Solar Pool Cover and in-floor cleaning system

[leeatmg]

Hi everyone...first time poster here, but I've been reading for a while now. We moved to a home last summer in the Phoenix area, and have never had a pool before. First, thanks for all the good information here - it has helped quite a bit. I hope someday I can return the favor!

Our pool is approx. 14,000 gallons, irregular shaped rectangular pool, roughly 16 x 33. We have an in floor cleaning system. Last year, I attempted to fashion a pool cover for the pool, and because of its irregular shape, I cut it into three sections, and cut it to exactly fit the shape of the pool. Every morning, the pool cover would be mostly bunched up in the center of the pool from the activity of the cleaning jets (which run overnight.)

About a week ago, I bought a new solar pool cover larger than the entire footprint of the pool. It has been sitting on the pool since, weighted down around the pool deck to hold it in place. It seems to me that the best answer to the jets causing the cover to bunch in the middle is to cut the cover larger than the pool and continue weighting it down to hold it in place. I am OK with that for now.

The question I have is this - what's the recommendation for if/when it rains? Should I cut a few drain holes in the cover? Not that we get huge rain all the time here in the Phoenix area, but we do get the occasional downpour, and I would hate to come home to find a couple inches of water pooled in the middle of the cover. Any suggestions are appreciated...

---Lee

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I recall having a similar problem with my previous pool that had a floor system ... although not this bad. I think I just cut the cover smaller in areas where the jets really came up the wall so it could not get on top. Keeping it as one piece would help prevent it from bunching too.

There is no problem leaving it big like you did. I can not think if it would be better to have some holes or not. With how rare the rain is, you could just not have any holes and slide the cover off if rain did get on top. With the holes, you may have to do the same thing anyway as it may not float in a manner to have all the water drain.

 

[leeatmg]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm not sure that the water was getting on top of the cover due to the jets; having watched it a little last year, it looked more like the turbulence of the water coming up the wall was pushing the cover. By morning, it was covering less than half the pool and all bunched up either in the middle or against one of the sides.

I suppose my concern about the rain isn't all that big of a deal. I bring it up more because I am going away on vacation for a week, and I have images in my head of coming back to a cover that sank due to the weight of a sudden torrential rain storm while I was gone, pulling the weights underwater with it. I just moved here from a much colder climate and we are itching to use the pool already, so taking the cover off while we are gone isn't really an option I want to explore either. Installing a heater is next, but not this spring, so we want the warmth.

Thanks again for the response. This is a great forum and I hope to learn lots and help where I can...