Seeking Advice- Pro's and cons of automatic pool cover

[adam]

I'm in the planning stages of an IG Gunite. Long rectangular with diving well and will probably will get a sauna. Leaning toward Salt. Please offer experience with auto pool covers. I'm taking out my only trees but all 3 neighbors have trees 20-50 feet away. Also interested in the heat/evaporation management it may offer. Kids are old enough that safety is not a concern. How often do they need to be replaced? How worried should I be about corrosion? How much better is it than a 'solar cover". I started with a desire to have one but now am on the fence and only 1 of the 5 builders thinks its a good idea.
thanks

 

[Joshii]

Depends why you want one. I had one growing up. It was a pain. When it rains, you have to pump it out. When stuff falls on it, you have to blow or brush it off. It is much easier to just let the skimmers catch the stuff than to constantly clean off the cover.

I'm guessing you don't deal much with rain. And you are getting rid of the debris sources.

The covers work great as solar covers and limit evaporation, sure. You may find your pool gets too warm though. Evidently people in your neck of the woods have that luxury. I mean, problem.

I would like to get one again, for the solar/evap properties. But only if it were recessed and not surface mounted. Classy looking install.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I have an automatic undertrack cover and love it. But as Joshii said, it depends why you may or may not want one. for me it's

1. Reduces chlorine loss. I don't have to test every day. Every 2-3 days is enough & I really only need to add liquid Cl weekly. The opaque cover protects the FC from the full sun my pool would otherwise get.

2. Reduces evaporation. My cover-less neighbors lose 2-3 inches a week. I lose 1 inch every 2-3 weeks. This was more important during our 5-year CA drought.

3. Reduces heat loss. This can be a negative if the pool is too warm. My pool is consistently over 85 F first thing in the morning in summer even with overnight 50's. This is great for morning swims, but feels too warm once the afternoon sun raises it to 90.

4. Keeps debris out of pool. Personally, I'd rather brush or blow leaves off my cover than have them land in the water. I have a stand of redwoods near my pool, and their needle-y leaves are annoying in the pool. (I also had 9 super-annoying liquidambar trees with the spiny balls, and cut them all down.) I also dislike pulling critters out of the pool & skimmers. When I uncover the pool for my first swim of the day, there's usually a few dead spiders on the steps where my Polaris sweep didn't reach. But that's all.

5. Low maintenance. In the prime summer months, there's little to do to maintain the cover. In fall, I get my share of leaves. (Did you think redwoods were evergreens? They drop leaves in autumn like everybody else.) You must be careful not to let leaves fall into the cover vault. They are a pain to clean out and you don't want them clogging the vault drain. In winter, we get rain. So on goes the automatic pump. I am fortunate that swim season and rainy season never coincide in my climate, so the pump gets removed in winter only for pool brushing & maintenance, and stays off all summer.

Negatives:

1. Low durability. My covers last about 5 years before they need replacement. They do develop pinholes and tears which can be patched by the owner, but eventually, they wear out. My cover drags over the integrated spa dam every time it opens & closes, so that's my wear point. You can tell when replacement is needed when you see large puddles & stains from pool water on the cover. With my size pool, I pay ~$2200 for replacement, which includes all new ropes & pulleys as well as the vinyl.

2. Occasional problems. If the cover gets stuck closed, you can't swim. Opening it by hand is possible, but neither easy nor recommended. A few months ago, my cover would only open half way. Swimming in this situation is dangerous if you have kids who might be tempted to go under the cover and then lose their way.

Hope this helps.

 

[adam]

$2200 to replace vinyl, ropes and pulleys every 5 yrs is better than anticipated. I primarily want the heat management to extend the shoulders of the swim season thus would leave it open in the summer to keep it cool.
thanks

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

$2200 to replace vinyl, ropes and pulleys every 5 yrs is better than anticipated.

Better yet, I forgot to mention that $2200 includes new rails as well.

 

[santacruzpool]

I have an automatic undertrack cover and love it. But as Joshii said, it depends why you may or may not want one. for me it's

1. Reduces chlorine loss. I don't have to test every day. Every 2-3 days is enough & I really only need to add liquid Cl weekly. The opaque cover protects the FC from the full sun my pool would otherwise get.

2. Reduces evaporation. My cover-less neighbors lose 2-3 inches a week. I lose 1 inch every 2-3 weeks. This was more important during our 5-year CA drought.

3. Reduces heat loss. This can be a negative if the pool is too warm. My pool is consistently over 85 F first thing in the morning in summer even with overnight 50's. This is great for morning swims, but feels too warm once the afternoon sun raises it to 90.

4. Keeps debris out of pool. Personally, I'd rather brush or blow leaves off my cover than have them land in the water. I have a stand of redwoods near my pool, and their needle-y leaves are annoying in the pool. (I also had 9 super-annoying liquidambar trees with the spiny balls, and cut them all down.) I also dislike pulling critters out of the pool & skimmers. When I uncover the pool for my first swim of the day, there's usually a few dead spiders on the steps where my Polaris sweep didn't reach. But that's all.

5. Low maintenance. In the prime summer months, there's little to do to maintain the cover. In fall, I get my share of leaves. (Did you think redwoods were evergreens? They drop leaves in autumn like everybody else.) You must be careful not to let leaves fall into the cover vault. They are a pain to clean out and you don't want them clogging the vault drain. In winter, we get rain. So on goes the automatic pump. I am fortunate that swim season and rainy season never coincide in my climate, so the pump gets removed in winter only for pool brushing & maintenance, and stays off all summer.

Negatives:

1. Low durability. My covers last about 5 years before they need replacement. They do develop pinholes and tears which can be patched by the owner, but eventually, they wear out. My cover drags over the integrated spa dam every time it opens & closes, so that's my wear point. You can tell when replacement is needed when you see large puddles & stains from pool water on the cover. With my size pool, I pay ~$2200 for replacement, which includes all new ropes & pulleys as well as the vinyl.

2. Occasional problems. If the cover gets stuck closed, you can't swim. Opening it by hand is possible, but neither easy nor recommended. A few months ago, my cover would only open half way. Swimming in this situation is dangerous if you have kids who might be tempted to go under the cover and then lose their way.

Hope this helps.

This follows my experience - we are on year 3 - swim season 4 at the present and so we haven't had to do any replacement or repairs to our vinyl cover. I hope I can get it replaced for $2200 when the time comes that sounds like a pretty good price!

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I primarily want the heat management to extend the shoulders of the swim season thus would leave it open in the summer to keep it cool.

Have you considered solar? That’s the traditional way to extend the shoulders. Plus it can be used for cooling at night, assuming your temperature drops, allowing you to keep the cover closed.