leaving solar cover on all winter

[theeviltwinn]

My winter cover kept sinking last year. Pumping the water off the top kept draining the pool. And removing it in the spring was a complete disaster. Can I leave the solar cover on all winter to keep the large debris out without damaging the solar cover? I live in SE Pa. and it does freeze from time to time.

I plan to remove the filter and add the chems to the water. I just want to avoid the hassle I had last year with the cover. Or maybe I can put the winter cover over the solar cover to keep it from sinking. What do you think?

Mike

 

[mas985]

I find that solar covers are not very good at keeping stuff out of the pool. I keep mine off all winter long since it makes the skimmers work better for cleaning off the leaves. But I would think it would probably work ok for you to put the winter cover on top of the solar cover.

 

[MEvan]

I opened a pool once where the previous homeowner has put there solar cover beneath their winter cover and the solar cover was a complete mess. It weighed about 200 lbs. It could have been closed for years though, who knows. You might want to look into a safety cover if thats your problem. If you lose water when you pump your cover its one of 2 things, your not pumping the cover of enough and it is displacing the water in the pool or you have a hole in your winter cover and you are pumping the pool.

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

I opened a pool once where the previous homeowner has put there solar cover beneath their winter cover and the solar cover was a complete mess. It weighed about 200 lbs. It could have been closed for years though, who knows. You might want to look into a safety cover if thats your problem. If you lose water when you pump your cover its one of 2 things, your not pumping the cover of enough and it is displacing the water in the pool or you have a hole in your winter cover and you are pumping the pool.

I was thinking along those same lines. We had alot of rain one winter, and the amount of water on top of the cover was incredible. Hubby spent some time occassionally draining some of it off, when it wasn't frozen. That spring, we opened to find a clear water line from the pool store chems we had purchased, and saw that our water had dropped at least 6-8 inches. WE were terrified we had a leak. we filled her, and watched the water level, and it was fine, we then realized the water on top of the water displaced the water in the pool up and out thru the return and skimmer openings.

We now use an Aquadoor and we don't drain at all, the cover sits up higher and holds much less rainwater. The amount it does hold is good, keeps the cover from blowing around in the high winds. It also takes less time to drain the top in the Spring, and it just has less gook in general.

I wouldn't keep your solar cover on; I don't know that it would have any benefit and it would in all likelyhood just get ruined.

 

[theeviltwinn]

Thanks all.

The solar cover is getting stored and I'm buying a better winter cover.

Mike