Another Pool Cover Question....

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poolguy123

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Sep 14, 2009
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Newbie to this site and first season as a pool owner. I have a 27' Trevi AGP and can't decide on a winter cover. Micro Mesh vs Solid?? We live in the Northeast, and leaning towards the mesh becasue I don't want to have to pump out water and have to deal with a mess. With a mesh cover, how far below the skimmer and return should the water level be in order not to run into any problems during the winter? Should I buy a skimmer cover and return plug as well? Do I need an air pillow?

Any advice would be great!
 
hey PG...welcome to TFP :goodjob:

I have been served well in the past by a solid cover, but I do have a lot of trees here in NY. the leaves degrade over the winter and yes although I have to pump water off of it, it does not allow organics to seep through and keeps my water level below the skimmer/return openings. I like the idea of a pillow for solid covers only.

Mesh I think are most suited for or more southern members, where frost is less of an issue although there are some here who have made it work up north.

On the water level...keep it below your skimmer and plug your return.

Also, I usually get a new cover every year ($40-50 per year vs wondering if my old cover has a hole in it) and I buy the next size up...so for a 24ft pool I get the 27ft cover....for your pool I would get the 30 ft cover...it just give you some insurance if you get a lot of leaves and ice or your pillow deflates it won't pull on the sides of your pool.

Good luck
 
Bama Rambler said:
Sparkmaster said:
Wasn't going to start a new topic so I will ask my question here.. Why do you drain the water below the skimmer??
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You're obviously not from the north. :)

If you leave water in the skimmer and it freezes it'll burst the skimmer and the piping.
Click to expand...

I am from the north (New Hampshire).. I never drain my pool below the skimmer.. I use the skimmer cover and remove all hoses..
 
By letting water spill out the return, won't that damage the pool wall if it freezes? I live on L.I. (NY) and have to deal with alot of leaves, which is why mesh cover sounded good.

OK, now I have narrowed my choices to Arctic Armor mesh or silver grade solid cover. I have a 27' pool so it sounds like it will be better to go with a 30' cover - is this right?

Problem I now have with buying mesh, is that I can't find a cover to fit my skimmer - it's a widemouth with outside dimensions of 14"w x 7 5/8"h. I may go with the solid cover at least for this year because if I wait too much longer to order it - I'll be putting up Christmas lights before closing my pool :shock:
 
I have quite a few trees around my pool here in Wisconsin. I am planning on covering with a solid cover that has a cable to tighten it around the pool and then a net "leaf cover" I'll leave on until all the leaves are down around the pool, then take off. I think the combination should work just perfectly.

Dan
 
OK I've decided to go with solid cover. If I should buy the next size up, which for a 27' pool = 30 ' cover. Is there any special way I have to attach it (with the cable) because it will be larger than the 27/28' cover? If I order the Arctic Armor 30' silver, it has a 4 ft overlap as a standard, so the cover = 34' total. Do I fold up part of the overlap so the grommets won't scratch the pool? Not sure how this would work. Or should I go with a standard 27/28' cover w/ 4 ' overlap?

Thanks
 
poolguy123 said:
Newbie to this site and first season as a pool owner. I have a 27' Trevi AGP and can't decide on a winter cover. Micro Mesh vs Solid?? We live in the Northeast, and leaning towards the mesh becasue I don't want to have to pump out water and have to deal with a mess. With a mesh cover, how far below the skimmer and return should the water level be in order not to run into any problems during the winter? Should I buy a skimmer cover and return plug as well? Do I need an air pillow?

Any advice would be great!
Click to expand...


last year we didn't freeze until right before Christmas...On my solid cover I pumped three or four times in October and Novemeber and twice in December before it froze...However, I would have had to drop waterlevel probably 8 -10 inches below return in order to not have it come up...remember it doesn't take long for the inches to come up...a good heavy day of rain can add two inches of water to the pool...depending. I would rather have the solid cover and pump off the cover, rather than have to pump it out of the pool because it got too high in the pool...
 

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poolguy123 said:
By letting water spill out the return, won't that damage the pool wall if it freezes? I live on L.I. (NY) and have to deal with alot of leaves, which is why mesh cover sounded good.

OK, now I have narrowed my choices to Arctic Armor mesh or silver grade solid cover. I have a 27' pool so it sounds like it will be better to go with a 30' cover - is this right?

Problem I now have with buying mesh, is that I can't find a cover to fit my skimmer - it's a widemouth with outside dimensions of 14"w x 7 5/8"h. I may go with the solid cover at least for this year because if I wait too much longer to order it - I'll be putting up Christmas lights before closing my pool :shock:
Click to expand...

I used a hefty bag to cover my skimmer with last year it worked just fine...I just wrapped a bungy cord around the skimmer box...detached hoses and let it go...Don't worry about getting an expensive 15 year cover...get the $40-45 variety...look on the web you can find them at any pool supply store. Also look for a leave net if you are worried about the mess of dacaying leaves...I am getting one this year.

Clips are a good thing too...they keep the wind from getting up under the cover. I am using these this year...

http://www.winterpoolsupplies.com/cgi-b ... 100,594101
 
The cover doesn't fit over the skimmer. Just use a bag or something to cover the hole on the top to keep the water from getting in it. My skimmer is widemouth also.

As far as draining the water down because of rain, that is why I leave the return unplugged. When the water reaches that level, it drains out of the return. And no, I have not incurred any damage doing it that way.

You really don't need to buy the cover a size bigger than your pool. They give you more than enough overhang with the proper size.
 
heatmisr said:
You really don't need to buy the cover a size bigger than your pool. They give you more than enough overhang with the proper size.
Click to expand...

This is true in most cases, but I choose to do so for cheap insurance if your cover develops a hole over the winter or the pillow deflates...I had both happen to me one year with heavy ice over the winter it put significant stress on my pool wall on my old oval abg pool and the next season my wall failed...could be unrelated but given I now have resin toprails, I'd rather have the extra material to allow for movement. :goodjob:
 
We went with an Arctic Armor years ago and never looked back at that nasty mess the solid cover left us with every year. We drain 6-8" below the skimmer/return, shock, throw the cover on (plastic over the top of the skimmer) hoses off so the water runs out of the return and no problems. It does not freeze more solid anywhere in the states than it does here in the Nation's Ice Box of Northern Minnesota. We have never had wall damage or anything damaged, including the cover. It lays on the top of the water, no pillow required. There is plenty of excess when you order for your pool size - it comes with a cable and winch so stays tight. We do put our leaf net on for the time the leaves are falling and remove when the major drop is done.

This was the easiest for us - the solid was a hassle and a mess.
 
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