Help buying in ground pool cover

[cgott42]

Sorry as I'm sure this is a common questions (but the search engine wouldn't let me search for "pool cover" as it's too common of a search term) - so I skimmed though 3 pages of postings and didn't find anything - anyway here's my Q:

I have a 25x45 pool area (in ground) pool area and need a cover. I've already thrown out 2 due to tears so I'd like a good quality one. Not ready to buy a $2k safety cover, instead looking for something in the $300 range.
Another related question: I have terrible movement on my cement deck around the pool, which I've been told is due to water seeping in around the pool (it's actually cause the pool to raise, and terrible cracks in the cement which I've recently had patched only to have much of the patches fall out due to shifting of the cement) so I was thinking to buy a larger pool cover to have the pool cover cover the cement around the pool too to help prevent water from seeping in ground.
Also another question - If I'm buying an oversized cover, can I use large rocks, bricks to hold down the cover. As even if a sharp edge makes a hole it'll only be on the part that is not on top of the pool anyway?

A few that I found via google:
($236) http://www.nationalpoolwholesalers.com/ ... WCVR153050
($377) - http://www.waterwarehouse.com/poolsuppl ... Cover.html
($207 w/o water tubes) - http://www.wintercover.com/Home/In-Grou ... und-Pools/
($306) http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Winter-Rec ... 86&sr=8-14

any suggestions/recommendations?

thanks

 

[JohnT]

A good rule is to never use anything to hold down a pool cover that you don't want in the pool. That means nothing that might damage the pool surface.

I don't think water around the pool is the cause of your decking problems. If the pool is full, it won't rise regardless of how much water is around it.

Can you post pictures of the concrete problems? What kind of pool and what was used to backfill around it.

 

[cgott42]

re: pool rising - what you said makes sense b/c the previous owners left the pool empty

 

[cgott42]

Any advice re: which pool cover to buy?

 

[mickey4paws]

The one at Dohany Water Warehouse looks good. We use water blocks to hold down the cover instead of water bags. They hold up well and don't spring leaks like water bags do.