Is this ok for my new mesh cover?

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antipode

antipode

0
Jul 10, 2009
33
Long Island, NY
My new micro-mesh cover is sinking into the pool water. (I thought it was supposed to sort of *sit* on the water.) I'm worried that when it freezes, it will damage the cover.

There are no leaves on the cover, and the cable is tied tightly around the cover perimeter.

Any thoughts?
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I don't know if this will damage the cover, but it doesn't look right, and I think other folks with AG pools use inflatable pillows to shed water from the center. I would advise pumping this off, but if it's already at or below pool level you may end up pumping out some of the pool water! Other members who have experienced this will be along to comment more authoritatively.
 
Don't bother pumping it off - the cover lets water through it :)

As polyvue suggested, secure an air pillow under the center. When the water freezes, you may get stress on the top of the wall.

It's easy enough to do - just peel the cover back 1/2 way and inflate and secure the air pillow so that it's ~ centered in the pool and recover (the pool :p )

I'm not very familiar with these covers, but strongly suspect that having it not totally submerged will be a benefit.

Be prepared for a green pool in the spring :( The mesh will allow light and small debris through and anything sitting on the cover will make 'swamp tea' in the water. However, keeping the cover ~ debris free will somewhat alleviate this :cool:

If you need help on removal, with stuff on it, in the spring - simply ask :-D

Have a great winter! I hope to see you back here next spring, if not sooner :goodjob:
 
We also have a mesh cover without a cover underneath because we are not able to use a regular cover, but needed some way to keep stuff (including my ornery cats!!!!) out of the pool. We just used washers and screws to screw it to the deck on 1/2 the pool, and the other half, we put tent stakes into the ground and threaded the cable through and hooked it to the tent stakes. I can try to get pictures if you want to see how ours looks.

Ours hangs in the water too - but that made it SOOOO easy to get the leaves off - just took my long handled leaf skimmer and ran it along the top - and pulled up the leaves. My water was still crystal clear when it froze to ice. I'm so excited about that!

Now - since the pool is ice, the cover is froze to it - it's actually not in the water though - it's on top with just a bit froze to the pool - it was like it got pushed up as the water was freezing - because it was actually IN the water when it started to freeze!! I was a bit concerned about it, but it seems to be fine so far. I may change that opinion when the blizzards start though! Sometime when we get a bit of a thaw, and it unfreezes, I may try to get it higher so it's off the water/ice until spring.

The directions said that if it doesn't fall straight down along the edges, but sloped out, the mesh cover could be damaged. We could only get one side to fall like that, so I'm just hoping it isn't damaged. But if it is, so be it. I'm still very happy with it, and I'll just buy another one for next winter and try again!! lol We can't figure out how it will be damaged because the wind isn't taking it (it just goes through it), so that shouldn't be the problem. Unless my 16 lb cat will tear it when he walks on it! :hammer:

OP: I just noticed that you have the same pump and filter that we have. Why are you replacing your pump? Just curious...
 
Ok I'm gonna post this info again since it must not be readily available or searchable. We have used a micromesh winter cover for many years in the frozen north. You do NOT use a pillow with this type of cover and it is recommended that you don't try. This type of micromesh is so finely woven that it does not allow any more light in than a solid cover for purposes of algae growth but does allow water to flow through. You should always use a leaf net over it until the leaves are done dropping - remove net for winter. The cover is manufactured to withstand freezing into the ice and will survive without damage for years of this so long as you do not pull or yank on the cover when frozen. In the spring when the ice is melted just fold over from the end and slowly sieve water out. Your pool should be crystal clear with only a tiny bit of silt on the floor. You will never have a swamp on top or underneath if you winterize correctly. You will never need to mess with inflatable pillows or cover pumps. Just be sure it does not fill with leaves or debris, which will weigh it down like any cover. Either get a leaf net over it for autumn or remove leaves regularly. My cover sits a few inches under the water until freeze when it goes up a bit. This type of cover does not whip around in the wind as much either due to the water on top. Good luck and happy spring wishing!
 
An update:

The big leaf drop has passed, and we've had 50+ inches of snow, and multiple ices/thaws. (I was concerned about the cover blowing off, since it just sits on the water, but despite some billowing, no problems.

The cover is just fine. No pillow needed.

As one poster mentioned, the cover sort of pushes UP THROUGH the forming ice out of the water it was sitting in. That is, if the cover is sitting in 5 inches of water, when the temps go below freezing, the forming ice PUSHES the cover up; finally, the cover is frozen in the water, but only in about an inch or so.

It's kind of cool.

@ cherylandco: I need to update that. I inherited the pump (9 years old), and I'll take the blame of the ignorant. I must have let the pump get too wet, or to cold, or something, because the main transmission in the motor rusted out. I've since changed out to a new Hayward 1.5.
 
Just wanted to update!!! The water thawed and it's crystal clear. There is stuff on the bottom of the pool, but I'm hoping it's just dirt and not algae starting already (although it's 80 degrees today!??!?!?!!!). I've been dumping bleach in ocassionally, hoping that will hold it until I'm certain the freezes are over (another couple weeks or so!).

Here are a few pictures of the setup/end result!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CB ... directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2- ... directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NJ ... directlink
 
Interesting, Cheryl.

First -- and maybe most importantly -- we may have our terminology askew. Your "mesh cover" looks VERY different than mine. Yours looks like "mesh." Mine looks like a solid cover, but isn't. (See picture in first post.) `Are these the same thing?

Second -- an update wrapped around a question: we've had 12+ inches of rain in March, and there is a lot of water on top of my mesh cover. Is that going to muck up my water quality? Should I drain it off?

My thinking is: being mesh, the pool water mixes with the water on top. the water below the cover is protected from algae and debris by the black cover. But by mixing, am I not allowing "dirty" water underneath the cover?

So confused...
 
Here in Ct. we've gotten the same amount of rain :|

Don't worry about it mixing with the pool water, it will dilute the chems you have in there from last year, but that's not necessarily a bad thing :cool:

You have the latest generation of mesh covers that have a tighter weave and thereby reduce the algae growing sunlight and also will only allow the finest debris to enter the pool.

About the only way to grow algae in your situation is to allow the water on top of the cover to become an algae pond (i.e. letting leaves marinate in the water on top of the cover), if the water on top of your cover looks clean, the water under the cover will open clean :-D
 

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This was our second winter with a cover just like the one you have. Freezing is not a concern for us but we do have trees that drop alot of pollen in the spring. Last year my cover looked like yours, it had sunk considerably and had alot of leaves and pollen collect in the water on the cover. I cleaned it very often.
When I took the cover off the pool was clear until I lost control of the water I was letting work its way through the cover, then I had a green mess, but it cleared up.
Anyway I've got a inflatable under the cover now and it works just fine. The top stays blown off from the wind and it will come off without a hitch. I've also got about a dozen bleach bottles filled with water hanging around the pool to help keep it tight. Wind has not been a problem for me because the cover is kind of taught and doesn't billow much.
 
Cool. (I haven't dared look under the cover yet.)

One of the lessons I've learned with this kind of cover is to be sure to have the cover tight.
(I still don't understand why this type of cover recommends NOT to use a pillow underneath. Anyone have an explanation on that one?)
 
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