, price, etc.

That cover star pump - i agree it just looks like its waiting to break, lol.

So after i saw your picture of the pump you use for your cover...something dawned on me. I remembered seeing something similar in the shed and didnt really know what it might be used for and never really took a close look at it. I assume this is what its for!!
 

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Yep. Still available from Little Giant. Not marketed specifically as a pool cover pump but would work. They market the one shown earlier in the thread these days. It's a newer model which is less prone to tipping and doesn't have a manual mode option.

Try it out and see if she works.
 
Talked to another guy about vaults. Having the cover company come out next week. He said it sounds very 'old school'. Im gonna get a price on redoing the vault possibly making it a little deeper as well to allow more room for the cover to roll up without hitting. They said some people will use treated wood to save $$ but most are done in concrete now.

We shall see next week what they have to say!
 
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