Automatic pool covers, thoughts?

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Maxdaddy

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Apr 27, 2010
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What brand of automatic pool cover do you have and do you like it? I am most interested in Coverstar mostly due to the recommendation of a pool cover installer but I am also interested in Cover Pools, Aquamatics, etc...

I am planning on purchasing an automatic pool cover since I have young children and am most concerned about their safety. Loop-loc is much less expensive but I know that if it takes more than a thought to use it, it won't be used. Also the claim that it saves energy, requires less cleaning and chemicals is also appealing.

Thoughts?
 
We have the CoverStar auto cover and love it. I have small children as well and we didn't want to take any chances since they play in the same yard that the pool is in. It is very comforting to know that the pool is locked up tight and they can't fall in.

Another plus is the convenience of it. Any single person can stand there and hit the switch to put the cover on or off. We had just a simple solar cover before our real cover was ready and it was a real pain to get it off and on.

And if those two reasons aren't enough, they aren't lying when they say it helps keep the pool clean and helps with chemical use. I very rarely have to vacuum. It also really helps with heat retention. Using our heater, we have been able to extend our swimming season far beyond the norm. Without it, there is no way we would be trying to heat the pool up in April.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.
 

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Thanks for the input, MNB. I think I will go with Coverstar. How long have you had your pool cover and have you had any maintainance issues? Anything that you have learned about it that you wished you knew before you bought it? How did you choose Coverstar as opposed to the other brands?

Gorgeous pool! Thanks for the pics!

Thanks, JasonLion. Good to know that there is some truth to the claims!
 
Maxdaddy said:
Thanks for the input, MNB. I think I will go with Coverstar. How long have you had your pool cover and have you had any maintainance issues? Anything that you have learned about it that you wished you knew before you bought it? How did you choose Coverstar as opposed to the other brands?

Gorgeous pool! Thanks for the pics!

Thanks, JasonLion. Good to know that there is some truth to the claims!
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This is only my second full season so I glad to say I haven't had any maintenance issues yet. I'm hoping that it will last without any major costs for awhile. I realize that it may cost me more eventually, but we didn't have a choice. We were not going to put a pool in without an autocover for the safety reasons.

No issues to report so far, works just like I thought it would. The one thing that you need to remember is that if you are going to use this as your winter cover as well (like I do and I think most people do) is that you have to keep the right amount of water in the pool during the winter. The cover is actually supported by the water, so if it is too low, the ice on top in the winter could do damage. Since I have a fiberglass pool, this works perfectly since I don't need to lower my water much in the winter.

I didn't really do a lot of research before choosing CoverStar. I was debating between two pool builders when we built. One was recommending CoverStar and one was recommending Coverpools. I looked at both and they seemed about equal. So, when I picked my builder, I just went with their CoverStar recommendation, since they had the relationship with that company already.

Good Luck.
 
We have the Aquamatic Automatic Cover for 2 years now, so far, no problem. Personally, I will not go for a pool without an automatic cover, beside safety reasons, you also spend much less time cleaning the pool, and it saves your pool heating cost, you don't lose as much chlorine, my SWG is running at around 4 to 5 %. Once you open the cover, you are ready to swim, no time consuming clean up, removing dead worms from bottom of pool, as worms usually get in the pool at night time. I must say the automatic cover is the best investment besides the pool itself.
 
I have an automatic electric opaque cover from Pool Covers, Inc. shown here. It most definitely saves energy compared to not having a cover, but it does lose heat more than a bubble-type cover, perhaps twice the rate of heat loss. That's because it's thinner and doesn't have air bubble insulation so it can roll up more compactly inside a vault. It definitely keeps the pool clean, as would most covers, though it does mean you need to clean off the cover regularly unless you plan to clean the vault itself which is a pain due to heavy coping pieces covering the vault (of course, you can have this designed differently). It is a safety cover so you can walk on it without harm (though it's recommended not to, mostly to have the cover last longer). I clean the vault once a year (because I clean the cover before opening, if needed) and it's a pain.

My only big gripe about the cover is that it doesn't seem to last more than 2-3 years before getting small holes that leak water to the top of the cover. This seems to happen on the sides where the cover has folds because it is not so taut (and not meant to be). We're on our second cover and need to get it replaced again. The first one we did for just the labor cost as it was before the pro-rated warranty timeframe, but this one we'll have to pay for some pro-ration. The cover has a warranty of 7 years, but is pro-rated for years 4 to 7 (i.e. it's only a free replacement in the first 3 years). Not everyone has this problem, but we do.

Richard
 
Maxdaddy said:
Thanks everyone for the kind posts. I am meeting with the pool cover installer tomorrow. I'm going to go with Coverstar (which is what he recommends).
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I would be interested to hear the reasons for the recommendation please. Hoping to fit an electric cover sometime in the future and the Aquamatics has two hydraulic motors one for open and one for closing, maybe a bit over engineered but built to last. I don't know why they didn't just fit one hydaulic motor and reverse the oil flow, (one of the advantages of hydraulic motors over electric I believe)
 
Teapot,
Apparently, Coverpros installs all sorts of automatic pool covers. I understand thet do repair work on them as well. They were willing to install the cover of my choice (since they also install Coverpools and a few other brands besides) but recommended Coverstar noting that they have to make fewer repair calls on them (of course the complete opposite may be true for all I know). I was particularly interested in Aquamatics myself but the people at Coverpros noted that the hydraulic motors are more expensive and tempermental. Sorry I can't speak from first hand experience but I hope this helps.
 

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I am thinking very serious about a auto cover after all the dirt from the last storm.. What a mess!!!!!!
but i was wondering if anyone has a diving board. The guy at aquamatic said i need 15' from the bottom of diving board to the deck. I only have about 14"
was wondering if anyone has this problem?
 
i am currently planning for a 20x40 vinyl pool. i really want an automatic cover, but the post is prohibitive... a compromise that may work for me is an EZ cover by aquamatic. this is a MANUAL cover, you use two ski poles to ratchet it open/closed. the great thing is it can be below deck mounted and the hydraulic motors can be added after (the vault dimentions consider this. this makes the cover about 1/2 price. not as sexy as powered, but most of the benefits...besides...i can use the exercise!

i called the company direct and they picked up on the 2nd ring. good people to talk to and they answered all my questions...now its just a matter of pulling the trigger.

just thought i would throw this out if anyone is experiencing heartburn over the price...this might be a an option that includes an upgrade path.
 
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I am considering an automated pool cover for an existing pool; however I don't want to give up my diving board, ladder and hand rails. Jokingly :lol:, I can envision these items to disappearing into their respective compartments just before the pool cover closes however, the engineering and construction costs would be prohibitive. Does anyone know of a work around for these items?
 
I'm going with cover pools, and I have a Roman End Pool going in this Spring. The installer recommended a recessed flush-on-deck track. What I don't understand is where the motor and rolled up cover go. With a Roman you can't have a vanishing situation unless you're doing a a raised deck (or a deck in deck design), which I'm not.

Anyone have any pictures or a Roman end pool where they used recessed on deck track?
 

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