When siphoning water off the pool cover after a heavy rain, it seems to just lower the water level, not bring the cover back up to the top - is this normal? Pool covers must not be waterproof, and I am wasting water that in the spring I will have to refill - is there a way to siphon without losing the water level?
Siphoning rain water off the pool
- Thread starter Skiclubber
- Start date
Hi, it depends on the cover. Some are mesh, yours must have holes somepace. My last one was solid and did not leak first 2 years, but windstorm ripped it on top rails. I just bought a new solid one so I hope it does not have holes.
If I am reading your post correctly, this is simple. Your cover has slack in it. As water lays on top of the cover, the weight pushes the cover down, eventually pushing water up in the pool. When you remove the water off the cover, the level below the cover will go back down to normal (assuming you do not have rips in cover). If you have rips in the cover, then you will continue to siphon the bottom water. Pull the cover tight on all ends in the spring above water line and keep siphoning the water as this will prevent you taking too much out of the pool is there are tears.
I thought the same thing. Came back from a 4 day trip and the skimmers were full of water. As I siphoned the water off the cover (not 100%, but a lot), the water drained out of the skimmers, near the doors.
I thought to myself "How could water have seeped through the cover. It was like we had 15" of rainfall. Was close to 8 inches".
There is still some water left, which will be vacuumed before the next freeze. I have a thin regular cover with water bags.
I ran into this problem last year. I think the key might be placing a pool pillow or something similar underneath the cover to help lift the cover up. The cover worked great last fall but because of snow weight, I released the cover so it wasn't taut and then water collected on the top. I tried siphoning it off but ran into the same problem as you. I ended up just taking the cover off because it was a never-ending siphon job. This year we will try putting the weights back on make the cover taut. Hopefully with the pillows underneath it will help to make the cover taut and can get the water to run through the mesh
Placing a few pillows in the middle may work. This will raise the tarp and have water drain off the cover. You only need a 1/4" pitch at most. If the cover is tight, rain will just wash away, although snow may bring the tarp back down. If you have a good back-pack blower to remove snow, this works well. I use my Red Maxx for clearing snow off landscaping, cars, drying vehicles, and the list goes on. Good luck and take care!
Thank you for your reply. My cover is similar to tarp fabric - I don't see any holes, but am not sure there aren't any. I assumed all pool covers for above ground pools were made of the same material.
- - - Updated - - -
Thank you for your reply. The cover is not pulled tight, but does sit on top of the water. I will try to tighten the cover up and get the slack out of it when it it time to open it again next year.
- - - Updated - - -
Thank you for your reply. There is a big pillow in the middle of the pool making a moat around it. At least a good bit of the water is off the cover which has to be better for the pool as that extra weight is not straining against the sides. I like the idea of weights - can no one design a cover that you just slip over the pool and it stays tight even when the rain falls????
- - - Updated - - -
Thank you for your reply ... no snow to worry about (unlikely) here in SC, and I think based on what I have read from other folks that I may try to tighten the cover and use some weights. If I can get rid of that moat - all would be well.
I am in the same boat as you. The covers work great the first year - they do not leak. After that, they ooze water through them. I can syphon all day and it sucks water right through the cover. One trick that sort of helps, is to put your pump in an upside down Frisbee. It helps stop the pump from sucking water right through the cover. If using a syphon hose, put the end of the syphon on the Frisbee.
-dave
-dave
After the second year, my cover developed the planetarium syndrome. Lift it up and get underneath it, look up and the pinholes look like stars!
They are mostly junk and disposable, but that's not what the manufacturers say!
They are mostly junk and disposable, but that's not what the manufacturers say!
JoeSelf
Gold Supporter
If I was going to go the throw the cover out in the spring route, it would be cheaper to buy a large tarp than a supposed "pool cover"
-dave
-dave
I too buy the cheap covers, as I've found the expensive ones don't last much longer anyway, and they cost a lot more to replace, so cheap it is 
.
I use clothes pins to tighten up my cover on my AGP. After the cover is on, I go all the way around it pulling it tight, and placing a clothes pin about every 6-12" and clip them under the lip of the pool frame. It works great, and is an inexpensive fix because I can never get the wires that come with those covers tight enough, regardless of what I do, so luckily, the clothes pins have solved my pool cover sagging issue. I hope this helps, and have a wonderful day.
.I use clothes pins to tighten up my cover on my AGP. After the cover is on, I go all the way around it pulling it tight, and placing a clothes pin about every 6-12" and clip them under the lip of the pool frame. It works great, and is an inexpensive fix because I can never get the wires that come with those covers tight enough, regardless of what I do, so luckily, the clothes pins have solved my pool cover sagging issue. I hope this helps, and have a wonderful day.