How to put safety winter cover on?

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R

raventy

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Sep 19, 2015
4
nj
Hey guys,
So I'm at the last step of winterizing my pool -- putting the cover on! but boy am I having trouble! I've never closed a pool before (just moved into a house with the pool) so still learning as I go. Can someone explain to me the technique for putting this cover on?

I've got a rectangular shaped in-ground pool with an area that comes out for the steps. I dragged the cover out over the water with the side that had a knotch cut into it for the steps placed down at that end. Now the problems that I ran into were:

1.) Water starts getting on top of the cover and it starts getting heavy... is there a technique to avoid that?

2.) How on earth do I hook these springs up into the anchors that are in the ground!? I took an Allen key and pulled the anchors up out of the ground but wasn't able get the springs hooked on both ends of the pool, the tension was too tight!

3.) What order do you hook the springs on? Entire left side first? Or go back and forth from left to right side of pool?

4.) I noticed not every spring has an anchor in the ground. Should it? Or are these covers made sort of generic so they don't always match up?

Thanks!!
 
There is a tool to attach the springs. It's like a piece of pipe with a notch cut out of the end. See it at Amazon.com : Loop Loc Spring Installation And Removal Tool - Stainless Steel : Swimming Pool Covers : Patio, Lawn Garden

I put a spring on an anchor at one end, then put the opposite one on at the other end of the pool. That starts to hold the weight. Then work from that one until you can get a pair on the other side of the short end attached. That will give you full support of the weight. Then you just work your way around.
 
The first year I tried to put our cover on I almost lost it in the pool. After that I searched around and applied what I learned and I can do it fairly quickly by myself now. The technique I use is to unfold the cover onto the pool attaching every other spring as I go. I alternate sides when attaching the springs, which leaves enough slack I can attach them as I go without using the tool yet, but it still supports the cover enough to keep the water under it. Then I come back and attach the rest using the tool, that also lets me make sure it is centered, etc before I get it all strapped down tight. I go back and forth when attaching the final springs too so as not to pull the cover too far one way, but I might be overly picky about it, without a helper it does involve a lot of walking around.

I thought the covers were custom and should have an anchor for every spring. I can't explain why you wouldn't, but maybe if you detail how many and which spots do not have anchors someone else would have an idea there.
 
I put my loop loc cover on our 16x32 by rolling it out on one long side and since it was folded like an accordion it's ready to go. I hook each corner on one side, then grab the strap for the opposite corner and pull and run and latch that corner.

Now I have just one more corner to hook. The cover is in the water by now and I have to walk and pull and work myself down to the last corner. Once that one is hooked the rest are easy. I use one of those 3' long steel cover tools that came with my cover.

You can also lay the pool cleaning pole across the pool midway to keep the cover from sinking. I don't do that anymore since I perfected my method.
 
I just helped my Dad close his pool. He has had a safety cover for about a decade and I bought one last year. Needless to say, it is easier with more than one person and we had more than one tool as well. First things first. It is virtually impossible to install the safety cover without the pipe-looking tool. Second I agree with dfahrion. Unroll the cover, and attach every other loop to its anchor. There may not be an anchor for each spring. Depending on the shape of your pool, some springs may share.

We are doing my pool this weekend.
 
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