Was retracting the cover when the rope on the drive side/cover broke. It is an undermount cover running on tracks embedded in side wall. How do you reattach/repair the rope? Noticed the rope is not even on the 2 rope holders near the drive and suspect this contributed to problem. Should I remove all rope from the drive pulleys? I have attached pictures for reference.
Coverstar - Rope Broke
- Thread starter Duraski
- Start date
This happens a lot. Most likely the rope broke last time you closed the pool. Then when you opened it the ropes came out of the pulleys and got tangled, Or if it broke while you were using it the tension snapped it back.
This can be a simple fix. If you are handy and have some patience.
You will want to get 2 new ropes since they shrink and expand after use so using an old and new one can cause problems in keeping the leading edge straight.
If you decide to get 2 ropes and do it yourself let me know and I can give you some steps to run the ropes. If you have someone do it then it shouldn't take them more than 2 hours to run 2 new ropes.
From what I can see in your pictures it looks like the rest of the system should be in good shape.
If you have to close the pool you can remove the ropes and pull it manually then use the switch to open it.
Let me know if you need anything else.
This can be a simple fix. If you are handy and have some patience.
You will want to get 2 new ropes since they shrink and expand after use so using an old and new one can cause problems in keeping the leading edge straight.
If you decide to get 2 ropes and do it yourself let me know and I can give you some steps to run the ropes. If you have someone do it then it shouldn't take them more than 2 hours to run 2 new ropes.
From what I can see in your pictures it looks like the rest of the system should be in good shape.
If you have to close the pool you can remove the ropes and pull it manually then use the switch to open it.
Let me know if you need anything else.
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,204
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Just a side note Honey Badger - great to have you here. I'll just think of you as Mr. Autocover. I hadn't caught any of your posts before that I recall.
spud
0
Folks - I can see you are experts. My coverstar rope just broke too and I can see you can source these ropes from a number of online retailers - which I will do.
My coverstar guy wants $800 or more for all the work but it doesn't seem too difficult after reading all the threads and watching youtube videos. Some of the ropes come with "tracers". I'm assuming this is some kind of mechanism to lead the rope through the channel when its come out - which is my issue. My rope came right out of the chanel and so I can't use it to seed the next rope in. So my question is, how do you seed the rope through the recessed rope guide which I can't access other than to push rope in the channel until it goes to the other end. How can one move rope into the guide when my broken rope is already out?
Thanks.
My coverstar guy wants $800 or more for all the work but it doesn't seem too difficult after reading all the threads and watching youtube videos. Some of the ropes come with "tracers". I'm assuming this is some kind of mechanism to lead the rope through the channel when its come out - which is my issue. My rope came right out of the chanel and so I can't use it to seed the next rope in. So my question is, how do you seed the rope through the recessed rope guide which I can't access other than to push rope in the channel until it goes to the other end. How can one move rope into the guide when my broken rope is already out?
Thanks.
You use a metal fish tape to run along the back of the track and some heavy thread or wire to pull it along the front. Or you can just pull the track out and run it by hand
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just ran in to this very problem. One side broke, far to one end of the pool, but I don't think it came off the cover itself as we can still see a lot of rope along the wall. So a DIY replacement is doable? I have been unsure if we'd be able to thread it back. Will the new rope come with instructions or do I need someone here to send me everything they know?!
We have some small kiddos in the house and I am terrified without the ability to cover this. Any advice here? We do have door alarms, so I will get sleep. Not sure I would, otherwise.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
We have some small kiddos in the house and I am terrified without the ability to cover this. Any advice here? We do have door alarms, so I will get sleep. Not sure I would, otherwise.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
I just wanted to share what I did when our pool ropes broke. its a coverstar pool cover put in in April of 2014 so it's been about three and a half years when one ropes broke and the other was very close to going right at the webbing. So I read about the normal cost like $800 or more even and I do a lot of stuff myself and make things although I have no training for this and only have about $200 worth of tools to do it with so anyone could do what I've done. So what I did was instead of buying $150 ropes, because one of the main weak point seems to be the webbing , that's so I got/made a bracket that attaches to the part of the cover with the metal plate that has four screws, there's one on each side that's where the webbing on the Rope bolts to, and then used a rope stop that I got from Lowe's. I got two of them for $5. and then for the bracket I initially made one myself out of aluminum, it was just a piece of you-know-what 20 gauge aluminum sheeting that I had sitting around and just cut it with a angle grinder and drill some holes, but that didn't quite hold up to the weight or force of the cover so I went to a store and bought a hinge. just a regular door hinge it's got three holes on one plate and 2 on the other with a pin through them, if you're not sure what I'm talking about look at pretty much any door in your house and that's what it is. So I knocked the pin out well actually I had to take the angle grinder cut the tip of the pin off because it looks like what they do is put the pin through it and then smash both ends so it makes like a I don't know ring that extends out and that's what keeps the pin in place but you could probably do with a hacksaw or whatever or maybe even just pound it out
Then I Folded back the parts where the pin goes through so the Rope would fit since it was just a little too small also you have to pound those actual hinge part of the hinge back so it's at 90° with the plate otherwise when u bolt it in there's another piece that interferes with it but if you look at the picture I put or if you try to do this it's pretty obvious what gets in the way. I just use angle grinder again to trim it back a little bit it's like about the size of your fingernail but not as long as a fingernail. and now the Rope goes through the hinge and then I took that metal plate that the four screws go to and use it as a template to drill holes into each hinge side and use those for the four screws so it sits on top of the plate that comes with the cover. I hope that you're able to understand what I'm saying there. and then use the rope stops from Lowe's to lock the Rope from slipping once there through the hinge piece. I have a picture of this it's not the best I meant to do a bunch of pictures showing the whole thing but basically it's the exact same if you replace the ropes except that you don't use the webbing and use the bracket and rope stop instead. Also I was able to reuse the ropes cuz only like a foot broke off of each side on one I just had to pull the Rope back through the channel and undo a couple of coils from the roller cuz there is extra rope it doesn't use all of the Rope.
I've put the cover back and forth a few times I just finished it literally like 20 minutes ago it took me probably 9 hours over the course of a week. and a lot of it was just going back and forth,because I forgot to do something or just figuring out how the thing worked in the beginning I would say if I had to redo it now without any of the parts and have to go get him again I could probably do it in 2 or 3 hours tops. So just thought I'd show this to anyone. the tools that I used was a hammer large flat head screwdriver I did have to use a $30 angle grinder a $30 Dremel to clean up after the grinder and a $50 drill press but you could do it with a regular hand drill and then just regular like 3/8 ratchet socket wrench screwdriver regular tools that anyone would have except for the angle grinder and Dremel which and get both of those at AutoZone $30 each and then just I got an ebay table top drill press for $50 for Christmas the other year so not expensive tools at all very handy very cheap. And then again the parts was literally just a hinge from a store three and a half inches long which is a little shorter than those metal brackets with the four screws that go in that attach to the cover and then just to $3 rope stop clamps from Lowe's which mind you they only had half inch size so I had to beat him down with a hammer to fit the Rope but it is very easy I'm not a blacksmith I don't have any training anyone can do this oh and then I also have a $20 Vise from Lowe's that I use it was attached to my table so that's it not anything crazy special no expensive tools or parts anyone could do this if they have the willpower.
View attachment 72517
Then I Folded back the parts where the pin goes through so the Rope would fit since it was just a little too small also you have to pound those actual hinge part of the hinge back so it's at 90° with the plate otherwise when u bolt it in there's another piece that interferes with it but if you look at the picture I put or if you try to do this it's pretty obvious what gets in the way. I just use angle grinder again to trim it back a little bit it's like about the size of your fingernail but not as long as a fingernail. and now the Rope goes through the hinge and then I took that metal plate that the four screws go to and use it as a template to drill holes into each hinge side and use those for the four screws so it sits on top of the plate that comes with the cover. I hope that you're able to understand what I'm saying there. and then use the rope stops from Lowe's to lock the Rope from slipping once there through the hinge piece. I have a picture of this it's not the best I meant to do a bunch of pictures showing the whole thing but basically it's the exact same if you replace the ropes except that you don't use the webbing and use the bracket and rope stop instead. Also I was able to reuse the ropes cuz only like a foot broke off of each side on one I just had to pull the Rope back through the channel and undo a couple of coils from the roller cuz there is extra rope it doesn't use all of the Rope.
I've put the cover back and forth a few times I just finished it literally like 20 minutes ago it took me probably 9 hours over the course of a week. and a lot of it was just going back and forth,because I forgot to do something or just figuring out how the thing worked in the beginning I would say if I had to redo it now without any of the parts and have to go get him again I could probably do it in 2 or 3 hours tops. So just thought I'd show this to anyone. the tools that I used was a hammer large flat head screwdriver I did have to use a $30 angle grinder a $30 Dremel to clean up after the grinder and a $50 drill press but you could do it with a regular hand drill and then just regular like 3/8 ratchet socket wrench screwdriver regular tools that anyone would have except for the angle grinder and Dremel which and get both of those at AutoZone $30 each and then just I got an ebay table top drill press for $50 for Christmas the other year so not expensive tools at all very handy very cheap. And then again the parts was literally just a hinge from a store three and a half inches long which is a little shorter than those metal brackets with the four screws that go in that attach to the cover and then just to $3 rope stop clamps from Lowe's which mind you they only had half inch size so I had to beat him down with a hammer to fit the Rope but it is very easy I'm not a blacksmith I don't have any training anyone can do this oh and then I also have a $20 Vise from Lowe's that I use it was attached to my table so that's it not anything crazy special no expensive tools or parts anyone could do this if they have the willpower.
View attachment 72517
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Gonna try to put the picture of the bracket i did again.
Ok it worked the item to the left is the rope stop and the just behind is the hinge half I used as a bracket though it shows how in that pic it slipped from one of the guides (the hinge part where the pin used to be)
Ok it worked the item to the left is the rope stop and the just behind is the hinge half I used as a bracket though it shows how in that pic it slipped from one of the guides (the hinge part where the pin used to be)
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This just happened bro mine how do I rewrap the rope to the reels & tie it so I can get cover guides back to the motor to reattach the cover?
Hi all,
The ropes broke on my coverstar too. It's an undermount system. The ropes seem to pass through the entire cover. Does this mean that I can't replace the rope? I'd really appreciate some help, especially with pictures or video.
Thanks all.
The ropes broke on my coverstar too. It's an undermount system. The ropes seem to pass through the entire cover. Does this mean that I can't replace the rope? I'd really appreciate some help, especially with pictures or video.
Thanks all.