Tarp over cover

[BMAN1029]

Previous owner was a jackwad...didn't winterize any of the equipment but did manage to throw a tarp over it held down by water pouches. No pillow but rather an inflatable floating chair. Needless to say this method worked and the pool was clear and mostly free from debris. As I now have a new filter and pump because of his lack of proper closing, I am anxious to make a fort Knox of my pool. 15x30 above ground, I can get an arctic armor cover online for $85. I like the cable and winch feature. I've read that pillows may only be useful for keeping the cr@p at the edges.

The tarp that came off is not a great tarp but also not a total piece of junk. Very much intact, no rips or tears. I'm thinking of buying and installing the Arctic armor cover. Putting the inflatable chair on top then covering with the tarp held down again by water pouches.

Am I going way overboard with my thought process? I'm really an@l about this since it was such a battle for me this year because of the previous owner ineptitude

 

[Texas Splash]

After reading your concerns, I believe you really could use ether approach. Aside from protecting your pool initially from the leaves and junk that tend to drop into the water in early fall, once the majority of stuff has fallen, many people actually remove their solid or mesh cover and leave their pool exposed after treating it according to the TFP Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool page. But if you still chose to go with a cover(s), the one thing that may be a concern with any tarp is ensuring it doesn't just become a big "catchers mitt" where the wind takes-hold of it and causes structural problems. So as long as you can still secure the older tarp over your new Armor cover, you should be in very good shape. In the end, it's your pool. What's "overboard" for one person may seem absolutely acceptable for others. We have lots of examples like that here. Good luck!