Mesh Cover Damage and Frustration

[ddegentesh]

I purchased a new Loop Loc Mesh cover for our 18x36 IG Vinyl pool in November of last year. I installed it myself.

This spring, I noticed two tears in the cover. I sent the a photo to Loop Loc, to which they replied: "The damange on your cover appears to be a punture. Please send the attached form along with your cover to Loop Loc for an evaluation/repairs.
Any questions please contact us". I noticed the second tear afterwards and I haven't approached them about it yet.

Photo: http://mightytext.net/zDrL6

This is not the forum to argue the point, but I don't think it was a puncture. We have no trees within 50' of our pool, nothing that isn't anchored to the ground is outside in the winter.

I called them to discuss this, and the upshot of the conversation was this:

• Only by shipping the cover to them, at my cost, can they determine if the damage is covered by warranty. They make this judgement based on their "years of experience", no objective standards. If they say it's a puncture, it's a puncture. Period.
  
• If I send it to them 'dirty', no matter whether I have them repair it or not, it costs $210 for them to 'clean' it. They have no objective measurement of what 'dirty' is or not.
  
• If the damaged can be patched, the charge is $108.
  
• If the panel needs to be replaced, they rip out every panel from the damaged panel to the edge, at a cost of $168 each.
  
• If they decide the damage is not warrantied, and I decide not to have the damage repaired, they charge $96.
  
• Regardless of whether a repair is performed, under warranty or not, I'm responsible for shipping both ways.
  

So in total, It costs a minimum (assuming $35 shipping each way), learning if it's covered will cost $170, if it needs repaired out of warranty (it's on the second panel in), it will cost about $430, perhaps as much as $640 if they decide I didn't 'clean' it enough. The cover costs $1,400.


So, TFP, I ask:

1. Are small holes and tears like this normal, does it affect the performance or life of the cover -- should I have it repaired or not?
   
2. Are there any DIY repair methods?
   
3. Is my description of Loop Loc's policies, above, similar to what you've encountered, either with Loop Loc or other companies?
   
4. Should I expect this to happen every year?

Thanks.

 

[Charlie_R]

I'm not familiar with Loop Loc covers, so take this with a grain of salt.

It could be that they don't actually "repair" the torn covers that do get returned, warranty or not, but send out a new cover. For them, this actually makes sense from a financial point of view. This would be part of the reason they charge so much for any repairs.

That being the probable case, would you be able to at least stitch the cover back together with some strong nylon thread? It may not look the best when done, but it would still be usable.

Last spring, we ordered a fairly cheap cover set that included a black/blue solid cover, and a mesh cover. When it arrived, we noticed that when it was packaged for shipping, the person or machine that sealed the bag had inadvertently caught part of the mesh in the package seam. This melted the mesh in that spot. We took pictures, and contacted the seller. They told us we could send it back for a replacement/repair, or just pay a nominal fee for shipping out another. We paid what amounted to half the cost of a new set, and were able to keep the damaged mesh cover. I repaired it with some braided nylon fishing fishing line, and now have two good mesh covers. Sure the damaged one looks a little odd, but with both on the pool, they keep quite a bit of the smaller tree crud out of the pool.

 

[JohnT]

Small holes can be patched with their self-adhesive patches with good results. I snagged mine on a patio lock last spring and patched it with excellent results. All but invisible.

My totally non-expert opinion is that it looks like a puncture too. Looks like something with a square corner landed on it. Maybe a chunk of something in a windstorm? I'd probably just grumble under my breath and apply patches for less than the cost of shipping it one way.

 

[JamesW]

I think that it looks like it's probably a puncture. If it's small enough, the adhesive patch should work for you.

 

[ddegentesh]

Thanks, guys. I'll try the adhesive patch.